Major Developments in the 9th District
The road back to Washington for Representative Rick Boucher (D) for re-election to a 15th term is likely going to be a tough one compared to what Boucher is usually up against. It has often been popular sentiment that Boucher would have this seat for as long as he wanted it due to his usual 60+ percent victories. Times may have now changed due to President Obama’s policies along with Boucher’s support of the cap and trade legislation. Additionally, Boucher’s early and continuing support of Obama in the campaign may come back to be an issue. Check out this piece in the Washington Post.
Persons seeking the Republican nomination for the seat must file their paperwork with the district chair by March 1 along with a $500 filing fee. You can see the convention call on the 9th District web site here. That said, there are only six days for any “big name” candidates to make up their minds and jump in. So far as of this writing the following people have submitted the paperwork and paid the fee: Adam Light, Jessee Ring, Dave Moore, William Carr and Brandon Roop. Notably absent from the list is Jim BeBout who announced he was running last year at a Tea Party and was campaigning last week as the keynote speaker at a Washington County Republican Party dinner. BeBout may be waiting to the last minute to file which might be a smart move to be able to judge the field of competition. Jessee Ring has visited us in Smyth County and made a presentation. The rest I know nothing about.
One”big name” that looks to be making the plunge is Majority Leader of the House of Delegates Morgan Griffith (Salem). See this story from Sunday in the Roanoke Times. Griffith technically lives in the 6th District although his property joins the 9th District from reports. Apparently a quirk in Virginia law allows anyone to run in any district in Virginia. It actually appears that the U.S. Constitution along with the U.S. Supreme Court holding in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (and possibly other cases) only requires a member of the House to be an inhabitant of the state represented, not specifically the district. Also, it is worth noting that after redistricting in 2011, Griffith’s entire property will likely be in the 9th anyhow.
Griffith attended college in the 9th District, Emory & Henry College, from 1976 to 1980 according to his House biography page. E&H is located in Washington County, about 7 miles out of Abingdon.
It should be an exciting time in the 9th District this election season. A lot of Democrats and usual Boucher supporters are having more second thoughts than usual. Hopefully after the nominating process is done people will be united behind the candidate. I hope that we end up with a candidate who will get national backing and be able to defeat Boucher in November. So far it looks like Morgan Griffith may just be that candidate.
February 23rd, 2010 at 10:14 am
FWIW, it is not a quirk in Virginia law that allows you to run in any district. It’s in the Constitution and applies to every state. The Constitution provides only a couple requirements for eligibility. One of them is residency in the state, not the district. The US Supreme Court has consistently held that states can apply no additional requirements. While it’s pretty rare, it does happen periodically where a non-district resident runs. No one talked about it much but Hoffman who ran in NY-23 was not a resident of NY-23. Anyway, just wanted to clear that up.
February 24th, 2010 at 12:30 am
Biographies for Jessee Ring, Adam Light, and David Moore
are posted at http://www.swvapost.com. Both Ring and Light have ties
to coal. I’ll be happy to post bios for William Carr, Brandon Roop, and any other contenders if they’ll contact me via the site.
There’s also an Independent in the race, Jeremiah Heaton:
http://www.heatonforcongress.com/index.php
Godspeed to all the candidates. Southwest Virginia needs a real voice in Washington.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:22 am
Statement From Jessee Ring – Candidate for the Ninth District Nomination
Feb. 25, 2010
On January 31 when I decided to seek the nomination to run for the Ninth Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, I make a commitment to spend the time and effort needed to secure nominated and to then campaign until the November election.
Since that time, I have been traveling all around the Ninth District to attend county committee meetings and other events. This experience has been very heartening. It has been a real pleasure to get to know so many more of the good, hard working, patriotic people of the “Fightin’ Ninth”.
People are fed up with big government and all that is going on in Washington.
People are concerned about jobs, but they see the government pushing a job-killing “cap and tax” scheme. People are concerned about having access to good, high quality, readily available health care, and they see the government pushing a massive take-over that would put bureaucrats in charge. They are concerned about taxes, and they see the government getting ready to raise everyone’s taxes by letting the Bush tax cuts expire.
I am proud of my deep, Ninth District Southwest Virginia roots. My high tech career took me across the country and around the world. A few years ago, I returned home to Southwest Virginia, and I will be here for the rest of my life.
I look forward to working hard for the good people of my home - the Ninth District. I ask for your support at the Ninth District Convention on May 22.
Jessee Ring
540-250-7291
jessee-ring@att.net
http://jessee-ring.blogspot.com/
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