Thursday, October 16, 2008
Fishwick explores political waters
The Roanoke lawyer is considering running for state attorney general in the 2009 election.
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roanoke.com/politics
RICHMOND -- Roanoke lawyer John Fishwick has taken the first step toward launching a bid for state attorney general and is vowing to be an advocate for the middle class if he wins statewide office.
Fishwick said Wednesday he has formed a campaign committee with an eye toward seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general in 2009. He likely would face state Del. Steve Shannon of Fairfax County in a primary election to decide the nomination. Shannon also has formed a campaign committee and has been raising money for a possible candidacy.
"In the coming weeks I plan to travel Virginia and listen to the concerns of our families and our businesses," Fishwick said. "In these uncertain times, I am committed to giving Virginia's middle class the opportunity to compete on a fair playing field. Not a field where the electric company requests and gets a rate increase that leaves the middle class out in the cold. Not one where hardworking Virginians receive a traffic citation only to learn that they owe thousands of dollars, and not one where the middle class doesn't have a voice."
Fishwick, a Roanoke native and son of a railroad executive, is the second candidate for attorney general to emerge from the region. Former U.S. Attorney John Brownlee has already announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination, setting up an intraparty battle with state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli of Fairfax County and David Foster, an Arlington attorney. Incumbent Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a Republican, will run for governor next year.
Fishwick, 51, is a trial lawyer who handled numerous high-profile cases in Western Virginia and has strong ties to the Democratic Party. He was part of the legal team that helped Democrat Creigh Deeds during the recount of the 2005 election for attorney general, the closest statewide election in modern Virginia history. Deeds lost to McDonnell by 360 votes. He also served as chairman of Democrat Richard Gephardt's Virginia campaign in the 2004 presidential election.
Fishwick and partner John Lichtenstein have represented notable clients, including public officials, in state and federal courts. Their prominent clients include former National D-Day Memorial Foundation president Richard Burrow, who faced federal fraud charges in connection with fundraising for the memorial project. The charges were dropped after two trials ended in hung juries.
But Fishwick also emphasized his work representing teachers, and "individuals and small businesses who have been treated unfairly by their government."
He said each of the last four attorneys general -- all Republican -- "have failed to protect the middle class' legal and financial interests."
"It's time for a change in Richmond," Fishwick said.
Fishwick last year took the case of an 81-year-old Roanoke woman who challenged the legality of the state's controversial "abusive driver" fees, bringing greater public attention to the unpopular penalties. The lawsuit was withdrawn earlier this year after the General Assembly and Gov. Tim Kaine bowed to public pressure and repealed the fees
"He always sides with the little guy," said Del. Onzlee Ware, D-Roanoke, a longtime friend of Fishwick's.
Though he has been a Democratic activist, Fishwick acknowledged that he is removed from the political hothouse of the state Capitol.
"I'm clearly not part of the Richmond scene," he said. "If that's what they want, I'm not their guy."
Fishwick last ran for public office 16 years ago, when he sought the Democratic nomination for the 6th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was narrowly defeated in a convention by Steve Musselwhite, who went on to lose the general election to Republican Bob Goodlatte.
"I knew that after working with him that he was a relentless campaigner," said Ware, who supported Fishwick's 1992 congressional bid and encouraged him to seek statewide office.
