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Davis expected to announce retirement
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Rep. Tom Davis is expected to announce his retirement from Congress this week.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Influential Northern Virginia Rep. Tom Davis will announce his retirement from Congress this week, multiple political sources told The Examiner Monday.
Davis has decided not to seek an eighth term in office, five sources with ties to the Republican congressman or his political allies said. The decision was widely expected after Davis pulled out of a potential U.S. Senate campaign and his wife lost a re-election bid in a Fairfax County district with a similar growing Democratic lean last fall.
Davis’ spokesman Brian McNicoll said an announcement could come as early as Wednesday, but would not confirm Davis was retiring.
“We’ll all know one way or the other by the end of the week,” McNicoll said, noting that Davis traditionally kicks off his campaign in February.
But three Virginia political experts said all the signals point to Davis retiring, as more than two dozen Republican colleagues have announced their retirements.
Professors cited Davis’ public frustration with the Senate nominating process, diminished power in a Democratic-controlled Congress after serving as a Republican committee chairman, and the potential for a lucrative career outside of elected office.
“He made a decision some time ago that it was either up or out,” said University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato, who expected Davis could look forward to a lucrative career making four to five times his federal salary.
“It always seemed that staying in Congress for Tom Davis would have been an unappealing option,” added Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington.
Davis’ likely retirement is positive news for Democrats trying to regain control of the 11th District for the first time since 1994, when he unseated one-term congresswoman Leslie Byrne two years after the district was formed.
Byrne, who has raised $115,000 and secured a series of early union endorsements in her bid to take back the seat, probably will square off against Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly, who comes fresh from a definitive re-election victory in November.
Connolly has yet to confirm his candidacy but has raised $160,913, according to his campaign manager, and is expected to announce shortly.
Comments from Examiner Readers
9:27 AM MST on Wed., Jan. 30, 2008 re: "Davis expected to announce retirement"
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12:27 PM MST on Tue., Jan. 29, 2008
re: "Davis expected to announce retirement"
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Examiner Reader said:
Tom Davis's retirement would be a great loss to his constituents, as Jeannemarie's defeat was a great loss to her constituents. Both Mrs Byrne and Mr Connolly are hugely unappealing.
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Examiner Reader said:
Connolly has raised $160,913 for this race? Gee, that is news to the Federal Election Commission, which has yet to even receive a Statement of Organization report from Connolly, let alone any campaign finance disclosure statement. They don't look on such things too keenly. Might even refer it to the Dept. of Justice for criminal proceedings if this statement proves to be accurate.
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