Lynchburg Democrat Shannon Valentine kicks off re-election for House District 23

Whenever you say Lynchburg and Democrat, most people think you're joking. The Democratic House of Delegate member from District 23 is no joke. In a part of the state where Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church are the 800 Lb gorilla in the room and the surrounding areas are all represented by Republicans and two "Independents" (Watkins Abbitt I-Appomattox and Lacy Putney I-Bedford), Delegate Shannon Valentine is the only member of the Lynchburg area delegation that demonstrates any understanding of social and economic justice and how issues directly affect people from their doorstep to the curb.

Shannon Valentine is recognized as one of Virginia's most effective legislators and continues to demonstrate willingness to cross the isle to work with Republicans and Independents. This doesn't seem to be enough for the likes of Liberty University and Thomas Road Baptist Church who will be heavily backing Republican nominee and Lynchburg City Councilman Scott Garrett. Keep in mind, Liberty University pushed hard to have their students registered to vote in Virginia for the 2008 Presidential Election.

All those registrations showed up in Lychburg's Ward III Precinct 4. From 2004 to 2006 the total number of votes cast in those elections combined for that one precinct was just over 2,500 votes. In the 2008 General Election, the total number of votes cast was over 3,600 (3,000 votes exactly went for John McCain in that precinct). Obama narrowly lost Lynchburg by 1,366 votes. So, now you see why some in the Democratic party are worried about Liberty University's impact.

While these are disturbing numbers, people need to keep in mind that the person that recommended that Shannon run for the House of Delegates as his successor in 2005 was none other than, former Lynchburg Republican Delegate and current Secretary of Natural Resources, Preston Bryant. That speaks volumes to Shannon Valentine's broad support in the Lynchburg community. It doesn't say much for Republicans in Lynchburg either. But, each election is different and Shannon's not taking anything for granted. Listen to her announcement speech and my interview with her:

Valentine Re-election Announcement Speech


Valentine Podcast Interview with Off K Street

As you can hear, she is no joke and is passionate about the work she is doing in Richmond. This is one of the seats that Democrats must hold if they are going to have a chance to regain control of the House of Delegates heading into the 2010 General Assembly and Redistricting process. Show your support by contributing to her campaign or if you have time to phone bank or go door-to-door, it will go a long way.