Didn't Corey Stewart Endorse Keith Fimian?

Why is Pat Herrity, who declared earlier today for the Republican nomination in the 11th CD, using a favorable quote from Prince William County board chair Corey Stewart in his press release?

Pat Herrity is a good man and I am glad to see him enter the race for the 11th district congressional seat.

As a Supervisor, Pat has led the fight to reign in Gerry Connolly's legacy of out of control spending and reduce the tax burden that Gerry left on Fairfax County's citizens. Serving in local government myself, I know Pat has to deal with limited resources and large problems. I know he won't "pass the buck" in Washington.

His background in business as an accountant and Chief Financial Officer gives me the confidence that he knows how to cut the fat and find better, faster, and cheaper ways to get the job done. I am sure he'll take that same energy and expertise to Washington.

Gerry Connolly has "gone Hollywood" and chosen to cater to Nancy Pelosi's extremist base; forgetting to serve the needs of his own constituents. I am glad we have no shortage of qualified candidates to defeat him in November. - Corey A. Stewart, Chairman, Prince William County Board of County Supervisors

Nice quote by Stewart for Herrity, except for one problem: the last I checked, Stewart had endorsed Herrity's rival for the nomination, Keith Fimian. Odd.

NLS: Pat Herrity Enters 11th CD Race

See NLS for more. I'll be very interested to see how Keith Fimian responds, whether or not he stays in the race, whether he tacks further to the right, etc. Also, it looks like Republicans will hold a primary as opposed to a convention for this nomination. Will this help Fimian, as Red NOVA believes, or not? Finally, who would Rep. Gerry Connolly rather face next fall, Herrity (more moderate) or Fimian (more money)? This should be interesting.

UPDATE: Too Conservative reports that "there has been no official decision yet, and I’d be surprised if Herrity announced anything before Steve Hunt’s January 12th Special Election."

Pat Herrity to Announce for Congress Today?

According to Red NOVA, "Sources (plural) are telling me that Supervisor Pat Herrity will be running for Congress in 2010, with an announcement coming either today or tomorrow." If true, Herrity will be competing for the nomination against 2008 Republican nominee Keith Fimian, who lost to Gerry Connolly 55%-43%.

Who would win a Fimian-Herrity contest? It's hard to say, but according to Red NOVA, "whether or not the nomination is a primary or convention will determine the nominee," with a primary favoring Fimian and a convention favoring Herrity. That decision apparently will be made "sometime next week."

Other than that, I'll be watching this to see whether it remains civil or gets super-nasty. If the latter, it would almost certainly benefit Gerry Connolly. But first things first, let's see if Herrity really throws his hat in the ring and whether Fimian keeps his vow not to bow out.