The 11th Congressional District stretches from inside the Beltway south to Dale City and Woodbridge along the I-95 corridor, and west to Gainesville on the I-66 corridor. Not unlike many Congressional Districts in our great country, the 11th looks more like an inkblot than any conceivable shape. A large portion of Fairfax County, including Fairfax City, Springfield, and Burke are covered along with a large portion of Prince William County.
Despite Northern Virginia generally being Democratic, 11th District voters have elected Republican Tom Davis in six straight Congressional elections. The district even went for George W. Bush in 2004, 49.9% to 49.3%, although Gore won by 2.5 points in 2000 (though the district had a different make-up at the time).
Democratic gubernatorial candidates have had a little better luck in the 11th in recent years. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine won here in 2001: Warner by 11.7 points and Tim Kaine by 8.6 points. In 2005, Kaine won the 11th by 13.2 points and the more liberal Leslie Byrne won by 9.5 points.
In 2004, while John Kerry lost narrowly in the 11th, Democrat Ken Longmyer was easily defeated by Tom Davis by 22 points. Interestingly, Longmyer lost in 2004 by
almost equal numbers in Fairfax County, Fairfax City, and Prince William County. Meanwhile, Kerry won Fairfax County and Fairfax City, while being defeated easily in the more conservative Prince William part of the district. However, Longmyer's campaign was significantly underfunded in 2004, most local Democratic volunteers were focused on Kerry, and the heavily military-related population in the 11th was still reeling over 9/11.
Longmyer is running again this year for the Democratic nomination. However, this time around he has a strong primary challenger in Andrew Hurst. While both men are good people and good representatives of the Democratic Party, Andrew Hurst is young, aggressive, smart, and seems to have that "something special" that only comes around rarely in the world of politics.
When you meet Andrew Hurst, you see the best American politics has to offer. Hurst is affable, optimistic, and confident. He has a spark that makes him instantly likeable to others around him. His "11 weeks in the 11th"program is in week 6, and his campaign has knocked on well over 2,000 doors in that time (many by Hurst himself). An attorney by profession, Hurst has professed dismay over career politicians like Davis who are more concerned with getting re-elected than serving the public and solving problems. Hurst also has a top-notch campaign manager in James Walkinshaw.
The man that Longmyer and Hurst hope to defeat, Tom Davis, has become the type of candidate who can vote very conservative and get away with it by crafting his image to appear moderate. Davis avoids discussion or scrutiny on controversial issues, and has not faced any major backlash over his right-wing voting record.
In recent years, Tom Davis has followed a disturbing political trend whereby Republicans vote to increase government intrusion into the personal lives and freedoms of Americans. Since 9/11, Davis has supported a Constitutional Amendment to ban flag burning and has voted against amendments to the Patriot Act that would stop the federal government from being able to search our library records. Davis voted for Terri's Law, which enabled politicians to meddle into the Schiavo family's - and ALL our families - most personal and important decisions. Davis voted against amendments to stop the Department of Justice from arresting patients (including the terminally ill) who were prescribed medical marijuana in states where voters had approved its legalization. Not only does Davis support state laws that require parental consent in obtaining an abortion, he even voted to prevent minors from traveling to another state to get an abortion without parental consent.
Who won't Tom Davis meddle with you ask? The 2% of Americans eligible for the estate tax, for starters. And while Tom Davis will stand up for tax cuts for wealthy families, you won't get the same courtesy if you aren't living with seven or eight figures to your name. In 2005, Davis voted to restrict bankruptcy filings for lower income families. This legislation, rather than targeting more affluent people who qualify for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, focused on the poor and middle class who file under Chapter 7 (which forgives debts for people who cannot pay). Davis beat up on average Americans even more just before Christmas, when he voted for the Budget Reconciliation Bill that cut $40 billion in entitlement programs for the poor and the elderly. This is the same bill that passed the Senate only when Dick Cheney broke the tie.
Tom Davis has sailed into office for six straight terms without anyone effectively calling him out on his record. Voters are tired of career politicians presenting no solutions to the War in Iraq, rising health care costs and gas prices. Davis even voted against raising CAFE standards and incentives for alternative fuels in August of 2001, one month before 15 terrorists from Saudi Arabia attacked America.
Andrew Hurst is right: The system is broken and Tom Davis won't fix it. It is time for some new representation. The question is whether we can alert the voters in time to what Tom Davis has been doing as a wolf in sheep's clothing.
I believe that if Andrew Hurst wins the primary, the Democrats can take back this seat. The #1 reason is that Northern Virginia is trending Democratic (particularly Prince William County). Tim Kaine proved that in 2005. What's needed is a vibrant candidate who generates excitement and provides voters with more than the standard, boiler-plate Democratic alternative. That's why Andy "Something Different, Something Better" Hurst has generated a strong grassroots following. Hurst can win people over with his straight-talking style; his incredible energy and drive. Hurst aims to convince every voter he meets to believe in him, and if anyone can succeed at this, Andy will.
The problem, as usual, is money and visibility. Tom Davis can raise as much money as he wants to distract voters from his support of all the Bush policies that got us into the mess we are in now. Andrew Hurst needs money, but he also needs exposure. He's actually been campaigning since the summer of 2005, which is smart. He has begun to make a name for himself. With Bush's approval ratings at an all-time low and the state of military at a low-point, the largely Democratic voters of the 11th CD may be looking for a strong alternative to Davis and the whole "culture of corruption" in Washington, DC. Hurst could be a winner, but it is up to all of us to make it happen.
If you want to see the real Tom Davis' voting record, visit Project Vote Smart.
This is cross-posted on Raising Kaine