Tom and Jeannemarie and the rise of Chap

I see the WaPo did a story on what's next for Tom Davis and Jeannemarie Devolites Davis.  This would be a good time to tell you all the story behind what really happened here that goes back to 2001.

In the Spring of 2001, Republicans were doing redistricting.  Because the numbers didn't come in until early 2001 from the census bureau, filing deadlines were in July and primaries were in late August.  In the late Spring Republicans were ready to announce their plans to the public and called public hearings all over Virginia.  For Northern Virginia, the hearing was at Northern Virginia Community College, at the Annandale Campus. 

At the time, I had been President of the Fairfax Young Democrats for two years.  Most of our membership was in central Fairfax County, and our biggest project to date had been helping Leslie Byrne's State Senate campaign in 1999 against Jane Woods that she won by 39 votes.  Obviously, I was not very pleased when the plans came back and Leslie was drawn into a district mostly in Arlington while her old district was now a central Fairfax seat where all but one precinct had voted for George W. Bush over Al Gore the year before.

I testified that night against the plan on the grounds that the new districts downstate were over packing African American voters into as few districts as possible, basically creating segregated voting districts to the extent possible.  This strategy of course was not to elect more African Americans (all the districts drawn like this in the old maps already had African American reps except Frank Hall) but to pack these voters into districts so they could have as little influence as possible in other voting districts.  Disgusting.  This was the first and only time I have ever testified before a General Assembly committee.

When I was testifying, I said my home precinct (Fairview) which got the attention of Delegate Jim Dillard.  Fairview was in Jay O'Brien's house district but under the new plan would move to Dillard's district.  After I finished, Dillard got up and came up to me in the back of the room to introduce himself as my new Delegate.  As far as my testimony all Dillard had to say "this is why I was elected last year (1999)".  Dillard that year had his first contested race by a Democrat in a long time, defeating Eileen Filler-Corn with the help of his campaign manager Dave Marsden.   I ended the conversation quickly- it was clear Dillard would put his party affiliation over even the nastiest most racially tinged southern redistricting since the voting rights act, and I wanted nothing to do with him.   To this day, I have never voted for him or anyone he has endorsed in his seat.

After the hearing was over, I was speaking with Senator Janet Howell and one other person (I can't remember who it was) outside the building.   The conversation was pretty boring, Janet was looking for an update from me on how the various high school YD clubs in her soon to be new district were doing, and asking if she could help in any way.  Suddenly the door opened and Congressman Tom Davis came outside, and started beelining straight for us.   Obviously he had something to say and we all stood there silent while he marched over.

"This is a great map and you need to vote for it", Davis told Howell.  "You aren't that popular in Vienna, and you don't have to deal with it again.  We gave you Herndon which is moving towards the Democrats.  You should be grateful for this map".  Keep in mind, the only reason Vienna was actually taken out of Howell's district was so it could be placed in the new Republican leaning 34th Senate District, and then Delegate Jeannemarie Devolites could move up to the Senate.  Bringing Jeannemarie to the Senate was hardly a gift to Howell.

Turning to the others there, Davis said "I don't need the change the 11th District.  Not one precinct.  I got 65% the last time I was contested.  I'm drawing the 11th for Jeannemarie.  She will need the extra Republican precincts when I move up to the Senate".    

It's important to remember the context of this.  It was Spring of 2001- Jeannemarie had just requested her divorce and rumors had been flying for years that they were having an affair and Tom would soon request his divorce.  For him to admit that he had gotten a State Senate district and a Congressional District drawn for his rumored mistress was jarring to say the least. 

I went home and called our worst officer in YDs at the time- Fairfax City Councilman Chap Petersen.   Chap came by our reorganization meeting for the YDs that January and there had been a snowstorm the day before- low attendance meant anyone who showed up was elected to do something, but he hadn't shown up to anything else that year. 

"They just united Fairfax City into one Delegate district", I told him.  "This might be your chance to move up".  Chap said he had some ideas, but wanted to meet the following week for lunch at Firehouse Grill. 

When we met for lunch the next week, I was surprised how unenthusiastic Chap was about running for Delegate.  His family had known the Rusts for many years, and going head to head with Jack would be very uncomfortable.  He kept talking about the new Senate seat.  "Would Leslie move to run?", "If Leslie didn't run, who would?"  My advice was the Senate was out of reach for him as a City Councilman, especially in a GOP drawn district against a sitting Delegate Devolites.   He thanked me for the numbers on the 37th House and left.

A few weeks later Chap finally returned by daily voice mails asking what he was going to do.  He was going to run for Delegate, but his parents really didn't like the idea.  It was already late May and we were running out of time.  He asked me to come over to his house the next night and show his dad the numbers in that Delegate district that I brought to him at lunch the week before.  He was hoping his parents would deal with the discomfort of running against the Rust's if they really believed the seat was winnable.

He needed a new county committee list as well, his list had been marked up with everyone in the 34th Senate District, not the 37th House District.  It was clear that he almost had not run for Delegate and instead run for the Senate in 2003.

When I got there, Chap had copied all the ADC street maps in the 37th District, blown them up and pasted them onto cardboard.   With black magic marker he drew the outline of the 37th House seat.  His dad liked the numbers and Chap's chances and left pretty happy.  Chap was ready to go and asked me to get him some street sheets for Fairfax County so he could start door knocking.  As soon as the grip cards came in, Chap was out in Bonnie Brae starting to knock on doors.

Chap was going to use his cardboard cutout to mark every street in green highlighter as he walked them.  By the end of the election the district on the map was basically green.  And you all know what happened from there- ending on Tuesday with Chap finally making it into the Senate seat.

Comments

[Bryan J. Scrafford]

Ben, It's quite interesting that you lashed out at Brian Moran for not giving Chap his credit, but it sure as heck seems like you're taking credit for Chap's victory. Just doesn't seem right. Please tell me that I'm misinterpreting this because I wouldn't want people unjustly thinking that your ego is that big.

[Not Larry Sabato]

This is the story of what happened in 2001- what does that have to do with 2007 other than the ending?

[notgretchenbulova]

Bryan - I don't think Ben is trying to take credit, just telling people the back story about how the 2007 election came to be.

[Interested Observer]

Oh, I think that NLS is taking credit for Chap's entire political career.

Interesting the shadow of the Davis machine though...

It appears that NLS did have some involvement in Chap's beginnings, I think Chap would admit the same. And Scrafford, I'll take good stories at this blog over the Barker sponge bath that's currently transpiring on yours.

[Joel Rutstein]

I like hearing Ben's backstory from his perspective. Even in 2001, it was up to Chap to take Ben's advice and opt for the House instead of the Senate, and it was Chap who knocked on all those doors. One can only wonder what would have happened if Tom Davis had decided to switch parties and decided to be a mentor to a more natural politician like Chap instead of mixing business with pleasure and wasting all that time, effort, and money on a showhorse like Jeannemarie. I'm hoping someday Chap can succeed to Tom Davis' seat, maybe after Leslie Byrne caps her career with a couple of terms there.

[emilie miller]

As 11th Congressional District Chair for the Democrats I also testified that the 11th did not need to be redistricted because it met all the population criteria. Not one person had to be moved and I argued that the 11th should remain as is. Tom came up to me after the hearing and told me I was correct but that he had to redistrict it so Jeanmarie could take it over when he moved up
(moved up were his exact words).

[Bryan J. Scrafford]

To me it just seemed like you were taking credit for Chap's career being anything more than a member of the city council. As long as you're not making that claim, then nothing's wrong with that. Just thought it was worth pointing out that some people might take it that way.

BTW, Anon 12:56, I'm glad to see you have at least stopped by my blog. Wonder if you've ever hidden behind anonymity while attacking people there too.

[Bryan J. Scrafford]

comment at 1:41 was by me.

Excellent post, thank you Ben.

[NotSusanVolpe]

BORING

[NotSusanVolpe]

BORING

Not boring, notsusan. Sorry you are a loser.

YAY BEN!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GinterParked]

Actually, this diary is very cool, whether you agree with Ben's version of events or not. It also illustrates the power of the internet and blogs in recording our political history.

Who was present in 1925 when Harry Byrd was selected as the concensus Democratic candidate? Actually, we know now, but it took a while. Blogs like this pass this information on rather more quickly. Knowledge is power, for supporters and for opponents, and it makes for a much more open system .

So, Ben, keep on telling, whatever your motives.

[Not John S. Mosby]

It was an interesting article, it certainly shed a bit of light on it for me. I guess the real question is when the affair started between the two? We know that Tom was certainly cheating on his wife, but did his affair with Double D start after her divorce a few years earlier?

Since nobody seems to want to go on record with that info, I'll assume the fact that everyone is avoiding that question to mean that it started back in the 90s, most likely before her first campaign. If the best they can do is along the lines of "Tom's first wife wasn't his soul mate but Double D is" then I don't know how either has prospered in politics up till now.

I don't think people have an issue with divorces these days, they're commonplace even with the evangelical crowd. But, cheating, that still raises eyebrows, especially when it's of this sort. Here you have a fast-rising politician - and Davis was popular in almost all circles back in the 90s - who meets "soccer mom from Oakton". Next thing you know he's making a politician out of her and launching her career. Now, my question is, did he do this to get into her pants or did he do it to stay in her pants?

For each to drop their spouses just to forward a political career - that's still a nasty move, even in today's society. This past election threw a lot of light on that but what's interesting is that Tom turned the lights on himself. The money he pumped in, the tone of the campaign - Tom was really running against Chap and for the Davises, it was an extremely personal fight.

I know Chap a bit, really just from around the FCDC circuit the past 5 years. I don't think at any time for him that this race was personal. He has a great family and a good job and I think he was running really to help and change things. It seems clear to me that Double D was running strictly for herself and Tom and really, no one else. And she got trounced.

Friends of mine who live what was her old house district all say the same thing - when she first started campaigning and was knocking on doors, she had a real bitchy attitude when she met someone who disagreed with her. One stands out - one night she knocked on one of my friend's door, and started the standard "I'm running for the House of Delegates...blah blah blah..can I count on your support?" My friend said that he's a lifelong Democrat and would not be voting for her but good luck. She said something along the lines of "we have you down as a Republican supporter" to which my friend replied that he had voted for John Warner in 1996, like a lot people did pretty much as a thank-you for having the guts to side-rail Ollie North in 1994. Double D then let the screen door fly loose (didn't hit my friend in the face luckily) turns her back on my friend in midsentence and stomped off.

Now, what does that mean? Well, that's one anectdote out of dozens of people I know, of all political stripes, who say the same thing - Double D really is a bit of bitch, maybe a lot of bitch.

Hopefully we won't have to deal with her anymore, and her hubby after next year either. I don't see how he can run for reelection - this "if 2012 is an option" is a big ball of crap. In his 10 months in office I think Webb has done a good job and there is no indication that that will change. Besides, who worries about a potential election 5 years down the road? All smokescreen and besides, I'm sure the RPV will have a "true" conservative for the ticket by then anyways.

All that I know is heresay, but I heard some wild things he said all through the redistricting process. How about the one where he said to Jo Ann Davis something like "you'll like having this part of Prince William in your redrawn district, there are lots of trailer parks there."

Ben, you were essentially an office manager for Chap...get over yourself. Chap has plenty of ambition, energy, and talent as a candidate so for God's sake, please quit now while some people still believe the stuff you say.

well sure, trailer parks don't vote

Ben, you were essentially an office manager for Chap...get over yourself. Chap has plenty of ambition, energy, and talent as a candidate so for God's sake, please quit now while some people still believe the stuff you say.

[IndependentObservor]

Here's some history from the GOP side which would not normally appears on this blog: The first time when Tom publicly supported his future mistress-then-wife was at a Northern Virginia Republican post-election rally a good half-decade before NLS's intriguing story. It was in February 1995 (3 months after Tom's defeat of Leslie Byrne for the 11th congressional seat in 1994) when the vacant Fairfax County chairman's seat was won for the first time that year by Kate Hanley. And so Kate's Providence supervisor seat was up for grabs and, from the Democratic side, Gerry Connolly was moving up from school board to run for Providence Supervisor. The squeaky Devolites was a neophyte back then who was seen as a soccer mom with more time on her hand than she knew what do with. Little did any of us who witnessed Tom's public support of her political endeavours back then imagine what a bitchy soap opera was about to be unraveled.

[Dorothy]

And all this time I thought you were just a fat toad sitting in your mom's basement! Did not realize you were a king maker!

If you want to see something interesting go to You Tube and watch the video - Illegals, God and Gospel. It stars the guy who started Help Save Manassas and runs the bvbl.net blog. That dude needs some help.

5:10 pm - it's easy to find him. Ben thinks he rates as a platinum blog together with RK and Rawfisher. Go figure - Ben's new best friend ;)

[Interested Observer]

As I have said about Blogs all along - they are all about one's self. Very "me" focused.

I like the way Ben trashes Chap's YD participation "our worst officer". Well, I guess he's made something of his life in the last seven years. What were other people doing with the same time?