11th District primary could turn on Iraq war

By NEIL H. SIMON, Media General News Service
Published: May 29, 2008

WASHINGTON—The Iraq war has become a bone of contention among the four Democrats who want to succeed Rep. Tom Davis III in the 11th District, representing Prince William and Fairfax counties.

Davis, a Republican, is not seeking re-election. The district is the only open House race in Virginia this year. The Democratic primary is June 10.

Former Rep. Leslie L. Byrne, 61, the first woman elected to Congress from Virginia, has attacked Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, 59, for saying he opposes the Iraq war and those who profit from it—while he is employed by a major war contractor.

Forty-two percent of the $28.9 billion in federal contracts Science Applications International Corporation has won since 2000 lacked an open, competitive bidding processing, according to a budget watchdog group that analyzes federal contracts at fedspending.org.

A spokeswoman for SAIC said Connolly, a community relations vice president, handles no government or client work. He primarily coordinates public events and volunteers.

Byrne and left-leaning blogs have fueled the criticism about Connolly's potential conflict of interest.

Connolly called it all "nonsense." He said he supports a bill that would prohibit war profiteer-ing.

"If somebody's worried my employer could be affected," Connolly said in an interview, "they should know I'm going to vote for the act. Far from a conflict, I think it's a principled stand on my part."

Byrne, who held the 11th District seat for one term when it was created in 1992, sparred with Connolly about who best can carry the "progressive" label in a race that also includes a physical therapist, Lori P. Alexan-der, 40, and Iraq war veteran Doug J. Denneny, 45.

Denneny said he's avoiding the Byrne-Connolly fighting.

"The two of them can have their mail wars going back and forth," said Denneny. "I represent the adult wing of the Democratic Party. Let's stop the bickering and get something done."

Byrne, a former state senator and member of the House of Delegates, has also clashed over the war with Denneny, a 22-year veteran of the Navy.

Denneny said the "responsible plan" to end the war in Iraq—a plan Byrne and 53 Democratic House candidates have endorsed—is too vague.

"It's convenient to jump on someone else's plans," he said, "but something this important needs an Iraq war veteran like myself to come forward with some fresh new ideas."

Denneny's plan to end the war calls for "forceful diplomacy" with U.S. enemies, including Iran, and withdrawal of all American troops from Iraq by 2011.

Byrne mocked Denneny for his criticism.

"This isn't going to be any lone ranger going in with his or her plan," she said at a forum this month. "This is a group effort so we can hit the ground running."

While most of the candidates have focused on Iraq, transportation remains a top concern to suburban voters. Byrne hopes that issue will help her.

"I'm the only one running—Republican or Democrat—who has two years seniority, who can go back on the transportation committee and make it happen on day one," she said.

Connolly said primary voters should consider electability. He has never lost an election.

Byrne lost by one percentage point to Republican William T. Bolling for lieutenant governor in 2005. Davis beat Byrne by eight percentage points in 1994.

"This is a neighborhood, grassroots, Net-roots race. Those are the kind of races I love," Byrne said in an interview, referring to the support she enjoys on the Internet. Some of the bloggers who helped Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., win in 2006 are now building support for her.

Webb endorsed Byrne early in the year. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine endorsed Connolly this month.

Businessman Keith Fimian is the lone Republican candidate. He gave his campaign $325,000 through the end of March, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Fimian is the founder of a Chantilly.-based home inspection company called U.S. Inspect.

He had $742,046 on hand through March, according to the FEC.

Byrne and Connolly had $237,815 and $422,405 respectively. Alexander had $2,856. Denneny had $14,255.

A scheduled one-hour televised debate will be at 7:30 p.m. Sunday on Fairfax Channel 10. The program can be viewed live on Cox and Verizon FIOS channels 10 and on other Northern Virginia cable systems.

Neil H. Simon writes for Media General's Washington bureau.