Politics & Government

Republican Jeannemarie Davis Campaigns for Lt. Governor at Greenspring Retirement Community

She'd be the first female elected to the office.

Republican Jeannemarie Davis, a former Virginia State Delegate and Senator, made a campaign appearance Tuesday at the Greenspring Retirement Community in Springfield.

Davis, who has served in Gov. Bob McDonnell's cabinet for the past three years as the director of the Virginia Liaison office in the District, would be the Commonwealth's first-ever female lieutenant governor if elected. 

Davis spoke to about 50 members of Greenspring's Republican Club, and has been campaigning since September.

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"I’ve traveled 31,000 miles in six-and-a-half months," said Davis. 

Davis, 57, was elected to three terms to represent Virginia's 35th District in the House of Delegates (she was elected majority whip); won election to the 34th State Senate office and lost reelection to Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34) in 2007.

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She is married to former Virginia republican Congressman Tom Davis. The couple live in Vienna.

Why is she running?

Davis said she wants to be lieutenant governor because she loved working in the state senate; with 20 democrats and 20 republicans in the Virginia Senate, the lieutenant governor splits the tie vote and the party maintains majority control on committees. 

On Medicare expansion in the Commonwealth: “Once you’ve expanded it, it’s almost impossible to retract it and pull it back,” she said, cautioning that 30 percent of Medicaid costs go to health care and 70 percent are allocated to nursing home care.

Davis said that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) has negative employment and health care implications for Virginia. 

She said republicans failed on the grassroots level during the 2012 campaign season, and acknowledged that democrats "unified and engaged with ethic and young voters" via social media, canvassing and voter registration. 

The final candidate for republican lieutenant governor will not be chosen in a primary, but instead at a Republican State Convention in April. In order to be win the nomination, Davis will have to reach out to republican leaders in Virginia for their support. 

Davis faces competition in the race for lieutenant governor, from:

The Republican State Convention will be held on May 17-18, 2013, at the Richmond Coliseum.

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