Perkins Warns Greenspring Residents of Sequestration Cuts

Federal budget sequestration will cripple Northern Virginia's economy, and Chris Perkins, the Republican 11th District Congressional candidate, wants to stop it. 

Perkins, who spoke to about 50 members of the Greenspring Retirement Community Republican Club on Tuesday, said that his Democratic opponent Rep. Gerry Connolly is not considering the interests of his constituents regarding the impending cuts to federal defense contracts. 

"The 11th Congressional District will be the second hardest hit district in the country because of this," said Perkins. "I understand that a Congressman may find himself in a situation when the greater good for America might be in conflict with the greater good of his constituents, but in this case, it's going to be devastating to our local economy."

Connolly won reelection in 2010 by 981 votes against Republican Keith Fimian. The Independent candidate in that race, Christopher DeCarlo received 1,846 votes.

This time around, Connolly faces Perkins, DeCarlo, Independent Mark Gibson, Green Party candidate Joe Galdo and Independent Green Party candidate Peter Marchetti. The split votes increase the challenge for Perkins. 

Greenspring, which is home to nearly 2,000 senior residents, has the highest turnout of all voting precincts in Fairfax County. 

Pete Snyder, Chairman of the Republican 2012 Victory Virginia campaign, told Greenspring residents that the Republican Party will have reached out to 5 million voters (in person and by phone) statewide by Election Day. "The Presidential race, the Senate race in Virginia remain deadlocked," said Snyder. "We need to fight, scratch, claw, do everything we can do get our side out to vote."   

Perkins, if elected, would vote to extend the Bush-era tax cuts. "They're a Band-Aid fix, and they're a temporary stop-gap and we must extend them," he said, "but we much have much longer-term tax reform in Washington."  

Perkins, a retired Army Colonel who lives in Lorton, took a familiar Republican stance regarding President Obama. "Mr. Obama looks at the world as a popularity contest. You do that and try to be a friend with everyone, but you end up being respected by no one," he said.