Posted on 01/29/2008 5:39:51 AM PST by COBOL2Java
WASHINGTON -
Influential Northern Virginia Rep. Tom Davis will announce his retirement from Congress this week, multiple political sources told The Examiner Monday.
Davis has decided not to seek an eighth term in office, five sources with ties to the Republican congressman or his political allies said. The decision was widely expected after Davis pulled out of a potential U.S. Senate campaign and his wife lost a re-election bid in a Fairfax County district with a similar growing Democratic lean last fall.
Davis’ spokesman Brian McNicoll said an announcement could come as early as Wednesday, but would not confirm Davis was retiring.
“We’ll all know one way or the other by the end of the week,” McNicoll said, noting that Davis traditionally kicks off his campaign in February.
But three Virginia political experts said all the signals point to Davis retiring, as more than two dozen Republican colleagues have announced their retirements.
Professors cited Davis’ public frustration with the Senate nominating process, diminished power in a Democratic-controlled Congress after serving as a Republican committee chairman, and the potential for a lucrative career outside of elected office.
“He made a decision some time ago that it was either up or out,” said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato, who expected Davis could look forward to a lucrative career making four to five times his federal salary.
“It always seemed that staying in Congress for Tom Davis would have been an unappealing option,” added Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
Davis’ likely retirement is positive news for Democrats trying to regain control of the 11th District for the first time since 1994, when he unseated one-term congresswoman Leslie Byrne two years after the district was formed.
Byrne, who has raised $115,000 and secured a series of early union endorsements in her bid to take back the seat, probably will square off against Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, who comes fresh from a definitive re-election victory in November.
Connolly has yet to confirm his candidacy but has raised $160,913, according to his campaign manager, and is expected to announce shortly.
wflook@dcexaminer.com
dgenz@dcexaminer.com
It’s hell being in the minority.
This was all they needed to say.
True, but why the heck are the Republicans always the most effective when they are in the minority? Damned frustrating.
The guy voted AGAINST the Republicans on the “Contract with America”, was connected to the Abramoff Scandal, and had some shady methods of raising money for the GOP by setting up phony “Republican of the Year” Awards then charging the winner a large sum of money for a plaque/certificate.
Good riddance.
Good riddance RINO
Wow. 3 in a row with the same sentiment. It should also be noted that Davis was Bush’s point man in Congress, and headed the distribution of campaign funds.
This is my district. And there in no Republican of note to run for this seat. This seat will now be in the hands of some very liberal Democrats. More liberal than Davis. His wife lost here seat to a Democrat last November over gun control. She wanted more gun control...
Read my post #5 again. He tried to pull that crap with me, sending me a letter and making a phone call saying I "had been selected the North Carolina Republican of the Year". I got a special invitation to Washington, D.C. to receive the award, and for only $5,000 I could actually receive a plaque. I ran into dozens of others here in this tiny town that had received the same invitation. It was a con job, and likely illegal, exceeding the donation limits and by committing outright fraud.
He was more like Tom DeLay's money bag man, rather than Bush's point man.
>> More liberal than Davis. <<
I dunno about that. Someone who votes more often for liberalism, yes. But Davis was one of those knife-in-the-back types, who voted conservative when the vote wasn’t going to be close, but who was always the first on board to make sure a liberal bill got the traction it needed.
And what high prominence (for a HOUSE seat) do you want then someone who was chief executive over twice as many people as Howard Dean? Fairfax is the largest jurisdiction in Virginia, 1/6 of all residences, twice the size of any congressional district and several times the size of a state senate district. I can understand if Gerry Connolly doesn’t thrill you ... that’s your call, since I don’t know much about him personally ... but he’s the biggest fish not to hold statewide office!
>> He was more like Tom DeLay’s money bag man, rather than Bush’s point man. <<
No, Tom DeLay and Tom Davis were rivals, not friends.
They both shared a common goal of raising money for the GOP.
Oops, my bad... I see that Connolly is a Democrat. The article made him seem like a Republican, but I was surprised that Fairfax would have a Republican in office, so I 2xchecked.
Dont let the door hit you on the way out RINO.
Byrne is a big liberal whore and Davis is the worst RINO we have.
Correct, lived in his ‘district’ for years...before he was supervisor...we could do a lot worse considering what is in the area now....At least, in the grand stream of things, it was an “R”...
LEVY LEVY gets my vote......
Glad to see him go. Hope we can find a solid conservative — I still think we can win this thing.
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