Morgan Griffith shaping up to be 9th District GOP nominee

ABINGDON, Va. – With the endorsement of leading 9th District Republicans, Morgan Griffith is shaping up to be this year’s GOP congressional nominee.

Griffith, the majority leader in the Virginia House of Delegates, has the backing of fellow Republican Delegates Bill Carrico of Independence, Terry Kilgore of Gate City, Anne B. Crockett-Stark of Wytheville, Charles Poindexter of Glade Hill, Will Morefield of Tazewell and Dave Nutter of Christiansburg, his campaign announced Wednesday.

According to the announcement, Griffith also has the support of Republican state Sens. William Wampler of Bristol and Ralph Smith of Roanoke.

“A final decision has not been made,” Press Secretary Jeff Ryer said of Griffith’s candidacy, “but certainly preparations for one being made, are well on their way.”

Griffith has a challenge ahead of him in trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, a Democrat who has been in office since 1983 and has long been considered unbeatable. But many Republicans say 2010 will be the year.

“Democratic seats that are not usually in play are vulnerable this time,” said Garren Shipley, spokesman for the Republican Party of Virginia.

“I think that Congressman Boucher is vulnerable primarily because he voted against the interest of his district,” Shipley said. “Any time a congressman votes to kill the jobs of his constituents, raise their taxes and drive their utility bills through the roof, there’s going to be vulnerability.”

Jared Leopold, spokesman for the Democratic Party of Virginia, said Boucher’s history “will make it a challenge for Morgan Griffith or any other Republican who wants to take him on.”

“Rick Boucher’s got a long record of standing up for Southwest Virginia, for creating jobs, for diversifying the economy and bringing advanced communications capabilities and telemedicine services to the district,” Leopold said, “and he will gladly put that record up against anyone.”

Boucher’s campaign announced Wednesday that he has received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association for his voting record on gun rights.

According to Griffith’s campaign, he too has an A-plus rating from the NRA.

At least two other Republican candidates, Jessee Ring of Pulaski County and Adam Light of Tazewell County, said they’re still seeking the nomination.

“I think we need a new face and fresh blood,” Ring said. “I think it would be good to have some fresh perspective.”

Two others who have announced a bid for the nomination – Dave Moore of Tazewell County and Jim Bebout of Marion – were not reachable for comment Wednesday.

Shipley said the state party is ready to throw its support behind whichever candidate is chosen by 9th District Republicans to oppose Boucher.

“So many things are flowing in our favor this year,” Shipley said, noting that it’s remarkable that Boucher, a Democrat, has been able to hold sway for decades in conservative Southwest Virginia – and this year, Republicans are fired up.

“We’ve got the general unpopularity of the President,” Shipley said. “We’ve got the fact that Rick Boucher, who normally puts his constituents first, has just decided to give an unpopular President a great big bear hug.”

Jeremiah Heaton, an independent candidate from Washington County, made light Wednesday of Griffith’s residence, which technically lies outside the 9th District.

Leopold, the Democratic Party spokesman, did too. “I feel like it’s important to have a congressman that’s actually from the district,” he said.

Ryer said Griffith’s property line is the district boundary – and his house sits about 30 feet from the 9th District. But, he said, “Morgan is a lot closer to where voters in the 9th District are today than the way Congressman Boucher’s been voting in Washington.”

The U.S. constitution states that representatives must live in the state they represent, but not necessarily the district of the seat they are seeking.

Heaton also called Griffith “an establishment politician,” saying Washington, D.C., has enough lawyers and could use more common men.

Ryer said he didn’t know enough about Heaton to comment – and that most people tend to view a congressional election as a two-way race between a Democrat and a Republican.

But Light, who cheers the crowded field of Republican candidates, said a three-way race wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

He said it’s still possible that a lesser-known Republican candidate like him could get the nomination – and possible that a Republican or even an independent could win the election if that’s what the people decide.

“Any time you’ve got options, it’s a good thing,” Light said. “Anything can happen. In a time when Ted Kennedy’s seat [in the U.S. Senate] can fall in the hands of a Republican, I’d say just about anything’s liable to happen, wouldn’t you?”

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