Posted on 10/09/2007 7:53:21 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
The death of Rep. Jo Ann Davis has left a large field of potential candidates to serve the remainder of her two-year term in the House.
But out of respect for Mrs. Davis, both parties say the contest should not take shape until after her funeral this week.
"It really hurts, it really does," Mike Wade, 3rd Congressional Republican District chairman, said yesterday. "No matter who replaces her, I don't know if anyone can fill her shoes right off the bat. ...I hope everyone shows the respect and dignity to Jo Ann Davis that she deserves, by sitting tight and letting this week go by."
Mrs. Davis, 57, died Saturday at her house in Gloucester after a two-year battle with cancer.
Both parties have since showered the four-term lawmaker with praise and have quietly discussed her potential successor.
On the Republican side, state Delegates Thomas D. Gear of Hampton, Robert J. Wittman of Westmoreland and Jeffrey M. Frederick and L. Scott Lingamfelter, both of Prince William County, are mentioned as potential replacements.
State Sen. Ryan T. McDougle of Hanover County, Republican activist Paul Jost and retiring Delegate Melanie L. Rapp of Gloucester also are among the roughly one dozen names being mentioned.
"Prior to Melanie deciding she was not going to run for re-election, her name was on top of the list of succeeding Congresswoman Davis," said Bruce Meyer, chairman of the 2nd Congressional Republican District.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Good grief...it sounds as though potential successors are trying to put campaign bumper sticker on the hearse! I do hope Republicans have more class than this article intimates.
It’s interesting that Melanie Rapp got this much mention. She followed Jo Ann Davis into the state legislature, so there is a certain logic in her being the nominee.
If Rapp is pro-life, pro-second amnedment, and pro-border security, she’s probably the best choice.
They do. No one will make any announcement until the appropriate time. But given how much Congress has on its plate and the times we live in, this kind of speculation is unavoidable.
Anybody but Paul Jost, he was the rich RINO that tried to buy this seat in 2000. We owe it to Mrs. Davis to keep him out of this seat.
The lefty blogs are already using this death to attack two republicans running for delegate, claiming they both are planning to quit the posts they are running for to try to win this seat.
They hope to convince voters not to “throw away their vote” on people who won’t be around.
Of course, both of them won’t be running, and in fact I don’t think either of them live in the district right now. And I kind of doubt either will run for the office.
“Anybody but Paul Jost”
I don’t think that’s something you have to worry about. My first choice is Melanie Rapp, who (it appears) would continue Jo Ann Davis’s legacy. I’m not thrilled at the thought of her husband trying to succeed her, though I could live with it.
ping
There is a rumor that Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling is thinking of jumping in. I hope Bolling would stay in Richmond and make life difficult for the Eyebrow Man.
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