Grassroots Network of the Republican Party of Virginia

VA Delegate Races

Is there anywhere I can get a list of the Republicans running for Delegate in '09?

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Permalink Reply by Ray Waddell on February 15, 2009 at 4:54am

A few have announced retirement. As I understand it, all 100 districts are up for "grabs" this coming November. There are many that are "givens" for Democrats -- mostly parts of Northern Virginia and the Norfolk area. As I see it, as soon after the current General Assembly ends; the Virginia Republican Party should begin the process for identifying districts that can be retained and those that are in jeopardy. To turn Virginia "Red", we need to rebuild at the local level. That means capturing as many public offices as possible in all districts and turning the General Assembly "Red" with solid majorities in both Houses. If accomplished, we can then work on sending Republican Representative majorities to DC. If we can accomplish this feat, then we can work on unseating our two Senators and replacing them with Republicans. Any other plan is wishful thinking that the "silver bullet" is going to come out of nowhere. There's always that chance but to plan or count on it is bad politics.

Attachments:

VaDelegatesRepublicans.pdf, 1.6 MB

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Permalink Reply by James Lafferty on February 18, 2009 at 1:14pm

Here is a race with a genuine bad guy running. We need a strong Republican candidate to organize around.

Omeish for Delegate?

Elections for vacant seats in the House of Delegates are always interesting, but the Democratic nomination fight in the 35th District looks like it'll be interesting indeed.

Esam Omeish, a pediatric surgeon from Northern Virginia, has joined the race to succeed Del. Steve Shannon, D-Vienna. The 35th District includes the areas of Fairfax County just north and west of the city of Fairfax. Shannon is running for Attorney General.

Omeish, the president of the Muslim American Society at the time, came into the political limelight nearly two years ago after he was appointed to the Commission on Immigration by Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine.

The appointment didn't sit well with Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, a fellow member of the commission. The society was too closely connected the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian group that gave rise to Hamas, for his taste. Gilbert wrote to Kaine and asked him to reconsider the appointment.

A spokesman for the governor at the time dismissed Gilbert's concerns as "innuendo, moving dangerously close to slander," and challenged Gilbert to offer proof. Omeish resigned less than a day later, after online videos came to light in which Omeish accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians and exhorted Muslims to "the jihad way."

Omeish later defended both the Muslim American Society and his comments after his resignation, saying in a press release that MAS "is an American organization, completely transparent and above-board, and committed to the civic engagement of Muslims for the betterment of all of American society."

His call to jihad "was in the context of his public criticism of the Lebanon invasion and the oppression of Palestinians" and was not a call for violence.

Omeish has three opponents for the Democratic nomination.