This is a Q-and-A with Suzanne Scholte, Republican candidate for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District. Her answers are unedited. We will have one upcoming with incumbent Democrat Gerry Connolly as well.
Americans will go to the polls on Tuesday for a midterm election that could have implications for incumbents, especially in Congress, where the House as a whole as a 79 percent disapproval rating, says Real Clear Politics.
What will the 2014 race bring for Virginia’s 11th District, which is includes Reston and where Gerry Connolly is running for re-election?
In Virginia’s 11th, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D), defeated Republican Keith Fimian in his first Congressional race in 2008 (back when Reston was in the 8th District). In 2010, he beat Fimian again — but this time by less than 1,000 votes. In 2012, with a race against Republican Chris Perkins and several Independents, Connolly took 61 percent of the vote.
Which brings us back to 2014. For starters, quick answer this question — who is Connolly’s major party opponent? That would be Republican human rights activist Suzanne Scholte (and also Independent Marc Harrold and the Green Party’s Joe Galdo.
Connolly has raised more than $1.8 million for his campaign; Scholte, $227,457, according to a Oct. 15 Opensecrets.org report. He received the endorsement of The Washington Post last week.
Also, the district next door, Virginia’s 10th, is stealing the spotlight. Longtime Congressman Frank Wolf (R) is retiring, and three is a big money, hotly contested race between Republican State Del. Barbara Comstock and Democratic Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust taking place.
Nonetheless, Scholte is undaunted. Reston Now asked Scholte, the president of the non-profit Defense Forum Foundation since 1988, a few questions this week.
Reston Now: What motivated you to take on Connolly for your first run for elected office?
Suzanne Scholte: I’ve spent my life working to promote freedom, democracy and human rights abroad–even to the point of rescuing refugees escaping oppressive regimes and literally saving people’s lives. Over the last few years, I began to realize freedom isn’t just in jeopardy abroad, it’s also in jeopardy here.
Whether it was the healthcare overhaul forcing people to lose their healthcare, the IRS and the Obama administration targeting certain political groups, the administration’s crackdown on respected reporters like CBS’s Sharyl Attkisson, or the government shutdown hurting so many Northern Virginians — I saw a toxic environment of partisan fighting with little regard for what was best for Northern Virginians or the American people in general.
All my life’s work has been about working across party lines to advance noble ideals and cause. Frankly, I am just so concerned that our country is in real danger. We need to work together to address the serious challenges facing us today and I chose to challenge Gerry Connolly because he embodies so many of these problems.
As an aggressive partisan, he tried to block investigations into government abuse. He also voted for sequestration — unlike Congressman Jim Moran — and voted twice against reversing these draconian cuts. His failures to work with both parties helped contribute to the government shutdown.
Gerry Connolly is the exact opposite of some of the great bipartisan legislators we’ve had in Northern Virginia — Tom Davis and Frank Wolf being the ultimate examples. We have a history in Northern Virginia is finding compromise, and Gerry Connolly is defaming that legacy.
RN: Congress is notoriously at an impasse on many issues. What can you do differently?
SS: Build relationships with both sides of the aisle — it’s not rocket science, but partisans on both sides of the aisle are making things difficult. Gerry Connolly doesn’t even get along with Virginia Republicans in our delegation, much less Republicans from other states. I’m proud to have a lot of Democrats supporting my campaign -in fact, two of my coalitions are headed by Democrats. As a Republican, I look forward to working with Democrats in Congress just as I have worke with so many Democrat Members of Congress over the last two and half decades.
RN: What are the biggest issues in Northern Airginia and what can you do in Washington tohave an impact on them?
SS: There are many, so let me pick three. Read More
Mark Gibson, who hoped to challenge incumbent Gerry Connolly (D) in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District, has fallen short in his attempt to get on November’s general election ballot.
Gibson announced he fell 43 signatures short of the required 1,000 needed from qualified voters. He said hesubmitted 1,259 signatures, but only 957 were verified as qualified 11th District voters by Virginia’s State Board of Elections.
“We had a small dedicated group of community volunteers collecting ballot petition signatures, but it just wasn’t enough,” Gibson said in a statement. “And the demands of my day job this year meant that I couldn’t devote the time necessary to make this bid a success.”
Gibson, 53, is a U.S. Government contractor and the chief operating officer for a Fairfax-based small business. He was on the ballot in 2012 and finished third in a field of six as Connolly won re-election. He has never held public office.
Gibson’s office says that of the 302 disqualified signatures, about half were from outside the District — primarily from areas that were formerly in the District prior to the 2012 Congressional redistricting. Other voters were disqualified because the general registrars in the counties of Fairfax and Prince William as well as the City of Fairfax could not identify a signature as a registered voter from the 11th District.
Connolly’s remaining opponents will be Republican Suzanne Scholte, Green Party candidate Joe Galdo and Libertarian Marc Harrold.
When Metro’s Silver Line project received approval for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans last May, it seemed as though funding challenges for the line’s Phase 2 were solved.
But that money may now be in jeopardy, and Rep. Gerry Connolly is urging his fellow Congressmen to act quickly to reach a solution.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has notified all states that restrictions will be placed on their federal highway funds starting Aug. 1 because the Highway Trust Fund, which funds the TIFIA loans, is bordering on bankruptcy. Some experts have estimated the fund needs an infusion of more than $6 billion to move forward.
“The urgency for Congress to address the shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund grows with each passing day,” Connolly said late last week. “Road, bridge, and eventually mass transit improvements in every state are at risk of grinding to a halt in a matter of weeks in the heart of the summer construction season unless we act responsibly to address this challenge.”
While Phase 1 of the $5.6 billion rail line — which is slated to open July 26 — received $900 million in federal funding, Phase 2 originally received none. Many observers, including citizen advocacy group Reston 2020, predicted a large spike in tolls to make up the difference.
Tolls have risen the last three years, but with TIFIA loans in place they would remain frozen for five years, MWAA officials said last spring. Phase 2 is also slated to receive $300 million from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Phase 2 will run from Reston’s Wiehle Avenue to stations at Reston Parkway, Herndon, Route 28, Dulles International Airport and Ashburn. Phase 2 is scheduled to open in 2018.
The Silver Line’s $1.9 billion is to be largest loan in the TIFIA program’s history. Sen. Mark Warner said earlier this spring that the final approval is “great news for the future economic growth of Northern Virginia.”
The Highway Trust Fund is financed through the federal gas tax, which is currently 18.3 cents per gallon, but that surcharge has not been adjusted since 1993 and the tax has lost nearly 40 purchasing power. In recent years, Congress has had to transfer money from the General Fund to keep the Trust Fund solvent.
The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates Trust Fund expenses will exceed revenue starting in August. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the Trust Fund needs an infusion of $6.6 billion to meet its obligations through December.
In Virginia, nearly every mode of transportation will be negatively affected by the trust fund shortfall, said Connolly. Here are some of the other effects if the federal funds fall through, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation:
- 149 bridge replacements would be put on hold
- 175 aging buses and train cars would not be replaced
- 44 smaller transit systems would not be able to maintain service
- 350 other projects would grind to a halt
- 43,000 jobs would be lost
“Roads and bridges are crumbling in the commonwealth and in every other state,” said Connolly. “Our transportation network serves as the backbone of our economy, and it’s only a matter of time before that decay begins to negatively affect our communities and their economic competitiveness.”
Connolly recently cosponsored legislation with Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) to close an offshore corporate tax loophole to replenish the Trust Fund.
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA 11th) has introduced legislation in the House of Representatives to provide a 3.3 pay raise to federal workers.
The Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act, co-sponsored by Reps. Jim Moran (D-Va 8th), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), John Tierney (D-MA), would provide the pay hike to all federal employees in calendar year 2015.
“After a three-year wage freeze, wage-reducing work furloughs, sequester cuts, and a government shutdown, our nation’s dedicated federal employees deserve fair compensation,” Connolly says. “Not only has our federal workforce been demonized and demoralized by the constant attacks from the House majority and the Tea Party, over the last four years federal wages have lagged far behind the private sector and have even failed to keep up with the rate of inflation.”
From Connolly’s office:
The FAIR Act recognizes the alarming rate of attrition among federal employees. Since 2009, the attrition rate in the federal workforce has increased by 35 percent, with more college graduates turning away from a federal career and many federal managers questioning why they should remain in federal service, according to statistics from the non-partisan Partnership for Public Service.
The 1 percent federal wage adjustment granted last year to federal workers still lagged behind the country’s historically low average inflation rate of 1.5 percent for 2013, to say nothing of average private sector wages which rose by 6.5 percent over the last four years, according to the Employment Cost Index. Nationwide, earnings grew in 2013 in every industry except the civilian federal government, which fell $6.7 billion, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“Federal workers deserve to be compensated for the vital role they play in the lives of millions of Americans,” Moran said. “These are the men and women finding lifesaving cures at NIH, catching criminals, supporting our troops, and protecting the environment. They have bills to pay and families to raise. After three years of a pay freeze and too many furloughs, they’ve earned a modest, decent raise.”
Federal employees have also done more than their fair share toward reducing the federal deficit. Cummings stated that “they have endured a 3-year pay freeze and $140 billion in pay and benefits cuts. A 3.3 percent pay increase in 2015 as called for in the FAIR Act would be a modest first step to help us retain and attract the best and brightest to our nation’s federal service.”
Connolly is ranking member of the House Government Operations Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Moran is the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment. Cummings is the ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-Va 11th) is expected to begin his 2014 campaign for re-election at his 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day Fete in Fairfax on Monday, March 17.
Connolly’s party, which begins at 7 p.m at the Kena Shriners’ Temple, 9001 Arlington Blvd., is expected to draw Democratic supporters, officials and candidates from all over Northern Virginia, his office said.
Connolly is serving his third Congressional term and is expected to run for a fourth. The 11th District encompasses Reston and most of Fairfax County, as well as part of Prince William County. The 11th District Republicans will announce a nominee to challenge Connolly after its May 10 convention. Also running is Independent Mark Gibson.
Monday’s event will feature two straw polls to assess the strength of the candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 8th and 10th Congressional Districts, where incumbents Jim Moran and Frank Wolf will not be running for re-election.
There is a large field of candidates seeking Moran’s spot. Among them: Democrats Mark Levine, Dels. Alfonso Lopez, Patrick Hope and Charniele Herring; state Sen. Adam Ebbin, Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille; former Lt. Gov. Don Beyer and Lavern Chatman, Bruce Shuttleworth and Derek Hyra. Republican Micah Edmond is also vying for the seat.
In the 10th District, which includes Herndon, Wolf is retiring after 17 terms. Dranesville Supervisor John Foust is running for the Democratic nod. For the Republicans, State Del. Barbara Comstock is considered the frontrunner.
Connolly began hosting the annual event when he was first elected to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors in 1995 and has continued the tradition through his 10 elections.
Tickets to the fundraiser start at $40. For questions or to RSVP and pay at the door: [email protected] or call (703) 375-9374.
Mark Gibson, the Independent who ran against Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) for a Congressional seat in 2012, says he will make another run in 2014.
Gibson earned 3,806 votes in the 2012 election. That was far short of incumbent Connolly’s 202,606 votes, but the most of any of the challengers from a non-major party.
Connolly has served in Congress since 2009. Reston became part of his district in 2010 realignment.
Gibson, 52, is an economist who lives in Fairfax. He is currently the vice president for operations and business development at Fairfax-based Advanced Technology Solutions, Inc., an information technologies consulting firm.
Gibson said last week that voter encouragement and an underperforming Congress prompted him to run again.
“I received a lot of compliments and inspiration from voters after the last election,” Gibson said in a statement “And the dissatisfaction with Congress and the major parties is at least equal to that of 2012. More and more voters identify themselves as independents. I hope to build on the attention independent voters gained in the last election.”
Gibson will need to collect 1,500 signatures from 11th District voters by early June.
So far, no Republican challenger has announced intentions to run.
Gibson told Lorton Patch in 2012 that his frustration with Congress is very high.
“I just haven’t seen that Congress has been effective, and if I can do something to focus on the issues and change the effect of this Congress then I think I have done something,” he said. “I haven’t seen any attempt by either party to make any move to the middle. There are no Independents in Congress now – at least on the House side.”
Some of his stances on the issues in the last campaign: Overhauling the tax code, revising (but not repealing) Obamacare, raising age to collect Social Security; and securing more funds to aid Virginia transportation.
