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January 30, 2008
Rep. Davis of Va. Won't Seek Re - Election
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:17 p.m. ET
McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis, R-Va., announced Wednesday
that he will not seek re-election to Congress, giving Democrats a strong
opportunity to pick up a congressional seat in November.
Davis, a moderate Republican who has represented the northern Virginia
suburbs of Washington since 1995, said in a statement that ''the time is
right to take a sabbatical from public life.''
''I have not yet decided what opportunities to pursue when I depart
Congress. But it's clear to me that returning to the private sector and
reacquainting myself with that view of the world is the best move for me and
my family,'' said Davis, 59. ''I am confident we will keep this seat in
Republican hands.''
Before Democrats took control of the House in 2007, Davis was chairman of
the House Government Reform Committee and presided over the hearings
examining baseball's steroid problems. The hearings helped prompt Major
League Baseball to enact tougher policies to combat steroid use.
Last year, Davis opted against seeking the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by
retiring Sen. John Warner, R-Va. At the time he criticized his party for its
decision to choose its nominee by convention rather than primary -- a move
that favored more conservative elements of the GOP, who were lining up
behind former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.
Many people speculated that Davis would be vulnerable in a district that has
increasingly voted Democratic in the past eight years. Two high-profile
Democrats, former congresswoman Leslie Byrne and Fairfax County Board of
Supervisors chairman Gerry Connolly, had already taken steps to run for the
seat.
On the Republican side, no clear heir apparent exists for Davis' seat.
Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, who won
re-election last year after taking an aggressive stance against illegal
immigration, is considered a possible contender. His predecessor in that
post -- U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton, a Davis ally -- has
also said he might consider a run.
Rep. Davis of Va. Won't Seek Re - Election
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 3:17 p.m. ET
McLEAN, Va. (AP) -- U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis, R-Va., announced Wednesday
that he will not seek re-election to Congress, giving Democrats a strong
opportunity to pick up a congressional seat in November.
Davis, a moderate Republican who has represented the northern Virginia
suburbs of Washington since 1995, said in a statement that ''the time is
right to take a sabbatical from public life.''
''I have not yet decided what opportunities to pursue when I depart
Congress. But it's clear to me that returning to the private sector and
reacquainting myself with that view of the world is the best move for me and
my family,'' said Davis, 59. ''I am confident we will keep this seat in
Republican hands.''
Before Democrats took control of the House in 2007, Davis was chairman of
the House Government Reform Committee and presided over the hearings
examining baseball's steroid problems. The hearings helped prompt Major
League Baseball to enact tougher policies to combat steroid use.
Last year, Davis opted against seeking the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by
retiring Sen. John Warner, R-Va. At the time he criticized his party for its
decision to choose its nominee by convention rather than primary -- a move
that favored more conservative elements of the GOP, who were lining up
behind former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.
Many people speculated that Davis would be vulnerable in a district that has
increasingly voted Democratic in the past eight years. Two high-profile
Democrats, former congresswoman Leslie Byrne and Fairfax County Board of
Supervisors chairman Gerry Connolly, had already taken steps to run for the
seat.
On the Republican side, no clear heir apparent exists for Davis' seat.
Prince William County Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart, who won
re-election last year after taking an aggressive stance against illegal
immigration, is considered a possible contender. His predecessor in that
post -- U.S. Maritime Administrator Sean Connaughton, a Davis ally -- has
also said he might consider a run.