Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Glenn Nye Announces Run for Congress Against Thelma Drake

I have known GOP Congresswoman, Thelma Drake for many years and served with her on the GOP City Committee for Virginia Beach for a number od years. I will further admit – as I have mentioned before – that she is the ONLY elected GOP politician who had the grace and decency to apologize to me after I was treated exceedingly shabbily by virtually all of the GOP elected officials that I warned about former Congressman Ed Schrock and the rumors of his advertising for gay sex on a local a local sex phone service. Likewise, to my knowledge she never dragged my name through the mud like others in the GOP did after I came out of the closet. For that I respect her and thank her.
Nevertheless, as much as I like and respect Thelma as a person, many of her policy positions blindly follow those of the Chimperator, particularly on Iraq. Thus it will be interesting to see what happens now that Virginia Democrat Glenn Nye, a former Foreign Service officer who has worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has announced that he will run for the Congressional seat currently held by Drake. Since I live in a different Congressional district, I will only be an observer in this political race.

Nye is touting his background in international affairs in his contest against Republican Rep. Thelma Drake , who is in her second term representing the state's 2nd District, which takes in Virginia Beach, portions of Norfolk and surrounding territory, including Virginia's Eastern Shore. Thelma was narrowly re-elected in 2006, and might have lost had she faced a more disciplined opponent. Word on the street is that Nye could give her a competitive race this year - he has actually served in Baghdad . I have yet to find out Nye’s position on gay rights issues, but I suspect that it will have to be friendlier than Thelma Drake’s unless she breaks ranks with the Chimperator. Glenn Nye’s website can be found here: http://www.glennnye.com/home/


Nye grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. He recently returned home to Hampton Roads from Iraq, where he advised a USAID program, working closely with military colleagues to stabilize Iraqi neighborhoods by creating employment for over 70,000 Iraqis. In 2001, Nye received the State Department's Superior Honor Award for organizing the rescue of American citizens caught behind insurgent lines in Macedonia.

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