The GOP dust up in the 11th congressional district threatens to leave silt everywhere. The 2 candidates, Keith Fimian and Pat Herrity are duking it out. The winner will take on the one term incumbent, Gerry Connolly. Connolly is a former Fairfax county supervisor.
The lastest saga of the dust up is over Fimian’s college past at William and Mary. Apparently he was involved in a dorm water fight that went awry and he was arrested and convicted of assault. This 35 year old incident has now become part of the political arsenal. Readers should be reminded of the former Delegate Paul Nichols run- in with the law as a passenger in a car in North Carolina and its ensuing impact on his re-election. Its just what happens around here. According to the News and Messenger:
Fimian was convicted of assault in 1976 while a student at the College of William & Mary, according to the circuit court clerk’s office for Williamsburg and James City County.
He was sentenced to 30 days in jail with all but seven days suspended, and fined $200.
Fimian doesn’t dispute the details of the incident. But he accused Herrity of trying to use it to smear him.
“Now he is faxing around court documents about a college incident in 1975—35 years ago,” the Fimian campaign said in a statement Friday, though word of the assault was provided to the News & Messenger anonymously. “Herrity has surrendered his personal integrity.”
The Fimian campaign’s statement said that when Fimian was a freshman, a “dorm water fight spun out of control” and Fimian “injured another male student.”
“Keith Fimian was wrong and remains sorry that it occurred,” the statement said. “Keith Fimian has apologized to the other person in the fight and regrets it to this day.”
The Fimian camp also said that Herrity is down in the polls, and that his campaign is “spinning into a disaster.”
Someone should have warned Fimian that is just what Republicans in this area do to get each other.
The local blogs are rife with attacks on 50th state district Jackson Miller for supporting Pat Herrity. Other politicians out of Prince William are also supporting Mr. Herrity. It seems to me that this would be their right to support who they choose. Somehow the Fimian/Herrity race is being tied in to the immigration issue in Centreville. Strange that Jackson Miller is being singled out by name. He won’t even be up for re-election for another year and a half.
Why is a proposed Centreville Day Labor site being turned in to a political incident? Haven’t people learned by now that politicians will find a way to exploit the immigration issue any way they can? That ship has sailed in our area. The citizens of Northern Virginia are concerned about jobs, transportation, education and protecting their environment. Northern Virginians are too smart to be taken in by a subject over which they have found they have little control at the local level.
Attempts by a few to drag Jackson Miller down will not work either. He is far beyond being dragged down by an immigration issue feebly tied to Pat Herrity. Jackson has become a Manassas icon, a favorite son so to speak. Fortunately, Mr. Miller is seen as representing all the people, just not a few uber-cons. That’s as it should be.
The primary election is being held this Tueday in the 11th district for the Republican seat. There are no Democrat primaries in the state. Their dust ups are all being handled in convention. A reminder that all registered voters can vote in primary elections regardless of party.
There is some talk of democrats voting for Fimian. He is seen as less mainstream, more closely tied to the far right, and frankly, easier to beat in a general election, especially one that takes in a large part of Fairfax County. Light voter turn out is expected.
[UPDATE: Additional information at Not Larry Sabato regarding Candidate Keith Fimian. What Poor Richard did not tell us was that this candidate has been accused of violence and dishonesty by a former business partner. I would consider this a very critical read if I lived in the 11th Congressional District]
Suggest a reading of the blog Not Larry Sabato to get the full
story on Fimian. Fim-flam is the darling of the far right but gives
most moderates the creeps, but he still might win on Tuesday.
Virginia is an open primary state and Connolly folks might tilt it
towards the candidate they see easiest to beat in the fall.
Thanks PR. He has never been a fav of mine. 🙄
Mid term primaries usually bring out the party faithful. In this case, the extreme right follows Fimian. And that is good news for Democrats if he does win.
I guess I am saying totally agree that the Connolly folks see Fimian as the easiest to beat, especially in Fairfax County which is more of a Democratic strong-hold.
I voted for Fimian yesterday at the DMV because I’ll be out of town the day of the election.
I like him, met him before at another fund raiser and I like that he asked for my vote. I have not recieved any literature from Mr. Herrity and am concerned about his past WRT taxes in Fairfax.
I endorse Mr. Fimian for the 11th as a solid conservative pick.
I guess you didn’t read the information on Not Larry Sabato?
http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/
You love all those uber cons, Marin. 😉
Fimian worries me. He seems to come from the Corey Stewart school of say what you think they want to hear now and flip on a dime later if needed. His remarks are canned and are obviously being parroted from PR stuff others have written for him. I admit also that Corey’s endorsement some time ago is one of the factors that made me decide to vote for Herrity.
Herrity is not the slick football guy but he’s solid. When he speaks, he is clearly saying what he thinks rather than reciting memorized talking points. He called parts of the PWC immigration resolution “mean-spirited” and is now being labeled pro-illegal alien. However, he has endorsements from John Stirrup and Jackson Miller, neither of which are illegal-alien sympathizers. I like someone who has the guts not to jump on the bandwagon, drink the Kool-Aid, or whatever you want to say, but instead calls foul even if it’s unpopular.
A word to my fellow Republicans – don’t blow it between now and 2012. Obama, Pelosi and Reid taking the nation far to the left has generated a backlash and an opportunity for Republicans to regain some ground. However, most Americans don’t want the nation going far to the right either. Jumping on board with people like Fimian, Stewart, and company will only help keep Democrats in office.
I’m voting for Herrity next week!
I think I dislike the term ‘illegal alien sympathizer’ a great deal. Herrity was right. Parts of that PWC immigration resolution were ‘mean s[irited.’ The rhetoric at open meetings and on the blog were worse than mean spirited. Herrity is to be commended for calling it out. I feel about that term like I feel about being called part of the ‘open borders crowd.’
There is middle ground. One can want the borders secured and support the 287(g) program that removes criminals from the general population. One can want immigration reform, in other words, the rules to be updated rather than relying on things as they were almost 30 years ago.
With some people, there are those who want it all and call those who have other solutions names. I would be voting for Herrity too if I were a Republican and lived in the 11th.
I think NTK is really giving some good advice to R’s.
[…] Moonhowlings latest post, GOP Dust up in the 11th, we get the recitation of a 35 year old assault charge and another link to Not Larry Sabato‘s […]
Interesting. Until today I never received anything from Herrity. Today I’ve gotten two robocalls including one from a PWC Supervisor.
Won’t change anything. My vote has already been cast for Fimian and I think on an election cycle without Mr. Obama on the ticket.. Connolly will lose.
Not an issue for me, I am sorry to say. I don’t live in the 11th. Maybe there will be a gerrymander.
I am waiting for a clear endorsement of a republican from Moon. That way I will know what to do. I don’t otherwise have the time.
That rarely happens. I don’t think I have ever given a clear endorsement to a Democrat either though.
Favoring is not the same as an endorsement.