Byrne prepares 2008 House bid

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Leslie Byrne, the first representative to serve Virginia’s 11th Congressional District when it was created more than two decades ago, took an initial step Thursday to reclaim the seat in 2008.

Byrne, 60, said she filed for the creation of an exploratory committee with the Internal Revemie Service, setting up a possible primary fight with Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly. Connolly, one of the county’s most powerful Democratic politicians, is expected to launch his campaign after November’s elections.

The announcement injects new uncertainty into the political future of Virginia’s 11th, which Republican Tom Davis has held since he first defeated Byrne in 1994. Davis, who has yet to officially announce his intentions, is widely expected to seek the Senate seat left open by Sen. John Warner’s retirement.

Byrne said plans of other politicians won’t affect her decision.

“There are other people who may get in,” she said. “I don’t know what to expect. All I know is that Congress needs to change.”

If elected, Byrne said she would fight a “culture of corruption” in Congress and support setting a timeline for troop withdrawal from Iraq.

“Right now you’ve got the president talking about withdrawal,” she said. “It’s a question of how many people do we lose as the president dithers around trying to figure out how to get us out of this.”

Davis had no comment on Byrne’s announcement. Political sources have told The Examiner that Davis is definitely going to run for the Senate instead of seeking another term in the House, but have said he will not divulge his plans until after the fall elections.

Connolly remains the favorite for the Democrats, though Byrne, according to University of Virginia. politics guru Larry Sabato, “could pose a serious challenge.”

“She was the congresswoman from that district and lost in a Republican year,” he said. “She can say that she would be the only Democratic woman in the delegation, which might hold some sway in the primary.... You don’t underestimate Leslie Byrne.”

wflook@dcexaminer.com

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