Obama releases his list of Virginia legislative supporters

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama just released the list of people on his Virginia committee, a list made up of Democratic state delegates. Three of the endorsers are former supporters of John Edwards, who quit his campaign Wednesday.
Here's the list:
Former Edwards supporters:
Ward Armstrong, Democratic House Leader, Henry County
Vivian Watts, Fairfax
Bob Hull, Fairfax
Plus the following:
Dwight Jones, Richmond
Kris Amundson, Fairfax
Ken Alexander, Norfolk
Bob Brink, Arlington
David Englin, Alexandria
David Marsden, Fairfax
Paul Nichols, Prince William
Joseph Morrissey, Henrico
Ken Melvin, Portsmouth
Jim Scott, Fairfax
Ken Plum, Fairfax
Mark Sickles, Fairfax
Onzlee Ware, Roanoke
Shannon Valentine, Lynchburg

McCain announces Virginia steering committee members

Here's the list of lawmakers who have signed on with John McCain's Virginia campaign:

Co-Chairs
Former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore
Delegate Chris Saxman
U.S Senator John Warner

Steering Committee
U.S. Representative Tom Davis   
Former Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger   
Delegate Dave Albo
Delegate Bill Carrico   
Delegate Tom Gear   
Delegate Phil Hamilton
Delegate Clarke Hogan   
Senator Robert Hurt   
Delegate Terry Kilgore
Delegate Joe May
Delegate Don Merricks   
Senator Ryan McDougle   
Delegate Dave Nutter   
Delegate John O'Bannon   
Delegate Glenn Oder   
Delegate Robert Orrock   
Delegate Ed Scott   
Delegate Bob Tata

And, by request, here's the list of non-elected officials on the committee:

Steven Apicella -- former chairman, Stafford County Republican Party
David Avella -- 8th Congressional District Chairman
Constance Bedell -- Executive Director, Coalition Against the Tax Referendum
Chris Braunlich -- former member, Fairfax County School Board
Bob Calhoun -- former State Senator
Vincent Callahan -- former Delegate, 20 terms
Paulina Y. "Polly" Campbell -- Secretary, Republican Party of Virginia
Coby Dillard -- Iraq War veteran, USN
Frank and Becki Donatelli
Wyatt Durrette -- Virginia Republican nominee for Attorney General 1981and 1985 nominee for Governor, 1976 and 1980 Chairman Virginia for Reagan campaign
Tony Elar -- Warren County Republican Party Chairman, former Giuliani coordinator
Paul Galanti -- former Vietnam POW with McCain and retired Navy commander
Jason Gray -- 4th Congressional District Chairman
Jimmy Hazel
Buzz Hawley -- former member, Virginia State Central Republican Committee
Pete Hegseth -- Executive Director of Vets for Freedom, Iraq War veteran, Bronze Star recipient
R. Christian Hoff
Jim Hyland -- Fairfax County Republican Party Chairman
Shaun Kenney -- Former Communications Director, Republican Party of Virginia
Bobbie Kilberg
Bill Kilberg
Michael Lowe -- Matthews County Republican Party Chairman
Fred Malek -- Finance Chairman, Republican Party of Virginia
Courtney M. Malveaux -- Chairman, Richmond Republican Committee
Bruce Meyer -- 2nd Congressional District Chairman, former Thompson coordinator
Connie Meyer -- Chairwoman, Virginia Republican Professional Network
J. Randall Minchew -- immediate past Chairman, Loudoun Republican Committee
Rick Neel -- former chairman of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County GOP Committee
Wayne Ozmore -- former 4th Congressional District Chairman
Carter Pate
Ridge Porter
Daniel Presgraves -- Sheriff, Page County, incoming Page County Republican Party Chairman
Pam Pryor
Bryan M. Rhode -- Assistant Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney
John Sherman -- retired CEO Scott & Stringfellow
Craig Shirley -- author, Reagan's Revolution
Ed Slavis -- Iraq War veteran, served three tours, fought in 2004 Battle for Fallujah
Chuck Smith -- Virginia Beach Republican Party Chairman
Andrew Shelnutt -- Student Body President George Mason University
Roger Sullivan -- President Virginia Vets Coalition
Lee Talley -- 2nd Senatorial District Chairman
Peter L .Trible, Jr. -- Essex County Republican Committee Chairman
Joseph P. Underwood -- former Fairfax County Republican Party Chairman
Wade Zirkle -- Founder of Vets for Freedom. Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient

Clinton losing support in General Assembly

Some of the Virginia leaders that Hillary Clinton's campaign touted as supporters last May are starting to change their minds.

Sen. Louise Lucas is the latest defector.

The Portsmouth Democrat said she brought a host of family members to Richmond last year to hear Barack Obama speak at the Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, the major February fundraising ball for state Democrats. Since then Lucas has been eying both Obama and Clinton, whom she initially supported.

"I was kind of holding out to see what the Clinton campaign was all about," Lucas said Thursday. "Then a few months ago, I slowly started to go in the other direction."

Lucas said the final tipping point was when she heard President John F. Kennedy's daughter, Caroline Kennedy, describe Obama as a leader in her father's mold.

"It's the inspiration that Americans get from his candidacy that has attracted me to him," Lucas said.

New old face in House Transportation Committee

Former Del. Leo Wardrup was a commanding presence during his years in the General Assembly, and when he returned to his old stomping grounds on Thursday, he got a warm welcome back.

Wardrup, a Virginia Beach Republican, retired after last year's session, but the old Navy captain still has his biting, cantankerous wit.

A few members of the Transportation committee spotted their former leader in the audience Thursday morning and noticed that Wardrup's silver locks were a bit shaggy. Peppered with snarky comments from the panel, Wardrup responded with vigor as usual.

"This is my liberal wig," he shouted.    

Presidential candidates are setting up shop in Virginia

Two press conferences are slated for this afternoon where lawmakers who support Democrat Barack Obama and those who back Republican John McCain will express their love for their candidates.

Both candidates are hoping to seize momentum in Virginia, and while endorsements can snag a headline, it's the grassroots ground staffers who really drive campaigns -- and those folks are moving here, too.

Obama's new Virginia communications director, Kevin Griffis, has been handing out business cards that carry the title "South Carolina Communication Director" complete with an 803 area code.

Now let's see if Mitt Romney, Hillary Clinton and Mike Huckabee follow suit and start thinking past Super Tuesday.

The Virginia primary is Feb. 12.
      

A challenger for Thelma Drake

Democrat Glenn Nye, a former diplomat and Norfolk native, today announced he is running for the congressional seat held by Republican Rep. Thelma Drake.

Nye, an apparent newcomer to politics, returned home last year from Iraq, where he helped run a program to find jobs for Iraqis. He is a graduate of Norfolk Academy and the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, according to a campaign release. He has spent the past decade working for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development.

In a statement announcing his candidacy, Nye said, ``Virginians deserve a real leader who will take a strong, independent stand for their priorities-- and that's what we're missing in Congress right now. It's time for real investments in America and serious steps to get the economy back on track, take better care of our veterans, promote affordable and accessible health care, and achieve energy independence."

Virginia's 2nd District includes Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, and parts of Hampton and Norfolk. Democrats have targeted the seat as ripe for an upset. Drake won re-election in 2006 with 51 percent of the vote.

You can read some buzz about Nye's trip to Iraq here and here.

Tom Davis to retire

U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, a Northern Virginia Republican once seen as a contender for a U.S. Senate seat, announced Wednesday he will retire from Congress at the end of his term this year.

Davis, a moderate from Fairfax County, had been weighing a campaign for the GOP nomination for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. John Warner. But Davis opted against a showdown with former Gov. Jim Gilmore after the Republican party decided to choose its nominee at a state convention instead of a primary election. Davis warned the party was drifting too far to the right and risked alienating moderate voters.

Speculation had swirled for weeks that Davis might give up the House seat he has occupied since 1995.

"After much soul-searching and discussion with those closest to me, I have decided the time is right to take a sabbatical from public life," Davis said Wednesday in a written statement. ``I will serve out the remainder of my term, and plan to remain an active contributor to Republican causes, but will not run for office in 2008."

The decision leaves vacant a congressional seat in a district that has become increasingly competitive. Virginia's 11th District, which includes much of Fairfax and Prince William counties, is a cosmopolitan area where an estimated 25 percent of residents speak a language other English at home.

President Bush carried the district in 2004 with 50 percent of the vote, compared to 49 percent for Democrat John Kerry. In 2006, Democrat Jim Webb carried the district in his U.S. Senate race against Republican George Allen, by a margin of 55 percent to 44 percent.

``I am confident we will keep this seat in Republican hands," Davis said. ``Voters in the 11th congressional district will be looking for the most honest and optimistic candidate out there. I want to emphasize that I am not closing the door on future public service. But after 29 years in office, winning 11 election, I think it is time for a respite."

Davis said he has not decided yet what to do after leaving Congress, but added: ``It's clear to me that returning to the private sector and reacquainting myself with that view of the world is the best move for me and my family."

Reporting live, from the breast of the committee ...

If you wonder why the General Assembly spends long days in Richmond, consider the 15 minutes or so that passed this morning in the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, carried a bill that required the state to pay school teachers a salary not less than the national average. As you might guess, it was expensive -- about $870 million over the two-year budget, according to an estimate.

Yikes.

It's a legitimate issue, of course. Virginia teachers are known to leave the state for better pay in North Carolina. Higher pay would allow Virginia schools to keep their best instructors, and that's good for all of us.

But given the tight budget, the committee amended the bill. It would say that the state's goal would be to pay teachers a national-average salary. And that does ... what exactly?

"The aspiration has become even more aspirational," Deeds says.

Sen. Walter Stosch, R-Henrico, wondered aloud if the state should add mental health, prison construction and other projects to the bill. After all, the state aspires to fund them, too.

Then Stosch got serious. "Why in the world would we pass a bill that says we will -- at some time -- do something? That's always a legislative perogative."

Sen. Henry Marsh, D-Richmond, liked the idea. He said goals are important, and this sets out the goal in the state code.

Deeds left it up to his peers.

"The bill is in the breast of the committee," he said. (And no, we're never sure what this means.)

Anyway, the Finance Committee endorsed this bill with a couple of no votes, and we will follow this monumental development as it, um, changes absolutely nothing.

Forbes the Rebel

You can't accuse U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes of being a yes-man.

The Republican congressman from Chesapeake was one of only 35 House members to vote against the economic stimulus package pushed by President Bush and congressional leaders.

The package, approved on a vote of 385 to 35, would include tax rebates of up to $600 for individuals and $1,200 for married couples, plus $300 per child. It also includes tax breaks to spur business investment in new equipment.

Bush pushed for speedy passage in his State of the Union address Monday night, saying action was needed now to jump-start the sluggish economy.

But Forbes, bucking his party's leadership, voted down the measure. He said the package amounted to an expensive gamble that had not been studied adequately.

``At some point, I have to be a steward of taxpayers' money," Forbes said. ``We can't afford to throw out $150 billion and hope this is going to work."

Alluding to the political pressures of the election year, Forbes asked, ``Is it going to be an election stimulus or an economic stimulus?"

All other Virginia House members voted to support the package except for Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, R-Fairfax, and Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr., R-Rocky Mount.

Update: Voter registration bill now lets independents choose their primary

Update: Josh Nolan, communications director for the Republican Party of Virginia, just called to point out that HB20 -- the legislation that would allow Virginia voters to register by party -- has been amended so that independents will be allowed to vote in the primary of their choice.

The original version of the bill, as I noted below, would allow party chairmen to set the rules for primary elections, including restricting them to party members. Nolan said that provision has been removed.

***

The Republican Party of Virginia announced this afternoon that it is supporting legislation that it says "would allow voters to choose to register" as either a Republican or Democrat while still letting independents vote in primary elections.

The bill, sponsored by Del. Scott Lingamfelter,  "strikes the right balance between increasing voter participation and allowing each party to determine its own nominee," RPV Chairman John Hager said in a press release.  "Strengthening the party registration process will likely also lead to increased civic participation in elections as the parties will be able to identify supporters and grow the volunteer base."

Maybe, but the RPV press release seems to be a bit at odds with the language in the bill. According to the party's description, the bill would allow independent voters to vote in either primary.

That struck me as curious. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that if you're going to allow anyone to vote in primaries anyway, about the only thing that registering by party does is give the parties better mailing lists. Should that be a state law rather than a party expense?

But the fact is, what the law says is that the two party chairmen get to tell the state each year what their rules will be for primaries and who will be allowed, or not allowed, to vote. Anyone really think that either party chairman will chose the "open to all qualified voters" option?

The bill has 19 sponsors, including local GOP Dels. Tom Gear and Brenda Pogge.