A Virginia Democratic primary that matters - Don McEachin

Don McEachin is running for the 9th senatorial district in the Virginia State Senate against incumbent Bennie Lambert, an incumbent who is listed as a Democrat.  This primary is as important as any general election will be.  Bennie Lambert supported George Allen over Jim Webb in the 2006 Virginia Senate race.  That would be enough.  But there is so much more.

I have just returned from a fundraiser for Don.  In this diary I will discuss that fundraiser, the people there including the hosts, the remarks, and the importance of this race.  Even if you are not from Virginia, this race may be important to you for lots of reasons.  And you will also gain some insight into some other interesting trends and discussions.
Don McEachin is currently serving in the House of Delegates from Richmond.  He had served there before, was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General in 2001.  During the primary in 2006 Jim Webb was being attacked by his primary opponent on civil rights matters, and Don, after talking with Jim, used his extensive credibility to give Jim positive visibility among those to whom civil rights mattered.  Like Jim he has a strong interest in economic justice.

The fundraiser was held at the house of Bob and Mary Ann Hovis.  In 2006 they had held a fundraiser for Jim Webb at which their friend John Edwards was the principal speaker (and they are having a fundraiser for Edwards featuring his wife Elisabeth on May 30th).  Bob is a very successful trial lawyer.  Mary Ann is the daughter of former Virginia Congressman Pat Randolph of the 9th CD.  I had previously met them at a fundraiser for Attorney General Creigh Deeds at the house of former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer back in 2005.  In other words, they are committed Democrats who are able to help with fundraising.There were a lot of familiar faces from the Webb campaign present, as might be expected. Dan Gray is the principal staffer for Don, and he was a key staffer for Jim.  Larry Byrne, who had directed field operations, was present.  Assemblyman Chuck Caputo was present, as was the campaign manager for state  senatorial candidate Chap Peterson, and Assembly candidate Carlos Del Toro (about whom more later).

To give you an idea of how unappealing Bennie Lambert is, George Allen is not the first Republican he has supported.  If you go to Don's website you can read how Lambert gave $1,000 to conservative Republican Buck McKeown, who recently led the fight against the successful Democratic efforts to cut student loan rates.  If you wonder why, Lambert sits on the Board of Sallie Mae, and as Don noted in his remarks, stands to make several million dollars in the options he holds as Sallie Mae undergoes a buyout.  Oh, and by the way, Lambert put 100,000 of his own money into the campaign already - in the last quarter he had done very little fundraising, and most of that was from lobbyists.  There are tales around Virginia that he is currently raising funds from Allen supporters, but we will not be able to confirm that until the next set of reports, which come out less than a week before the June 12 primary.

Bob Hovis, our host introduced Jim webb, noting that our featured guest was someone everyone present was very proud of, that it was great to be a Virginia when you have Jim Webb as your senator.

Jim said that it was a real privilege to be present  with all of us there - so many people who had helped on the campaign. He noted that there was "arguably a Democratic majority in the Senate, depending on the issue."  Speaking of Don, he reminded people that Don had helped early on.  JIm went on to say that as he got to know Don and respect him it was not just for his politics but also his faith and his decency.  Jim called the event at which we were "not a party for Don but a retirement for Benny."  He has the greatest faith in Don and was happy to be standing with him.

Don then spoke, saying  of Jim "you've taken the Senate by storm" even before being sworn in, noting especially Jim's Wall Street Journal piece on economic fairness.  He thanked several other people, and then turned to Jim and said "Senator, you and I took it personally when Benny endorsed Allen."  Don then went on to discuss the contribution to McKeown and the connection to the Sallie Mae stock options, something that was raised today with the press in Richmond.

Don told us that if the polling data they have is to be believed, if his campaign can get the money to get out their message, they should have a substantial win on June 12 (and yes you can go to the website and donate, even if you are out of state).

Chuck Caputo made a few remarks, noting how Don hs brought to the House Democratic caucus his sageness and his experience, providing guidance for the other members of the caucus, and added "It's been a pleasure to serve with you, but I'm going to miss you when you go to the Senate."

Don then remarked that Lambert has no party identification on any of his literature, even though June 12 is a Democratic primary.  Lambert also refused to appear at a potential debate at the Richmond City Democratic Committee.

You can go to Don's webpage to see where he is on the issues.  It is worth noting that on one currently hot issue in Virginia Don opposes off-shore drilling.  He led the fight to get Virginia to apologize for slavery, becoming the first state to do so.  His record is so strong that he has been endorsed by among others the 3 Richmond City Council members whose districts lie at least partly within the 9th Senate District, by the Virginia Education Association, the League of Conservation Voters, and today by the Sierra Club.

There is another endorsement featured on Don's webpage, by  Dr. W. Ferguson Reid.  Those who know Virginia history will know the importance of this man.  A surgeon, he was the first African-American elected to the Virginia General Assembly after the end of Reconstruction.  I think it worthwhile to quote part of that endorsement here:

What a stunning and insulting picture that was of Benny Lambert exiting the limousine wiht George Bush and Karl Rove in his grinning endorsement of George Allen.

George Allen, a former governor and U.S. Senator of this state, supported the policies of the Bush administration 96 percent of the time. These policies, conceived in treachery, have proven to be the scourge not only for America, but also for the rest of the world.

That election, above all others, was therefore crucial to changing these policies by denying a majority to its unquestioning supporters.

I remind Benny that he holds his position in the Virginia Senate as a representative of the party that endorsed and supported him for that position.

The timing of his betrayal to that party was a defining moment that could have changed crucial votes needed in Congress to express the growing sentiment in our country of a rejection of the use of brutal force, instead of negotiations, in conflict resolution by the present administration. Benny's explanation, whatever the reason, got lost in the deed.

As Democrats we often have to put up with people who may have the label "democrat" because it is the only way to hold a seat.  That is not the case here - the 9th Senate District is heavily African-American, and solidly Democratic - the Republicans have as of yet not even had a candidate file.  We do not lose a vote for control as a result of this primary.  And potentially we put into the Senate a man of quality, of principle, who has been willing to stick his neck out to do the right thing, whether endorsing and campaigning for Jim Webb, or many of the other actions he has done in his public career.

There are many important races around the country every year.  Because of the treachery of Bennie Lambert in 2006, there are few races in which defeating a DINO would be more satisfying.

I hope you will consider supporting Don McEachin in his primary battle.  There are 4 weeks left, and money and support will help.

I promised some additional insight.  Carlos Del Toro is a retired Navy Commander who is running for the House of Delegates in Stafford County VA.  He is a former White House Fellow.  He raised an amazing amount of money in the 1st quarter, over 94,000.  He and Jim Webb were discussing some aspects of outreach to the military.  Jim said that the idea of sending people on rotations of 15 months and having them home for only 12 months is something that can get through to people who don't otherwise undertand the issue of readiness.  He said that it should be 2 for 1, twice as long at home as deployed, and he thinks it is a political winner to insist on at least a 1 for 1 ratio, and to force votes on that specific issue.  Jim is hearing from the active duty military that this is an issue with valence.  Carlos then remarked on a recent experience.  He was out knocking on doors in a very Republican precinct.  The woman who answered one door recognized him from a walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, and asked him to come in to talk with her husband.  They were both die-hard Republicans, and the husband was an active duty 2-star.  They were both disgusted with what they were seeing out of the Republican party. 

Yes, it is anecdotal, But it is not the first such anecdote I have heard recently.  There may be something of importance fermenting out of view. 

And I hope this posting has been of some value to those who read it.

Peace.

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