Four Democrats Vie for Seat Being Vacated by Republican Tom Davis
By Joseph Elias Hight
With Tom Davis deciding not to run for an eighth term, Virginia Democrats see a chance to pick up his seat in Congress. The winner of the Democratic primary will face off in the 2008 general election against the Republican Party candidate, businessman Keith Fimian.
The four democratic primary opponents are Lori Alexander, Leslie Byrne, Gerry Connolly and Doug Denneny.
The district encompasses a good chunk of Fairfax County, including the communities of Vienna, Annandale, Oakton, Springfield, Burke, Lorton and Mount Vernon; and a slice of the northern part of Prince William County.
Alexander said, “When Tom Davis decided to retire, I knew that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to run for his seat and allow my voice to be heard. I have been a strong advocate for greater environmental protection as a member of the Sierra Club for 13 years.” She added that environmental protection will be a top priority for her in Congress.
Regarding health care, Alexander said, “If elected, I would become the first physical therapist in history to serve in the United States Congress, and I would bring with me 13 years of health care experience, which I believe is required to repair the health care system in this country.”
Democrat Leslie Byrne, 61, is competing for the congressional seat she held in 1993 and 1994. She lost the post to Republican Tom Davis in the 1994 election. Byrne was born in Salt Lake City, attended the University of Utah and moved to Northern Virginia in 1971. The veteran Democrat brings significant experience to the race. In addition to her two-year term in Congress, Byrne represented the 38th District for seven years in the Virginia House of Delegates. She served in the Clinton administration as a consumer advocate, and she represented the 34th District for one term in the Virginia State Senate. Byrne narrowly lost a campaign for lieutenant governor in 2005.
The former congresswoman has said that Iraq, the economy, health care reform and consumer safety are issues that Congress will need to face next year.
Gerry Connolly has been a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 1995 and served as chairman since 2003. A long-time resident of the Mantua neighborhood in Annandale, Connolly, 57, began his career as an elected public official in 1995 as the Providence District supervisor to the Board of Supervisors. He served in that post until he was elected as chairman of the Board in 2003. Connolly won reelection as chairman in November 2007.
In his announcement speech for the Democratic nomination for Virginia’s 11th District Congressional seat, Connolly cited his 10 years working on the staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his Internet blog, Connolly laid out four goals: To end the war in Iraq; to combat climate change; to fix No Child Left Behind and to provide all Americans access to healthcare. Connolly has a bachelor’s degree in Literature from Maryknoll College and an master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Doug Denneny, 46, was a naval officer for 22 years. He lives in the same Mantua neighborhood as Connolly, and is president of the Mantua Citizens Association. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree in national security studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
From 1999 to 2000, Denneny served as a military legislative fellow for Sen. John McCain in the senator’s Washington, DC, office and from 2005 to 2006, he was a deputy legislative assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Denneny currently works in aircraft sales for Boeing.
On his campaign Web site, Denneny says he is for an immediate, smart, phased withdrawal from Iraq. He favors reforming the federal No Child Left Behind legislation and immigration reform that strengthens the country’s borders and provides for enforcement of law while providing a path to citizenship for deserving immigrants.
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