Brian Straw, Alfonso Lopez, Peter Rousellot for State Central Committee

On May 16, the 8th Congressional District Democratic committee will hold a convention (at 10 am at Edison High School in Alexandria) to select representatives to the State Central Committee (SCC) - the governing body of the party. Within the 8th CD, the number of seats are apportioned as follows: Fairfax (8), Arlington (7), Alexandria (4), Falls Church (1). In addition, the seats are further divided by gender. In Arlington, this means an allocation of 4 men and 3 women to fill the 7 slots. Currently, there are 6 men and 3 women running for those slots, which means that, as of now (filing deadline is tomorrow), the only competition is in the men's category. Today, I am endorsing three of those candidates. Here they are, with my rationale:

1. Brian Straw: I've spoken with Brian, read his materials and have been very impressed. Brian is a strong believer that the grassroots activists of Arlington need a representative on the SCC. Brian also believes that involving more grassroots activists in the decisions of the party is a good thing, and that the best ideas often come from volunteers. I couldn't agree more. Brian's background includes two years working for Students for Barack Obama and the Campaign for Change, as well as active involvement in the Arlington Young Democrats. He'll make an excellent addition to the SCC. [Note: See Brian's Facebook page for more information]

2. Alfonso Lopez: A strong progressive on a wide variety of issues, Alfonso is about as well connected and experienced as anyone around, heading up the Virginia liaison office in Washington, DC for Governor Kaine and serving as Vice Chair of the Arlington County Democratic Committee (among other things). Alfonso asked me for my support, and I am happy to give it.

3. Peter Rousselot: Last but most definitely NOT least, ACDC chair Peter Rousselot is one of the best Democratic committee chairs in Virginia, part of the reason for this is that Peter "gets" the new media, the netroots and the grassroots. Over the past few years, Peter and I have worked closely together on many projects, including helping to elect Jim Webb and Barack Obama, and I'm proud to call him my friend. I couldn't endorse Peter more strongly for the SCC.

Alfonso Lopez Not Running in 47th District

I just got back from the Arlington County Democratic Committee meeting, which was absolutely packed by the way. I spoke with top Kaine aide Alfonso Lopez and confirmed that he will not be a candidate for the 47th House of Delegates district seat being vacated by incumbent Al Eisenberg, who is retiring. That leaves the present Democratic field in the 47th as: Miles Grant, Patrick Hope, Alan Howze, Adam Parkhomenko, and Andres Tobar. The question now, with Alfonso deciding not to seek the nomination, is where will his supporters go. My guess is that the other candidates will be wooing them heavily in days to come.

P.S. I previewed this race on Monday. Click here if you're interested.

P.P.S. I'm uploading the speeches now. Unfortunately, my Flip video camera reached its limit in the middle of Jody Wagner's speech, but fortunately, Bryan Scrafford captured it all and told me he'll upload it to YouTube. See, having multiple bloggers at an event can be a good thing! :)

47th House of Delegates District Analysis Coming Soon...

I've gotta run out the door right now, but a full 47th House of Delegates analysis/preview is coming later this afternoon. In the meantime, things appear to be heating up, with one of the candidates, Adam Parkhomenko, having just announced an endorsement by Sen. Patsy Ticer (D-30th). More on this district, where incumbent Del. Al Eisenberg is retiring, coming later today...