Fairfax GOP Fields Strongest Slate of House Candidates In Years

Today Anthony Bedell, Chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee, announced the new slate of candidates running for the Virginia House of Delegates this November.

"This is the strongest top-to-bottom Republican ticket we have fielded in a very long time. Not only do we expect our statewide ticket (McDonnell-Bolling-Cuccinelli) to win but we also expect to hold our three House incumbents and win many of our challenger races. Our Party is unified and motivated," said Bedell.

The Fairfax County Republican Committee was able to use the momentum from the Herrity and Cook races as a springboard to recruit candidates. The strong showing county wide by Herrity and the win by Cook in Braddock proved that the GOP is still a viable party in Fairfax. This led to many of these candidates stepping forward to run for office.

The candidates in Fairfax also drew praise from the Virginia's Speaker of the House William J. Howell, "Like so many, I'm excited about the unprecedented number and quality, diversity and energy of Republican House candidates in Fairfax County this year. We have 15 impressive, principled leaders who are committed to serving their constituents and helping to create more jobs and opportunities as well as improving the quality of life in our communities. I look forward to working with them in the Virginia House of Delegates to deliver the positive and constructive change the people of Fairfax County demand and deserve."

Delegate Dave Albo (R-Springfield) also commented on the impressive slate of House candidates "It is unprecedented that so many seats are challenged. When there are important issues at stake in our neighborhoods, good people rise to the occasion. I've been working on campaigns since 1989 and I've never seen so many people step up and run for office."

The FCRC has made candidate recruitment one of its top priorities since December 2008. The Committee delivered on that promise by fielding strong candidates in 15 out of 17 House seats in Fairfax County. By comparison, in 2007, the Party only fielded candidates in 6 out of 16 House seats.

House of Delegate Candidates

Barbara Comstock 34th House District www.comstockfordelegate.com
Jim Hyland 35th House District www.hylandfordelegate.com
Mark Whited 36th House District www.whitedfordelegate.com
Danny Smith 38th House District www.dannyfordelegate.com
Joe Bury 39th House District www.joebury.com
Delegate Tim Hugo 40th House District www.timhugo.com
Kerry Bolognese 41st House District www.bolognesefordelegate.com
Delegate Dave Albo 42nd House District www.davealbo.com
Tim Nank 43rd House District www.timnank.com
Jay McConville 44th House District www.gojay.com
Vicki Vasques 45th House District TBA
Sasha Gong 46th House District www.sashagong.com
Chris Merola 53rd House District www.merola09.com
Jim LeMunyon 67th House District www.lemunyon.com
Delegate Tom Rust 86th House District www.tomrust.org

"We are so proud of our incumbents and challenger candidates who are running for the House of Delegates. It is a tough thing to put your life on hold and dedicate yourself to run for office. But none of our candidates even hesitated. They have already been working hard and this has inspired our Republican base. Over the next five months, we look forward to the opportunity to make our case and earn the support of the voters in Fairfax County," added Bedell.