Incumbent Senator John Warner (R) is retiring, leaving an open race for his replacement in one of Virginia’s two U.S. Senate seats. Two former Virginia governors—Governor Jim Gilmore (R) and Governor Mark Warner (D) (no relation to outgoing Senator Warner)—are vying for the seat, joined by third-party candidates Gail Parker (IG) and William Redpath (L). Senators serve six-year terms.
U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 10th District, 2008
Note: During the last congressional term, I moved from the 11th Congressional District currently served by Representative Tom Davis (R) to the 10th Congressional District currently served by Representative Frank Wolf (R).
In the race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District—which encompasses Clarke County, Frederick County, Loudoun County, Warren County, Manassas, Winchester, and parts of Frederick, Fairfax, and Prince William counties—long-term incumbent Representative Frank Wolf (R) is up against challengers Judy Feder (D) and Neeraj Nigam (I). Wolf has held his seat in the House of Representatives since his election in 1980 and is seeking his fifteenth term. Representatives serve two-year terms.
Lost and Lonely Keys
Not long ago, Melissa and I stopped by the Post Office (after-hours) so she could use the automated postage machine and send a small package. Since I am easily bored, and Melissa was taking too long, I went walking around the 24-hour section of the Post Office (which pretty much includes the postage machines and the P.O. boxes).
Near the end of the P.O. boxes, I noticed somebody had left their keys sitting in the keyhole of their box. Judging by the keychain and the keys on it, the owner is retired Navy and drives a Toyota. No other useful information was present. Since the Post Office was closed, and there was no name, phone number, or address on the keys, I just left them there. I felt bad about it, but there really wasn’t much else I could do. Hopefully they made their way back to their rightful owner.
Second 2008 Presidential Debate TONIGHT
The second formal Presidential debate between Senator John McCain (R-AZ) and Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) will be held tonight at 9pm EDT. This is the second of three scheduled general election debates between the two major-party candidates. Third-party candidates are excluded from participation.
Tonight’s debate will be held at Belmont University in Nashville and will be moderated by former NBC Nightly News host Tom Brokaw.
I strongly recommend that all Americans watch this debate, as well as the single remaining Presidential debate between now and the November elections. For unfettered coverage, I recommend watching the debates on C-SPAN rather than any of the commercial broadcast and cable news outlets.
Endorsements Rescinded for Reconsideration (Updated)
I hereby rescind for reconsideration any endorsement of any candidate who supported the socialist Wall St. bailout. This, unfortunately, includes essentially every endorsement I had made this year:
- Senator John McCain (R-AZ), previously endorsed as my preferred Presidential candidate, voted in favor of the bailout in the Senate.
- Former Governor Mark Warner (D-VA), previously endorsed as my preferred candidate for U.S. Senate from Virginia, has stated that he would have supported the bailout had he been in the Senate.
- Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA 10th), previously endorsed as my preferred candidate for U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia’s 10th District, voted in favor of the bailout in the House.
I will be reconsidering my choices in each of these races and will post new or revised endorsements as soon as possible. I am extraordinarily disappointed in each of these candidates; they have betrayed the constituents they claim to protect and, indeed, the very ideals of limited government and capitalist society.
Update 10/9/2008: I have re-posted my endorsements. While I have endorsed the same candidates I had originally, I have modified my reasoning and added caveats to each in light of their support for the socialist Wall St. bailout.
Scott Bradford is a writer and technologist who has been putting his opinions online since 1995. He believes in three inviolable human rights: life, liberty, and property. He is a Catholic Christian who worships the trinitarian God described in the Nicene Creed. Scott is a husband, nerd, pet lover, and AMC/Jeep enthusiast with a B.S. degree in public administration from George Mason University.