Yes, this is real.
February 8, 2010
Today, Steve Hunt sent out this email, effectively announcing his candidacy in 2 years for Senate. This is wonderful news. He’s lose was in NO WAY his fault, but rather a lack of interest from outside parties.
Dear Friend,
In 1958, while Ronald Reagan was celebrating his 47th birthday, on the other side of the world at Clark AFB in the Republic of the Philippines it was the already the next day, February 7th and my parents were celebrating their first born son. My grandmother actually received a telegram on February 6th informing her of my birth on February 7th.
Yesterday I turned 52. Since I did not have the privilege of serving you in the state senate for my birthday (at least not this one), I would love for you to help me celebrate my birthday by showing your support for the two fellow Republicans running in special elections in Fairfax County that will be held on March 2nd. If you will send me $52 for my 52nd birthday and I will give $20 to Kerry Bolognese and Samantha Rucker. $12 will go toward that future birthday wish of serving you in the Virginia Senate.
You can donate by credit card at www.SteveHunt.org or mail a check made out to
“Hunt for State Senate” to:Hunt for State Senate
P.O. Box 379
Fairfax Station, VA 22039Thank you again for all of your support and hard work.
Sincerely,
Steve Hunt
February 5, 2010
Congrats to Dave Foster!
Posted by Not Jim Moran under Arlington, Bob McDonnell, Dave Foster[2] Comments
Dave Foster
Bob McDonnell just appointed former Arlington School Board chairman Dave Foster to the State Board of Education. He will be sworn in before the next Board’s meeting (Feb. 25)
To see full coverage of it, visit the article on the Sun Gazette.
February 4, 2010
Meet Patrick Murray!
Posted by Not Jim Moran under 2010, 2010 Congressional Races, 2010 Congressional race, 8th District Events, Patrick MurrayLeave a Comment
I recently interviewed Patrick Murray, a retired U.S. Army Colonel from Alexandria. He’s had tours of duty in places such as Iraq, Kosovo, Bosnia, Serbia and Russia. Now that he’s retired, he recently decided to run for Congress. Let’s see what he had to say.
Why run for Congress?
I’m a retired Army Colonel and I remained committed and passionate about service to the country. I see it as a shift in service. I have a concern about decisions being made in DC. I’ve heard the same thing over and over. The budget deficit, the national debt of 12 trillion.. I want to make sure that our kids inherit the same America that I had growing up.
The District a D+16 on the Cook PVI, and Jim Moran has been there for a while. How do you go against that?
That’s the 64,000 dollar question. I think we’ve witnessed events in out favor. 2010 is going to be a good year. From the elections in NJ and VA, to Scott Brown, voters are sending messages that they want strong leadership.
How long have you lived in the district and what community ties do you have?
I was raised in Oklahoma by a single mother. I joined the Army in college and have lived all over the world. The one place that I’ve lived the longest is in Alexandria. I’ve had three different assignments here and fell in love with the area. I moved back here after my tour of duty.
What would be your first legislative priorities?
We’ve got to reign in spending. This will do great damage to our economy and nation. We got to cut spending. We input 70% of our oil. We could be self sufficient and drill off our coast and on our coast for oil.We got to stop this partisan bickering and set a goal for 2020. That’s the short-term fix. We then work on long-term goals by looking at incentives for private business.
What would attack Jim Moran on? What is he vulnerable on?
I think people are ready for new leadership. He’s very partisan. I think people look at the earmarks and with what happened to healthcare and have become very dissatisfied. We need fresh, new leadership.
Moran is against off shore drilling. In terms of National Security, he is for things that will make us unsafe. He was against the surge in Afghanistan, and wants to treat terrorists like shoplifters, not like enemy combatants. He wants to try them in civil courts and even worse, bring them to Alexandria.
How are you the best Republican candidate?
Republicans are good about learning lessons, but we can’t take it for granted that we’ll have the same successes. I’m putting all of my efforts into this. If you look at Scott Brown, who also had military experience, he talked about common sense solutions. He’s a big tent Republican, and had a good grass-roots campaign.
Voters want proven leadership. I have lots of experience in government affairs, arms control and negotiating agreements. I bring fresh ideas. I believe that I am the best Republican candidate.
How come Republicans haven’t been doing so well in Northern Virginia, [with the biggest example being 2007]?
I’ve talked to lots of people about that. It was a trickle down effect with President Bush and his policies, especially the War in Iraq. It resonated with the voters down to the local level. Of course, that’s on the reverse now with Scott Brown and Bob McDonnell.
There you go! For more information on Murray and his campaign, visit http://murrayforcongress.com
February 2, 2010
Things heating up in the 8th…
Posted by Not Jim Moran under 2010, 2010 Congressional Races, 2010 Congressional race, 8th District Events, Laurence Socci[4] Comments
Things are heating up in the 8th District battle for Congress! Laurence Socci recently posted a blogpost on his blog. In it, he took a swing at all of his Republican challengers. Here’s the excerpt,
Of the 4 other Republicans running for the nomination, one lost a primary bid in 2006 and lost the general election — handily — in 2008; another candidate is a military veteran who boasts that his military experience makes him the best candidate — even though only12.2% of voters in the 8th district of Virginia are involved in the military; a third candidate released a poll claiming that in a head to head race with Jim Moran, he would only lose by 3 or 4 percentage points — of course, none of the other candidates were mentioned in the poll. I can beat all of these candidates because I have the most similar background to voters in the 8th District and I have the most experience advocating for issues important to voters in the 8th District.
February 1, 2010
BREAKING: Matthew Berry competitive against Jim Moran!
Posted by Not Jim Moran under 2010 Congressional race, Jim Moran, Matthew Berry, The Media[11] Comments
Matthew Berry released a poll this morning that shows that he is competitive and within the margin of error against Jim Moran! This is huge news! In a district that is D+16 on the Cook PVI Partisan scale, it is nice to see that Democrats are vulnerable everywhere. Democrats shouldn’t be surprised though. This what happens when they try to ram big government and government-run programs like healthcare down our throats. I look forward to hearing more from the Berry campaign.
Below is his press release. I’ve bolded parts that I think are notable.
NEW POLL SHOWS VOTERS ARE TIRED OF CONGRESSMAN MORAN
JIM MORAN: 44%, MATTHEW BERRY: 41%, UNDECIDED: 16%
(Arlington, VA) – The Matthew Berry for Congress campaign has released an internal poll conducted by the Tarrance Group showing that incumbent Congressman Jim Moran is clearly vulnerable heading into the 2010 election and that Matthew Berry is well-positioned to capitalize on Moran’s weakness.
While likely general election voters in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District prefer a generic Democrat to a generic Republican by a margin of 56% to 32%, they nevertheless believe that Jim Moran does not deserve reelection. Specifically, only 38% of likely voters believe that incumbent Jim Moran deserves to be reelected in November while the plurality of likely voters, 40%, believe that it is time to give someone new a chance. The remaining 23% are unable to say that Moran should be sent back to Congress, but say who they will vote for depends on his opponent in November.
The poll also reveals that Matthew Berry is the Republican candidate who can beat Jim Moran. When Matthew Berry’s background and experience are described to voters as well as Moran’s experience and record, the race is within the margin of error: 41% for Matthew Berry and 44% for incumbent Jim Moran, with a significant 16% remaining undecided.
When asked for comment, Kristopher Morris, Campaign Manager for Matthew Berry for Congress, made the following statement:
“This poll shows that voters are quickly tiring of Jim Moran, his ongoing abuse of his office, and his litany of offensive statements. Once they get past the surface of partisan identity and look at who Congressman Moran is, they realize that they do not want him representing us in Washington. The poll also shows that Matthew Berry is the Republican candidate who can defeat Jim Moran by winning the independent vote and attracting the support of Democrats who believe it is time for Jim Moran to go.”
For more information, please visit the website www.berry2010.com.
February 1, 2010
Chris Berg for ACRC Chairman
Posted by Not Jim Moran under 2010, Arlington, Red NoVa endorsementLeave a Comment
I recently had Q and A with Chris Berg, who is running to be the next Arlington County Republican Committee Chairman. He is a great guy and has done wonderful things as a YR and as Vice Chairman. Red NoVa endorses his candidacy. Let’s see what he had to say:
Why are you running?
I believe that the Republican Party offers the best ideas and vision for the future of our county and our Commonwealth. I’ve been honored to serve as Vice Chairman of the Arlington County Republican Committee and I want to continue the great work that we’ve been doing to grow and strengthen our party. If elected Chairman I will continue working to identify new voters, grow our membership, and recruit strong candidates. We’re here, we’re strong, and we can be successful.
What could you “bring to the table?”
We’ve got a tremendous opportunity here in Arlington. We live in one of the most vibrant communities in all of Virginia. Our voters genuinely care about the issues and they are ready for some new ideas.
As Chairman I’d bring a unique perspective and experience to the office. I’ve worked for national conservative organizations and I’ve recruited and assisted candidates for office. We need to approach the ACRC like we would a campaign.
Abraham Lincoln had a simple plan for winning elections: “Organize the whole state, so that every Whig can be brought to the polls . . . divide the county into small districts and appoint in each a sub-committee . . . make a perfect list of voters and ascertain with certainty for whom they will vote . . . and on election day see that every Whig is brought to the polls.”
We’ve got some better technology to assist us, but we need to recommit ourselves to these fundamentals. If elected, from day one, I’ll be prepared to put my experience to work to grow our organization and work to get Republican candidates elected here in Arlington.
What’s your background in the GOP?
At an early age I realized that the Republican Party had the principled ideas and values that I believed in. Since that moment, I’ve been fighting for our candidates and our ideas. I’ve worked in the Administration of George W. Bush, where I regulated labor unions. I’ve worked with the Republican National Lawyers Association to expose the truth about the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, better known as ACORN. I’ve been active with the Young Republicans where I’ve recruited new voters, activists and leaders for our party. And what I value most is the work I’ve done with our candidates, both statewide and here in Arlington County.
What are some ways to improve Republican numbers in federal, state, and local elections in Arlington?
I truly believe we’ve got the best ideas. Voters are growing increasingly uncomfortable with the policies of the Obama Administration. We’ve seen voters come out and support candidates who run positive, issue based campaigns.
There are some pretty basic things we can do to improve our numbers here in Arlington. First we need to identify and reach out to new Republican voters. Second we need to grow our committee membership. Having identified voters we need to bring them into our committee. We’ve got a lot of Republicans here in Arlington with significant political and campaign experience. Some are more focused on what happens across the river, we’ve got to bring them into the fold.
Finally, we need to focus on recruiting strong candidates to run for office here in Arlington and statewide. Last year I recruited Aaron Ringel to run for the House of Delegates. He was a strong candidate, who through hard work and bold ideas gave Bob Brink quite a scare.
Can a Republican win in Arlington in a post Obama world?
Voters in Arlington are ready for some new ideas. I don’t think they are going to get them from Congressman Jim Moran or our current County Board. We’ve seen the impact that running a positive issue oriented campaign can have here in Virginia. Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli won decisive victories last fall. They did so by presenting common-sense solutions and discussing the issues that really matter to Virginia voters. If we do the same here in Arlington we can be successful.
Many times there isn’t a Republican on the ballot in certain races. Is this something that needs to be addressed?
This year we’ve got five great candidates who have announced their intention to challenge Jim Moran for the Eighth Congressional District seat. We’ll be having a primary in June, and I’m confident that our Republican candidate will bring some new ideas to the table that will appeal to voters here in Arlington.
While there is a lot of attention focused on the Congressional race I think we’ve got a tremendous opportunity to run a successful campaign for a seat on the County Board. Recruiting qualified candidates for all races here in Arlington isn’t just an opportunity, it’s a necessity. The impact that the County Board and School Board have on our community and our daily lives is far too important for us not to field a candidate who represents our values.
January 30, 2010
More perspective on Wednesday’s speeches
Posted by Not Jim Moran under Bob McDonnellLeave a Comment
