Breaking in VA: GOP Rep. Tom Davis' Wife Shakes Down Fed Contractors in State Race

[CorpGovActivist]

DUers -

Howdy from Virginia, where we're in the midst of our off-cycle state elections.

As some of you may know, Congressman Tom Davis has been funneling money to his wife's tight re-election race in Northern Virginia. She is running for re-election to a state Senate seat that (by all rights) ought to be a Democratic seat.

Jeannemarie Devolites Davis is Davis' second wife ("values voter champion" that he is, he left his first wife for Jeannemarie after they began rubbing elbows during their Abramoff exploits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeannemarie_Devolites-Davis)

So, it comes as little surprise that this information broke on the blog of her Democratic opponent today, from a "Concerned Federal Contractor":

http://blog.oxroadsouth.com/2007/10/31/morning-coffee-at-the-senior-center.aspx#comment-631468

An excerpt:

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"It is inappropriate for the Ranking Member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee - which has jurisdiction over investigations into Federal contractors' activities - to lend his name and cache to fundraising activities that target those contractors, especially when the candidate in question is his wife. This creates the perception that donating to her campaign curries favor with him. <...>

I am weighing whether or not to write jointly to Chairman Waxman (Chair of the House Oversight Committee) and to Chairwoman Jones (Chair of the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct) to complain about how Congressman Davis and his wife have abused the data in the CCR. Given her consulting firm's previous ethics problems, I would have thought she would have learned her lesson by now.

I can only imagine the outcry if Senator Clinton had done this, can't you?"

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It seems that Jeannemarie has been mining the federal Central Contractor Registration database for names of Federal contractors (who her husband oversees as Ranking Member on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee) to shake them down for campaign contributions.

Anyone out there itching to send the national GOP leadership (which includes Tom Davis) a "message by proxy" that this continuation of Tom Delay/Jack Abramoff style "pay for play" in Federal contracting is unacceptable may wish to consider sending a donation to Chap Petersen, Mrs. Davis' Democratic opponent:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chap_Petersen

http://www.fairfaxsenator.com/

Trust me, it will send shock waves throughout the GOP insider circles inside the Beltway if Tom Davis's wife loses, especially given the heavy local DC/Northern Virginia air time she has bought with national GOP money to run negative ads against Chap. Her defeat would strike another bit of fear into the national RNC going into 08, because it would be seen as a rebuke of Davis' efforts to thwart Waxman on the Oversight Committee (e.g., Davis' knee-jerk defense of Halliburton, Blackwater, etc.).

Hope this message finds everyone well and gearing up for 08!

Best,

- Dave

P.S. For more on Tom Davis' Tom Delay connections, and how he has used national GOP conduits to benefit his wife and her political consulting firm: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_M._Davis