Jonathan Falwell urges Virginia pastors to get political this November.

Jonathan Falwell, son of the late TV preacher Jerry Falwell, is picking up right where his father left off: He's urging pastors in Virginia to make sure that Religious Right allies are elected to the General Assembly next month.

Virginia holds statewide elections Nov. 6. Republicans in the state are worried, noting several recent electoral successes by Democrats. All 140 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate are on the ballot.

Speaking to a gathering of pastors in Richmond Sept. 11, Falwell appealed to them to crank up their efforts to get out the vote on behalf of candidates who oppose legal abortion and gay rights. He urged the pastors to tell their congregations to back candidates who "believe the Bible is the truth."

"We must stand up and say, 'Right is right, wrong is wrong,'" Falwell told the pastors. "We must protect the unborn. We must protect marriage. We must protect our families. We must protect our young people."

Falwell's speech came before a meeting of a group called Pastors for Family Values. The organization is an offshoot of a Virginia Religious Right group called The Family Foundation, a state affiliate of James Dobson's Focus on the Family.

The Washington Post reported that Falwell and his allies see the election as critical. In recent years, moderate Republicans in Virginia have joined forces with Democrats to block legislation restricting abortion and other proposals backed by The Family Foundation.

This year, several moderate Republicans in the Senate are retiring. Religious Right activists hope to replace them with social conservatives. Democrats, meanwhile, hope to pick up enough seats to win control of the chamber.

"There is no question, this election is critical to the commonwealth of Virginia," said Victoria Cobb, executive director of The Family Foundation. "The number of seats, the location of the seats in terms of committee chairmen, are on the line."

Cobb also insisted, "It's not about party. It's where the candidates stand on values issues." The group distributes voter guides that rank candidates on certain issues.

Falwell told The Post he will be active in national politics as well.

"I had a good teacher," he said. "I can assure you, I am going to do what my daddy told me, and I am going to stand up and speak for the issues I care about."