This evening at 6PM, Greg Galligan will be liveblogging at Broed Young Professionals in an attempt to continue his amazing grassroots and netroots effort. Having trouble deciding who to vote for in the RK endorsement poll? Ask Greg a question and let him earn your vote this evening at 6pm.

http://bypi.blogspot...

That is if experience, effectiveness, and integrity are attributes we want in a State Senator.

Barker has more experience, more relevant experience, has been a community leader on a whole host of issues, and has a grasp of the issues that Greg Galligan cannot match...

He has a deep well of community support to draw on, the same community that has called on him time and time again to lead organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life in Northern Virginia.

He has been endorsed by virtually every elected official in Fairfax County that is making an endorsement including every Democratic member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors - Chairman Gerry Connolly included. This is simply more testimony to his effectiveness. George Barker is not someone that is going to require a whole lot of on the job training in Richmond.

George is also running a vibrant and very energetic campaign, pounding the pavement, meeting with voters, and making the not too difficult case that he is the best person to represent them...

If RaisingKaine wants to be on the record endorsing the best candidate not only to represent the 39th district, but also with the best chance of taking out Jay O'Brien, then Geoorge Barker is the choice!!!

Flashback:

"He [Harris Miller] is the only Democrat who can beat George Allen."- Gerry Connolly on Miller's website.

I wasn't going to bring it up- but since you did- please explain how this endorsement is a positive?  It was one year ago when Gerry was lying to primary voters about Jim Webb's electibility.  Why would George want to associate this primary campaign with the same people who almost gave us a Republican U.S. Senate last year?

On this thread you have accused Gerry Connolly of being a liar, and claimed George Barker owes ALL Democrats an apology for Jay O'Brien being elected...

Let me ask you, would Greg Galligan have turned down the endorsement of the top elected official in Fairfax County because of his past endorsement of Harris Miller?

I doubt it...

Gerry Connolly has been a great chairman. And the Board of Supervisors operates in a way other elected governmental bodies can only dream about.

The fact that he, along with every other Democratic member of that board, endorse Barker says alot about what they think of his effectiveness...that Connolly backed the wrong horse in a primary hardly negates the quality of the endorsement.

Name a politician whose political judgment has been 100%. You won't be able to because there aren't any. Given Connolly's enormous success, I would say his track record is way above average.

Telling us which Democrats are electable in primaries is not one of them.

Is it now a lie to back the wrong horse in a primary?

It IS a lie to claim only one person who can win the general election just because you support them.  Exactly what Barker supporters are doing this year and exactly what Harris/George did last year.

Meant Harris/Gerry.

So then I take it Greg Galligan would have turned down the endorsement of a known liar had it been offered?

1)  I don't speak for Greg Galligan

2)  Please show me where I said he should have turned down the endorsement?

You owe me an apology- my words are written and I said nothing about turning down anything.  I only pointed out how you highlighting that endorsement was only hurting George's argument.

But your pathetic response of lying about what I said (when people can scroll up and see that) really shows the true character of George Barker.

Calling people a liar because you don't agree with their opinion...which is quite clearly what Connolly was providing in his endorsement of Harris Miller...

Let me rephrase the original question...if Connolly had offered his endorsement to Greg Galligan...do you believe he should have turned down the endorsement, seeing as you believe Connolly is a liar...?

And further, had Connolly endorsed Galligan, how often would we see posts from you calling Connolly a liar...?

Please don't call Senator Webb a horse.

There's no doubt that each candidate has experience and integrity.  George definitely has more of a certain kind of experience. But Greg Galligan arguably has more relevant experience- the experience of taking on tough fights from his military career, and the experience of working in the legislative process as a Legislative Director in Congress.

George Barker is a good man with an admirable resume of public serive, but he is not the man best suited to take on Jay O'Brien in November. Greg Galligan proved when he ran in 2003 that he is dedicated to taking on flat-earth Republicans like Jay O'Brien and sending them home, no matter how the political winds are blowing. Put your support behind the candidate who can win, and help turn the Senate blue THIS YEAR.

I don't live anywhere close to this district.  But like I've said before, every single Senate Seat matters this year.  And while I'm sure Barker is a pretty clever guy, I got this feeling in my gut.  It's the same feeling that told me Webb was a Winner and that Harris Miller was a punk.  Eat your heart out, Colbert, MY gut was able to predict a Senate Race long befor my brain told me it was possible.  Go with Galligan, for the gut's sake.... that, and I believe that he can win.

I want a Democratic majority in the Senate. That being the overwhelming goal for me this year, I have to back the strongest horse in the race. The guy who can take the fight to Jay O'Brien and get a blue Senate for all of us is clearly Greg Galligan. He's shown us time and again he's not afraid to stick by his guns and jump in the fray, even when its not necessarily popular for Democrats to be doing so. Greg all the way in this one!

Strong early lead for Galligan in this poll.  Let's hope it stands up!

I agree with what you were getting at, Dan. I was born, raised and went to college in Southwest Virginia, but I realize the importance of a majority for ALL citizens of this Commonwealth. Much like Webb in '06, Democratic control may come down to the 39th, and we better have a guy in that ring willing to throw for 12 rounds.

I'm a 27 year old young dem.  Don't assume that just because Greg is younger that all young dems will support him.  We look for issue stances and experience in our politicians too.  My vote is for Barker.

Barker is the candidate who has it all.  Not only has he been working hard to make Fairfax and Northern Virginia a better place to live, he has been working the harder of the two candidates to win this nomination. 

In the last 6 weeks, he has spent every weekend canvassing while Galligan (according to his web site) has spent NONE.  In March, he spent 5 weekends canvassing while Galligan spent only 3 hours.

So if you want a candidate with a real chance to defeat O'Brien, one who will fight for our district, and put in the hard work needed to win in November, then the choice has got to be George Barker.

Please do not do anything in the course of this party debate to embarrass yourself. You know that's just not true. Greg has campaigned every single day. Making a disingenuous claim just makes you sound petty.

for stating facts.  As I said, go look it up.

So Barker is canvassing only one day a week? Wow.

Do you?

The point is that George has organized canvasses EVERY weekend.  Greg has had 2.  Yet for some reason you claim that Greg is a better campaigner.

Barker has knocked on over 5000 doors personally.  How many has Greg knocked on?  I don't know.  You can make up a number if you want, I have no way to argue.  But since he has not had the organized canvasses, it is unlikely he has made the same direct voter contact.

So you can keep on miquoting and intentionally misreading my posts.  If it makes you feel good, so be it.  But in terms of informed debate, such comments are worthless.  As I said above, the facts are there on both web sites.  Anyone interested in the facts can go check. 

We both know that neither website lists everything. (At least I hope for Barker's sake that he's doing more than he's listed online) So just slow it down. Greg has been out every weekend he's not been on guard duty- hasn't missed even one. I'm telling you the facts so you don't have to make assumptions.

Did you say that Barker had PERSONALLY knocked on over 5,000 doors? HAHAHAHA. That's rich. Wow. We must talk on June 13th.

Notice how people, especially in the NoVA races, join JUST to vote in an endorsement poll here.  Same thing happened with Vanderhye-Sullivan endorsement race.  I guess people are impressed with what this group did for Jim Webb.

George Barker is by far the hardest working and most qualified candidate for this seat, hands down.

AdSales98

Actually, the Galligan Camp has been canvassing every saturday and sunday since 2/17, and the only time Greg himself isn't actually putting foot-to-pavement is when he is serving his country in the Army National Guard. I checked Barker's website to see about his canvassing opportunities, and found nothing there. I guess its safe to say just because its not posted, doesn't mean it isn't happening.

You checked Barkers website?  Did you look at the Calendar?

If you did, how did you miss this entry:

Canvassing
every Saturday at 11:00

Various locations throughout the 39th. Contact Scott Robinson (info@barkerforsenate.com or 703.772.9031).

http://www.barkerfor...

I mean come on.  At least look before you say something like that.

My God you are petty. So you are saying Barker canvasses one night a week. Congrats.

Just because its not on Galligan's website schedule yet doesn't mean we haven't been at it EVERY weekend since 2/17  11am-dark.

I guess next you are going to get on Greg for missing one weekend a month...

Again, hardly worthy of an informed response except to say that I thought it was only Republicans who pulled out that "attacking the troops" BS.

So go back and read again and show me where I said anything about Greg missing one weekend a month, would you?  If you can't find it, then keep that BS out of this discussion.

I know its rough when someone points out a problem with your candidate, but to accuse me of disrespecting Greg's National Guard service is more than out of bounds.

To get back on topic, you are right, I don't know if Greg has been out every weekend, I just know that it is not on his web site.  I also know that some canvasses ARE on his web site.  So you want me to believe that he canvasses every weekend but does not post that and ask for volunteers, but the two short canvasses he does he suddenly needs help with?

If you really believe that, let me talk to you about this bridge in Brooklyn I have been thinking about selling.

Barker is only canvassing one day a week?

Good we're on the same page about canvasses. Some are on both candidates website, some are not. You want to get picky and smart about actually reading through websites for content, click on Greg Galligan's volunteer tab. I know personally Greg wears the holes in his soles, and his volunteers do the same week in and week out.

Also, if you read what I said, you will see that I never said you were saying anything about his National Guard Service....only sarcastically commenting on the petty aspects of this discussion by asking if thats what you were going to do next.

Your obsession with pointing out Greg's website leads me to believe that if he does indeed with primary, you might not be so adamant and upfront to support him in the general. I certainly hope thats not the case, as I've personally said before that if Barker wins I'll be the first new volunteer to sign up since my main motivation is having a majority. I hope you can agree and we can move onto some form of substantial discourse of why one candidate is better than the other, and ultimately how we plan on unseating Jay O'Brien. 

I'll "calm down" if you and your friends stop this nonsense about attacking Greg's National Guard service.  I have never done that and I take exception to anyone saying that I would.

Deal?

I DID NOT SAY YOU ATTACKED GREG'S NATIONAL GUARD SERVICE!

"I guess next you are going to get on Greg for missing one weekend a month..."

That was a tongue-in-cheek chide at how I thought what was going on was fairly ridiculous, not an accusation that you were actually saying that.

George Barker represents the ideals of Progressive Virginia to a tee. He is one man who I can sincerely say is not afraid to roll his sleeves up and get things done. The RK community would do well to stand behind a man of his integrity. Even my friend Jimmy Boeheim, who could hardly be labeled a "progressive", appreciates Barker's stances. Have a good day, y'all...

Barker has the experience to actually get things done for northern Virginia.

:)

I know that this will not come as a surprise to any of you, but my vote goes to George Barker. 

George Barker is the candidate who can beat Jay O'Brien.  Period.

I consider myself an uncompromising  progressive.  And a realist.  Balancing these two is often difficult if you want to get things done.  We do after all, live in Virginia.  As an example of balancing progressive positions and realism, you do not need to look any further than Leslie Byrne, whom I supported strongly in her bid to be Lt. Gov.  During her campaign, Leslie did not advocate what some progressives would have preferred with respect to stringent gun control but did support some strengthening of the laws regarding who could own what type of weapon and under what circumstances.  Could not agree more with the approach.  Leslie's position demonstrated balance and compromise and understanding of the full issue.  And how to get a job done.

That type of common sense approach and full understanding of the issues is exactly what George Barker brings to the table.  To be an effective legislator in Richmond, a person needs to be able to work with his or her opponents to achieve consensus.  George is the candidate who can do this. 

With respect to the "Great Canvassing Question", I really do not know what Greg has been doing and therefore cannot and will not comment.  I only know what George has been doing day in and day out for months and months - knocking on thousands of doors in the district.  I only know that we have had canvasses go out every weeknight and every weekend day for quite a while, and I only know that we have a very active phone banking operation which has resulted in thousands of ID's. 

Greg Galligan is a fine person and I cannot express strongly enough my respect for him and any candidate for having the courage to enter a race for office.  I also think that Greg has an incredible future and I look forward to watching his future successes.  But this year, we need a candidate who will take Jay out. 

And that candidate is George Barker.
 

His first two campaigns are the reason Jay O'Brien was ever an elected official to begin with.

has strongly endorsed Greg Galligan.

You should have supported Chap Petersen in that primary.

If Chap Petersen is endorsing him, so am I. No offense to the Barker campaign or his great family.

Greg, go get em!

I'm from Prince William County and the 39th is my district.  George Barker has actually worked with the health care community in Prince William County, having had a hand in establishing a clinic here for the uninsured.  He has spent time campaigning in PWC and attending Coles committee meetings which encompasses most of the three PWC precincts of the 39th district.  I don't recall Greg Galligan attending Coles meetings, and he certainly hasn't had the same interaction with PWC.  I think Barker is far and away the better candidate.

Cleary pol doesn't the exact geography of the district, but I'm not sure that ignorance constitutes a lie from the barker campaign.  Nor does someone speaking about their personal interactions with the candidates constitute lieing. 

Out of curiosity, how much time is greg spending in the pwc precints?  is it even worth it to spend time there when the ffx precints probably turn out higher in primaries?  is barker wasting his time concentrating on pwc during the primary? 

I attended a Barker-Galligan debate held last night (5/15) at the Westminster Retirement Center in Lake Ridge.  I am a Barker supporter, and the debate further convinced me I have made the right choice. All one needs to do is compare the candidates' backgrounds and experience in dealing with many of the issues that will come up in the Virginia State Senate.  While I acknowledge Gregg Galligan's passion for going after Jay O'Brien, as evidenced over and over again in the blogs posted here by his supporters, being an enthusiastic and hard-working candidate is only part of the way to win elections. Just wanting it badly enough doesn't make it so. Having lots of experience, knowing the issues in depth, and proposing detailed solutions are what is needed to make one's case.  George Barker has this experience and knowledge.  He is well versed to deal with health care issues, having over 30 years experience in that field.  He has served as Chair for the last six years of Fairfax County's Transportation Advisory Commission, and is Vice Chair of the Tysons Land Use Task Force, both positions making him highly qualified to tackle transportation issues in the Senate.  He is also a team player who has worked tirelessly for Democratic candidates over the years.  Whether RK decides to endorse a candidate or not, I do feel that George Barker deserves the votes of 39th district voters on June 12th and again on November 6th.  Jane Touchet, PW County 

that George Barker is a more qualified candidate than Greg Galligan. Sitting on boards and commissions is not an evaluation of experience. George has worked hard in his life and should be commended for it, but so has Greg. In the Army, on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Director, in the Defense sector and the National Guard today and on behalf of numerous Democratic candidates in recent years he has proven himself to be a capable and visionary leader. Joe Biden has a far longer resume than Barack Obama, John Edwards or Hillary Clinton, but I haven't seen one claim here or elsewhere that that fact entitles him to the nomination. The difference there is energy and electability, and that is what Greg Galligan brings to the table to compliment his considerable experience and leadership. I will not stand by while the Barker camp attempts to paint Greg as a poor candidate for the Senate just because he is young.

No one has said that Greg is a poor candidate; they're just saying that George is the BETTER candidate.  And yes, the case that George is the more qualified candidate has been made over and over again by many very qualified people.  Whether you choose to listen or not is up to you. 

And now it's up to the voters in the 39th District to choose who they want to represent them in their own district. 

 

I never implied Gregg is a poor candidate because he is younger, just as I wouldn't want others to paint George as a poor candidate because he is older, as some of Gregg's supporters would subtly suggest.  As for energy in this campaign, George Barker is a former runner, and is still running to meet voters in neighborhoods in the 39th.  So let's give them both credit for enthusiasm, energy, and leave their ages out of it.  Then, looking at actual experience working with the issues, George Barker still wins hands down. 

Go get em!

And Galligan holds a 49 vote lead!  Vote for Greg!

very interesting

reading this gives me some interesting insights into how the democrats think and work

primaries are healthy choose wisely

but don't worry Obrien will beat whichever one you pick :-p

George Barker has been a terrific supporter for tysonstunnel.org, and his advocacy for Northern Virginia transportation issues has been outstanding.

To be totally frank. At the end of the day the candidates are not that different when it comes to issues, and they both have interesting experiences to bring to the table. Barker in health care and the transportation board. Galligan in the army and as a legislative director.

But what sets them apart for me and what makes Galligan the guy I want to go with is that he's just working the daylights out of this. The fundraising, the field, the effort in winning this blog's endorsement. Greg has really built on his effort in 2003 and gives us the best shot to win in the fall.

Galligan has only raised $47.4K while Barker has raised $52.5K.  Including Galligans self-contribution of $45K is misleading.  Furthermore, most of Barker's contributors seem to be from his District; most of Galligan's contributors are clearly from outside of his district.

As for the field organization, everyone who I have spoken with, including every Democratic candidate who is running for an office in the Springfield area, have specifically stated that Barker is canvassing almost every weeknight and every Saturday. 

I concede that I am looking in from the outside, but when every Democratic candidate in the Springfield area observes the same thing then it appears obvious who is more organized and ground-level campaign focused.

 

If you want to exclude certain monies this way or that way we could reshuffle the fundraising deck a thousand ways. You could exclude family money and Greg would do even better, you could count certain types of donors, in-district, dem committee, large donors, whatever. But at the end of the day- Greg has done better at fundraising. As for field, I've spent an enormous of time in the district, I'm saying this from firsthand experience.

No semantics here.  No deck shuffle.  This issue is as transparent as it gets.

Galligan didn't contribute a respective but nominal self-donation, he has self-funded the equal of all other contributions, over 100%.

To claim Galligan is a better fundraiser, especially given the few in-district contributors, is just nuts.

I suggest you look more closely at the FR numbers. And as I know I needn't point out to you- Greg is not rich. So the fact that he has put up his own money should tell you a lot about his total commitment. Yet another argument for Galligan.

to be beaten so soundly here must be troubling to the Barker camp. The Galligan campaign hosted volunteer 4 nights this week and still found a way to give this poll the attention that it deserved. One would have thought that George could have leveraged that extensive organization that you reference to achieve more here.

your point, yet the same effort from the Galligan bloggers before the St. Patrick's Day straw poll ended in a bad night.

I am still very surprised at the results of that straw poll, especially given the blog effort.

What are you talking about? You had to pay to vote in that "straw poll". There was no effort at all to get votes for that.

and I didn't have any idea that that poll was even happening. Either I'm oblivious or it was irrelevant. Or both I suppose.

The emotions on this race from both sides are so high, that choosing sides may be counter-productive.....

We are in this to elect democrats I believe and the primary is less than a month away now..... it might just be that since there is no clear issues or support advantage that a NON-Endorsement may be best justified if for no other reason than to reward the efforts of both sides and let the voter turnout decide as it will anyhow..

I think those are all very fair points. But I think an organization like Raising Kaine chose to endorse in primaries for these very situations: in order to take on the tough questions and take a leadership role in forming the future of the party.

Greg just broke the record for votes in an RK poll as far as I'm aware. This is just further evidence of his superior organization. It's nothing against Barker- he's a fine guy.

But primary endorsements are a celebration of great candidates, not a rebuke of their opponents. RK's endorsement will not cause a problem anymore than the other endorsements Greg and George have received. On June 13th we will all come together behind the nominee.