Wayne Powell, Veteran, Small Business Owner and Local Attorney Is the Democratic Nominee to Oppose Eric Cantor. Says Cantor is “epitome of what is wrong in Washington…a career political operator who is the poster child for Washington gridlock and dysfunction”
Democrats in the 7th Congressional District have nominated Richmond-area attorney Wayne Powell as their candidate to run against Rep. Eric Cantor in the November election.
District Democrats were set to hold caucuses to choose between Powell and Lake of the Woods resident David Hunsicker.
But this week Hunsicker said he would step aside, after filings showed Powell had 80 percent of the caucus votes.
In a release from the district chairman announcing his nomination, Powell—a retired Army colonel who now runs his own law firm in Midlothian—said he, unlike Cantor, isn’t a politician.
He said he “believes something is drastically wrong with Congress and our country’s political system, a system where multinational corporations and the wealthiest control too many of our elected representatives. Mr. Cantor, moreover, is the epitome of what is wrong in Washington. He is a career political operator who is the poster child for Washington dysfunction, a congressman whose overwhelming goal appears to be accumulating political power for himself to advancethe interests of political cronies and the wealthiest special interests, both in Washington and here at home in the seventh district. His service is not focused on the needs of his constituents.”
In the statement, Powell spoke specifically of only one issue—his belief that “women should be free to make their own health care decisions and have access to basic medical needs such as contraception without government interference.”
On his website, Powell says he supports ending the “Bush” tax cuts for the wealthiest taxpayers. He favors allowing gays and lesbians to marry, and he agrees with the decision to end the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. He backs the DREAM Act, which would give citizenship to students who were brought to the U.S. as children. He says corporate money has corrupted the political system and he would favor barring former congressmen from doing lobbying work.
He said he hopes to have joint appearances with Cantor.
Cantor, the House majority leader, has a large cash advantage; as of the last campaign finance reports filed earlier this month, he had about $2.2 million cash on hand. He’s been using some of that to run TV ads in the district already.
Link to original article from Fredericksburg Freelance Star
Watch Interview with Wayne Powell from WTVR (Richmond Channel 6)
Virginia is now being mentioned as a crucial swing state. This Congressional race is certainly one to watch. Perhaps that was why I was so impressed to hear candidate Wayne Powell, (who is challenging incumbent Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor for the seat he has held in the 7th District of Virginia since 2001) speak boldly and openly about the environment showdown with Cantor.
Running against incumbent Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia’s GOP-heavy 7th District is enough to give any Democrat the blues. So Bluegrass legend Dr. Ralph Stanley will headline a two-day campaign swing for Powell next week.
Dream on. But Democratic long shot Wayne Powell might put a few dents in the House majority leader's armor. That Powell and Zerban were in LA raising money for what seemed like increasingly less quixotic quests—Powell is the first challenger Cantor has agreed to debate in 10 years, and Zerban's internal polling in September put him within single digits of Ryan—could underscore America's waning infatuation with tea-party-style politics.