Connolly enters race for Davis’s Virginia seat

Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerry Connolly confirmed Thursday that he will enter the race for Rep. Tom Davis’s (R-Va.) seat, setting up a big Democratic primary with former Rep. Leslie Byrne (D).

Connolly told supporters in an e-mail that he will enter the race. An official launch is set for next week.

Davis announced in January that he would not seek reelection to the House, terming it a “sabbatical from public life.”

Byrne has been in the race for months and raised $115,000 in the fourth quarter. Connolly launched an exploratory committee in January and raised $160,000 while he waited for Davis to make an announcement.

In the e-mail, Connolly laid out four goals: to end the war in Iraq; to combat climate change; to fix No Child Left Behind; and to provide all Americans access to healthcare.

“Government should be about getting results,” he said, adding: “That attitude has made us the best-managed county in the nation and allowed me to gain bipartisan support for my aggressive agenda on schools, the environment, public safety and more.”

Both Connolly and Byrne are powerful local Democratic figures.

Connolly recently began his second term as chairman of the Fairfax Board. Byrne, a former state legislator who narrowly lost a lieutenant governor’s race in 2005, held Davis’s seat for one term in the mid-1990s.

On the GOP side, businessman Keith Fimian has quietly been running for months, and several other local legislators could make for a crowded primary. Fimian has already raised $375,000 and self-funded another $325,000.

Kentucky

Rep. Ron Lewis’s (R) chief of staff has dropped out of the Republican primary to replace his boss, leaving state Sen. Brett Guthrie (R) as the only candidate.

Chief of Staff Daniel London also announced his support for Guthrie.

London faced lots of questions about his entry into the race, which occurred when Lewis withdrew at the eleventh hour before the filing deadline, thereby making it difficult for other interested candidates to enter.

Guthrie apparently thwarted the plan after hearing a rumor about Lewis’s exit and filing himself.

“I’m proud to have the support of my friend, Daniel London,” Guthrie said. “I look forward to working with Daniel to build a strong coalition of support that will keep Kentucky’s 2nd district in conservative hands.”

On the Democratic side, state Sen. David Boswell and Daviess County Judge-Executive Reid Haire are running.

Arkansas

Democrat David Pritt entered the race against Rep. John Boozman (R) on Thursday, despite the fact that he is still serving in Iraq.

Pritt, the brother of 2006 lieutenant governor nominee Drew Pritt, is unable to actively campaign while serving, so members of his family are acting as surrogates.

Boozman hasn’t faced a tough race since winning his seat in 2001.

“We just wanted everyone to know we are in it to win it!” David Pritt’s wife, Kim, said in a statement. “It is time for a broader perspective and especially to elect a member of Congress who is part of the party that controls Congress, not someone who is in the minority.”