Not surprisingly, Leslie Byrne has gone there:
The conventional wisdom in Northern Virginia politics was that the two hardened pros leading the field in the 11th Congressional District Democratic primary, Leslie L. Byrne and Gerald E. Connolly, would run a nasty, bitterly contested race.
The conventional wisdom, it seems, was right. The ground war has begun almost three months before the June 10 balloting, which will also include Douglas J. Denneny and Lori P. Alexander. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) is retiring.
In a mailing paid for in part by Byrne’s campaign, the women’s political fundraising group Emily’s List said that Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was “known for his bullying, over-the-top tactics.” The mailing, sent this month to the group’s 100,000 members nationwide, also accused Connolly of helping campaign contributors obtain “lucrative contracts” with Fairfax County and of concealing information about consulting deals with parties who had business before the board.
James Walkinshaw, Connolly’s campaign manager, yesterday called the claims “outrageous.”
Connolly, speaking to about 600 supporters at his annual St. Patrick’s Day party Monday night, did not specifically mention the mailing. But he said, “My opponent has a history of going really negative, really fast.”
This isn’t at all surprising. Byrne has a history of going negative going back to the 1992 race against Henry Butler. Get ready for a bumpy ride.
March 24th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Is Connolly a libertarian?