Saturday, February 20, 2010
Griffith setting stage for Congressional bid
RICHMOND -- After weeks of indecision, state Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, is lining up support for a likely campaign against Democratic U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher of Abingdon.
Griffith, the majority leader of the House of Delegates, has been reaching out to party leaders and activists in the 9th Congressional District today to gauge support for his candidacy and is nearing a decision to formally enter the race. Griffith will have to make his decision official by March 1, the deadline for Republican candidates to file in the district.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and money, but I believe it can be done,” Griffith said in a telephone interview this afternoon. “I just have to make sure there’s nothing I’ve overlooked.”
Griffith, who has been pondering a candidacy for several weeks, said he has not made a firm decision. But two state Republican officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said today that Griffith is likely to run for the congressional seat after getting positive feedback from GOP activists in the district.
The Salem Republican lives just outside of the 9th District, which extends from the Southwest Virginia coalfields to Roanoke County and includes portions of the Alleghany Highlands -- but under legal provisions, Griffith could still run in the 9th. Boucher has represented the district since 1983 and has been considered virtually unbeatable for much of his tenure.
Griffith lives at the edge of the 6th Congressional District represented by Republican Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke County. Griffith said he would not move from his Salem home to run against Boucher, partly because Salem likely will become part of the 9th District after the General Assembly reapportions districts next year. Griffith’s House of Delegates district overlaps Boucher’s congressional district.
But Griffith said he believes he can be competitive in the district. Republicans consider Boucher vulnerable - partly because of voters’ anger over the performance of President Obama and the Democratic Congress, and partly because of Boucher’s support for proposed pollution emission limits that critics say court hurt the coal industry. Republicans are eager to nationalize the election in a district where Obama is unpopular.
Griffith was first elected to the House in 1993 His knowledge of House rules and his willingness to combat Democratic leaders helped him climb quickly into the leadership ranks of the Republican caucus. He became the majority leader after Republicans gained control of the House in the 1999 elections.
Griffith’s work to recruit Republican legislative candidates and raise money for them has built a reservoir of support within his party. But Griffith acknowledged that he will need substantial financial help from to mount a meaningful challenge to Boucher, who had more than $1.7 million in his campaign account when the year began.
Despite his leadership role in the House of Delegates, Griffith could still have issues with his name recognition in parts of the 9th, which stretches to the Tennessee and Kentucky border. But he argued that hard work and his message can overcome that deficit.
“I’m going to have to reintroduce myself to deep Southwest and there’s no question he [Boucher] will have an advantage to begin with,” Griffith said. “Assuming I go forward, for the sake of argument, I believe the ideas I’ll present are more reflective of the values of the district.”
Griffith, the majority leader of the House of Delegates, has been reaching out to party leaders and activists in the 9th Congressional District today to gauge support for his candidacy and is nearing a decision to formally enter the race. Griffith will have to make his decision official by March 1, the deadline for Republican candidates to file in the district.
“It’s going to take a lot of time and money, but I believe it can be done,” Griffith said in a telephone interview this afternoon. “I just have to make sure there’s nothing I’ve overlooked.”
Griffith, who has been pondering a candidacy for several weeks, said he has not made a firm decision. But two state Republican officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said today that Griffith is likely to run for the congressional seat after getting positive feedback from GOP activists in the district.
The Salem Republican lives just outside of the 9th District, which extends from the Southwest Virginia coalfields to Roanoke County and includes portions of the Alleghany Highlands -- but under legal provisions, Griffith could still run in the 9th. Boucher has represented the district since 1983 and has been considered virtually unbeatable for much of his tenure.
Griffith lives at the edge of the 6th Congressional District represented by Republican Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke County. Griffith said he would not move from his Salem home to run against Boucher, partly because Salem likely will become part of the 9th District after the General Assembly reapportions districts next year. Griffith’s House of Delegates district overlaps Boucher’s congressional district.
But Griffith said he believes he can be competitive in the district. Republicans consider Boucher vulnerable - partly because of voters’ anger over the performance of President Obama and the Democratic Congress, and partly because of Boucher’s support for proposed pollution emission limits that critics say court hurt the coal industry. Republicans are eager to nationalize the election in a district where Obama is unpopular.
Griffith was first elected to the House in 1993 His knowledge of House rules and his willingness to combat Democratic leaders helped him climb quickly into the leadership ranks of the Republican caucus. He became the majority leader after Republicans gained control of the House in the 1999 elections.
Griffith’s work to recruit Republican legislative candidates and raise money for them has built a reservoir of support within his party. But Griffith acknowledged that he will need substantial financial help from to mount a meaningful challenge to Boucher, who had more than $1.7 million in his campaign account when the year began.
Despite his leadership role in the House of Delegates, Griffith could still have issues with his name recognition in parts of the 9th, which stretches to the Tennessee and Kentucky border. But he argued that hard work and his message can overcome that deficit.
“I’m going to have to reintroduce myself to deep Southwest and there’s no question he [Boucher] will have an advantage to begin with,” Griffith said. “Assuming I go forward, for the sake of argument, I believe the ideas I’ll present are more reflective of the values of the district.”
