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Byrne runs on experience
With more than 30 years of public service behind her, Leslie Byrne hopes to serve again for the sake of her grandchildren's generation.Byrne is a political icon in Northern Virginia, with a record in the House of Delegates, state Senate and Congress. She also unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor in 2005.
She was elected to represent the 11th District in Congress in 1992, becoming the first woman to represent the state in that body. She decided to try again for the seat after a friend's reminder that the world her grandchildren will live in needs help too.
“I don't want them to face a war without end, and have limited availability for health care,” Byrne said.
State Del. Margi Vanderhye (D-McLean), calls Byrne a strong politician because she is “direct and forthright.”
“She is a clear advocate for what she believes in,” said Vanderhye, who has known Byrne for more than 15 years.
Byrne is running against fellow Democrats physical therapist Lori Alexander, Iraq war veteran Doug Denneny, and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly in the June 10 primary.
The winner will face Republican Keith Fimian for the seat Republican Tom Davis decided not to return to after holding it for 13 years. Byrne occupied it before Davis.
The hardest part of the campaign has been time away from her two grandchildren, Byrne said. She is expecting another one in August. Her favorite part is always talking with people about their concerns and formulating ideas on getting ideas of how to get things done.
Byrne, a graduate of the University of Utah, was politically inspired by the lives of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, she said.
She admired Kennedy's philosophy that “it's not always about how well everyone does, but also how well others are treated,” she said.
Byrne and her husband Larry have two grown children and have lived in Fairfax County for more than 30 years.
Before running for public office, Byrne served on PTAs, in the Fairfax Area League of Women Voters and with the county's Commission on Fair Campaign Practices.
Byrne now has a reputation as a champion of women's rights, state road improvements and tax relief.
Sen. Jim Webb (D) endorsed Byrne because she shares his values when it comes to economic fairness and national security. She “has demonstrated time and again that she is tough, fiercely independent and willing to stand up to powerful special interests,” Webb said in a statement.
Byrne agreed she isn't one to go “whichever way the wind blows,” Byrne said. “I look for common-sense solutions.”
Before “life got too busy,” Byrne used to own a stained glass studio and is proud of her artwork that garnishes buildings in Old Town Alexandria and Washington, D.C. She and her husband now run a human resource company. They live in the Seven Corners area.
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