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]
