Democrats Polling Va. Congressional Seat

Thu, January 17, 2008 - 5:00 PM

Virginia’s first female member of Congress, Leslie Byrne, is out with a new poll today that suggests she has the Democratic support needed to win back the House seat she lost in 1994 to Republican Rep. Tom Davis.

The campaign’s poll of 400 likely Democratic voters shows Byrne leading Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald Connolly, 39 percent to 29 percent, with political newcomer Doug Denneny drawing eight percent.

A memo attached to the poll says Connolly and Byrne both enjoy similarly high name recognition in the 11th district, which covers most of Fairfax and Prince William counties.

A spokesman for incumbent Tom Davis said the congressman has not yet decided whether he’ll run for an eighth term. Rep. Davis has typically put his re-election campaign together by the beginning of February. The spokesman said he expected Davis to decide by the end of January, but the issue had not been discussed with staff.

Federal Election Commission records show Davis has more than a million dollars in campaign cash on hand.

Denneny, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, had $13,917 in his treasury at the end of 2007. He launched his campaign in August.

Anybody thinking Davis would step aside and let his wife, former Virginia State Senator Jeannemarie Devolites, run for the congressional seat is likely rethinking that after November’s state elections. Devolites lost by more than 10 points and after the campaign was left with $3,190 in her campaign war chest.

--Neil H. Simon