Keith Fimian
I was as big of a Keith Fimian supporter as anyone out there, and if he were to win the primary again in 2012 I’d be inclined to support him. I realize it must be tempting to run after coming within 1,000 votes of unseating Rep. Gerry Connolly, but at this point I think it might be best to let someone else take a shot at the seat. The Washington Post recently reported that Fimian is considering a third run for the seat.
“Fimian, the wealthy founder of the home inspection firm U.S. Inspect, told the Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call Thursday that he might enter the fray again, as long as the seat isn’t made much safer for Connolly in the redistricting process.”
“If it redistricts well, which I never thought it would, I will run again,” Fimian told Roll Call. “But I’m not going to run in an uncompetitive seat.”
That’s a pretty definitive statement. I’ve also heard rumors that the 11th District might become favorable towards Republicans than what is previously been reported. The Washington Post doesn’t seem to think so though:
“The Virginia General Assembly will meet next month to draw new congressional lines based on the 2010 census. As The Washington Post has reported, lawmakers and operatives in both parties say the final map is likely to make Connolly’s seat safer for the incumbent by moving portions of GOP-leaning Prince William County into Rep. Rob Wittman’s (R) 1st district. Connolly would also absorb some slivers of Fairfax County, including Herndon, currently included in Rep. Frank Wolf’s (R) 10th district.”
Unless the district does become REALLY favorable for a Republican I think Keith Fimian should let someone else take a shot. Despite some Monday morning quarterbacking by various GOP operatives, I think he ran a pretty good campaign. I think that was aided by the fact that Gerry Connolly ran a horrendous campaign – running away from his record and focusing more on chintzy political games. Despite that, and despite the fact that 2010 was a big year for Republicans all over the country, Fimian couldn’t pull it off.
I admit that the biggest reason why Fimian lost was the fact that the Democratic Party gave Gerry Connolly almost $2 million and yet all it bought him was a victory with less than 1,000 votes. The second biggest reason is that Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity’s unsuccessful primary campaign probably cost Fimian some votes in the end. It also forced him to spend more money on a primary than the general election. I’m convinced if Herrity hadn’t gotten into the race Fimian would have won.
However, the 2nd time around in a campaign usually is better than the first, but the 3rd usually sees a loss in momentum. Even though there were some major impediments in 2010, there’s no guarantee 2012 will be any easier.
You also run the risk of being lumped in with the Christine O’Donnell’s and Patrick Muldoon’s of the world – unqualified and insignificant candidates who run every election cycle just to fill some ego trip. Not that Keith Fimian deserves to be in that category, but if you lose too many times that’s bound to happen.
No one likes to run for a lesser office than the previous campaign, but it might not be a terrible idea for Fimian to run for a spot on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors. If he loses then you know his political aspirations won’t ever come to fruition. If he wins then he has something to build off of for the future.
But hey, it didn’t work out in the 11th, maybe it’s time to let someone else take the plunge.
September 6th, 2011 2:01 PM 
September 6th, 2011 3:02 PM 
