Ken Cuccinelli appears to be a good guy, and someone who has served his constituency well, but he may be far too conservative for his district as Anonymous is a Woman so ably points out:
Some of those who posted comments to his article pointed out that voters in this district voted for Davis or Wolf (depending on which part of the district they live in) in the most recent election. But the district also has gone for Mark Warner, Tim Kaine, Leslie, Byrne, Creigh Deeds, and Jim Webb. And both Davis and Wolf are viewed as moderates. Cuccinelli definitely isn't.I like Ken a lot. Every election day when I work the polls at Fairview, he's also there and I can schmooze with him all day without getting frustrated. He's enormously personable and likable. But I think he's way more conservative than the district he's representing.
So, despite his personal attributes and the power of incumbency, against a candidate as formidable as Oleszek, it's going to be close.
In 2003, Janet Oleszek was elected to the Fairfax County School Board as an at-large member and received more votes than any Democrat in Fairfax County School Board history. On May 4, 2006, she became one of the very first elected officials to endorse Jim Webb's long shot candidacy for the US Senate.
Here's what Jim Webb had to say about her at the time:
"Janet has been a leader fighting to maintain the excellence of Virginia's schools," said Webb. "I'm grateful for her service and thank her for support. Janet's advice and expertise on these issues is something I take very seriously."
In 2005, she was defeated in a primary by David Bulova for Chap Petersen's seat in the House of Delegates, but what really impressed me about that race was that she proved herself an able fundraiser, and managed to conduct herself with great grace and charm.
Dan Drummond, from the City of Fairfax Committee had this to say about Janet in 2005:
I just wanted to personally thank Janet for coming to the City of Fairfax for her kick-off. She and David are running a clean, fair, and on-the-issues race that I know voters will appreciate, both in June and in November when we elect another Democrat to the House of Delegates AND propel Tim Kaine to the GovernorGÇÖs Mansion.
I got a chance to speak with Janet Oleszek briefly in the weeks since she filed her paperwork. She strikes me as someone who is smart, personable, and fiercely decent. She agreed to answer questions for us here on Wednesday evening November 29 at 7pm. Please leave your questions or comments below.
(UPDATE: Here are a few more background links: Kenton lauds Janet's positions [here], Lowell did a great writeup on Janet's Kickoff event in 2005 [here], a nice review of Oleszek v Bulova [here], and a fine interview with Janet [here]).
In general how do more local races like the State Senate contests differ from national or statewide races and in particular, how do you intend to beat Sen. Cuccinelli?
Best of luck!
-Janet Oleszek
Ingrid in Arlington
On abortion, I am Pro-Choice!
Out of 40 Senators, only 8 are currently women. The best way for women’s issues to succeed in the General Assembly is to elect more women.
-Fred
It's clear that NOVA has voted Democratic for the higher level offices for the past three years (President, Governor, and Senator). But at lower levels the Republicans have been able to hold their seats - most recently Tom Davis' victory over Andy Hurst. While this was a weak victory by Davis' standards, it showed that even with a significant Democratic pull from Webb the region is not solid blue.
My question is two fold:
1. Do you feel that the NOVA region, and specifically your race, will continue to lean Democratic without a big ticket race leading the way? In other words, do you feel that this general trend is one factor that's in your favor from the outset?
2. Do you have any specific plans (that you can talk about at this point) on how to further take advantage of the Democratic lean given that there are no big ticket races to lead the way?
Thanks again!
I am very glad to see you will be running against Sen. Cuccinelli. His views simply are not in line with the changing political views of this district. I believe we need someone more in tune with the concerns of the 37th District.
My question is about the proposed expansion of the Centreville Historic District. Centreville has a long and interesting history as a crossroads here in Western Fairfax county. Much of that history is being wiped away by development and the needs of a rapidly expanding population.
There are however a few precious sites and acres still existing which in my view should be protected. Do you support the effort to expand the Centreville Historic District and possible acquisition of some properties as a County or State historic park?
Thanks and I look forward to working to get you elected next year!
Is this a safe assumption? And if it is, which taxes do you think should be raised to fund transportation?
Thank you for your responses.
I'd like to discuss this issue with you and others more in depth AFTER this session, since we don't know what (if anything) will be accomplished.
I was very disappointed that nothing came out of the special session that Governor Kaine called to focus on transportation.
Honestly, I hope the General Assembly takes action before my election. The people of Northern Virginia have waited long enough in endless gridlock without the state having a plan to fix it.
I attended the first bloggers conference in Charlottesville in 2005. The netroots did a fantastic job for Jim Webb this year.
I have never been a party establishment type candidate, and I consider my candidacy to be "Crashing the Gates".