Leslie L. Byrne
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| Leslie Larkin Byrne | |
| [[Image:{{{image name}}}|160px|center|Leslie Larkin Byrne]] | |
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Virginia's 11th district |
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1993 - 1995 |
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| Preceded by: | N/A (first representative of the new district |
| Succeeded by: | Thomas M. Davis |
| Born: | October 27, 1946 Salt Lake City, Utah |
Leslie Larkin Byrne (born October 27, 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American politician, and was a one-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995, having been defeated for re-election by Tom Davis in 1994. She was also the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2005, eventually losing to Republican Bill Bolling.
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[edit] Political career
Byrne served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 7 years before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 from a district in the northern, suburban part of the state. She was the first woman to be elected to Congress from Virginia. In 1994, she was soundly defeated for re-election to the House by then Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chair, Tom Davis.
In 1996, she decided to seek the Democratic nomination for US Senate to challenge incumbent Senator John Warner. Byrne was challenged in the primary by future Virginia Governor Mark Warner, which resulted in a nasty fight that included Byrne referring to Warner as "Republican lite" as well as a "rat". [1] Mark Warner was picked as the eventual nominee at the 1996 Virginia Democratic Convention, garnering 1,889 Delegates to Byrne's 231.
She was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1999, winning a very close election against Republican Jane Woods (45.52% to Wood's 45.39%). She did not seek re-election in 2003, largely due to Republican redistricting which moved large parts of her district into Arlington.
She was the 2005 Democratic Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Byrne was defeated by Republican Party candidate Bill Bolling in the November 8, 2005 general election[2].
[edit] Issues
Byrne has supported public/private partnerships for transportation, including the Dulles Greenway project when she was in the Virginia House of Delegates. Byrne has said that high-occupancy toll lanes are also promising as long as local governments are not taken out of the planning process. Byrne supports linking land use policy to transportation, two policy areas that are typically considered separately in Virginia.
[edit] After Political-Life
On March 15th, 2006, she endorsed Republican-turned Democrat James Webb for United States Senate. She also endorsed Ken Longmyer for the 2006 11th District Democratic Congressional primary. Longmyer was defeated in the primary by Andrew Hurst, who went on to receive the most votes of any Democratic challenger in the state of Virginia in 2006. Ms. Byrne is now considering options to run for Congress in 2008 or statewide in Virginia in 2009, but will face stiff competition in each race from candidates who some consider more electable.
[edit] Election Results
- 2005 Race for Virginia Lieutenant Governor
- Bill Bolling (R), 50.5%
- Leslie Byrne (D), 49.3%
- 2005 Democratic Primary for Virginia Lieutenant Governor
- Leslie Byrne (D), 32.8%
- Viola Baskerville (D), 26.1%
- Chap Petersen (D), 21.7%
- Phil Puckett (D), 19.4%
- 1999 Race for Virginia Senate
- Leslie Byrne (D), 42.5%
- Jane Woods (R), 42.4%
- Virginia Dobey (I), 15%
- 1994 Race for US House
- Tom Davis (R), 55.7%
- Leslie Bynre (D), 45.3%
- 1992 Race for US House
- Leslie Bynre (D), 50.02%
- Henry Butler (R), 45.0%
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: newly apportioned district |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district 1993-1995 |
Succeeded by: Thomas M. Davis |
