Southwest Virginia Democrats

The first meeting of the Southwest Virginia Young Democrats group will be:

The first meeting will be held at:

If you need more information or have any questions regarding this group, please contact Tabitha Peace at (276) 393-1055.

Everyone is welcome to attend, but to be considered a “Young Democrat” by the Virginia Young Democrats, one must be between the ages of 18-35.

On June 13, 2006, Virginia’s Democrats went to the polls and elected Jim Webb as their nominee to challenge Sen. George Allen.

Webb won the Ninth District, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us if we want to beat Allen.

If you have not already, visit his website and register to be a volunteer and contribute some funds (even a little helps). Allen has millions sitting in the bank and Webb will need every dime and hour Democratic volunteers can contribute to beating Allen.

A large group of Southwest Virginia Democrats gathered today in Marion to nominate Congressman Rick Boucher. Boucher is seeking his 13th term in Congress.

I am afraid to guess how many people were there, but I heard estimates ranging between 200 and 300. It did appear, however, that there were thousands of “Boucher for Congress” signs. Someone got up very early this morning and started putting out signs.

Ninth District Committee Chairman, Tom Graham, kept everything rolling and did a good job. Graham said he invited the two senate candidates, but both were unable to attend.

Jim Webb, though, did have former-chair, Gary Hancock, speak in his behalf. Hancock gave an impassioned case for why Webb should be our nominee. One of Webb’s biggest supporters, Henry Tieleman, was also there passing out literature and yard signs for Webb. I looked as much as I could, but I did not see any Miller signs, stickers, or any visibility for him.

Senators Puckett, Deeds, Edwards, and Reynolds, Delegate Bowling, and several other elected officials were there to keep the crowd fired up. They all agreed that Boucher was, without a doubt, “the best Congressman in the United States.” I would certainly concur with that assessment.

Needless to say, Boucher accepted the nomination to be our Democratic candidate for the Ninth District. Boucher was his usual self and delivered a powerful speech. Boucher said his campaign would be positive and based on his previous accomplishments.

After the convention, Graham and others presented Boucher and his new wife, Amy, with a wedding cake that was topped with a bicycle. As most people have already heard, the Bouchers were married last week on the Creeper Trail.

All in all, the convention went great and everyone left energized. I am really looking forward to the next few months as the campaign really gets rolling and we get past next week’s primary.

Neal was apparently also there and has posted his thoughts here.

From the Congressman’s website:

On Saturday, June 3 U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher and Galax Gazette editor Amy Houslohner were married in Damascus, Virginia. The couple took their marriage vows following a bicycle trip from Abingdon . The ceremony took place on an old railroad bridge within the town which is now a part of the Virginia Creeper Trail. Officiating was Chief U.S. District Judge James P. Jones, a longtime friend of Boucher’s.

Following the ceremony, the couple returned by bicycle to Abingdon. The Abingdon-Damascus bicycle round trip is a favorite recreation of the Bouchers who decided to have a private informal marriage in one of their favorite settings.

Congratulations to Rep. Boucher and Ms. Hauslohner.

Next weekend, Boucher will accept the Democratic nomination as he seeks his 13th term in Congress.

Last night (actually early this morning), I met up with Dan Gray and Jim Franklin from the Webb campaign. They dropped off a few hundred “Webb for Senate” yard signs to be distributed in Southwest Virginia.

Do you have one in your yard yet? Do you have 5-10 friends that also need one? Contact me and I will make arrangements to get you one (or several). The primary will be here before you know it - why wait? Get one today!

From the VBA:

Continuing a tradition of 20+-years’ standing, The Virginia Bar Association will again this year host a debate between candidates for major statewide political office. The debate will be held on Saturday, July 22 at 10:30 A.M. at The Homestead in connection with the VBA’s annual Summer Meeting to be held on July 20-23 and will feature incumbent Republican U.S. Senator George Allen and the winner of the June 13 Democratic primary, either Harris Miller or Jim Webb, who will be seeking to unseat Allen.