Chichester

Chichester donates to moderate Democrats

BY CHELYEN DAVIS

Date published: 10/19/2007

BY CHELYEN DAVIS

Sen. John Chichester may be retiring, but he's trying to leave in place senators who share his fiscal beliefs--even if it means donating to the other party.

Chichester, a Republican, has given campaign money to three Democratic state Senate candidates for the Nov. 6 election.

One is Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, who received $3,000 from Chichester in the campaign reporting period that ended Oct. 1.

Sen. Chuck Colgan, D-Manassas, got $1,000, and John Miller, the Democratic candidate in the 1st Senate District, received $3,000.

Chichester, who has long opposed the anti-tax, anti-spending wing of the Republican Party, said he is trying to help "like-minded" candidates who "will carry on the Senate in the traditions that many of us hold dear."

Chichester also said the candidates he gave money to share his own philosophies about how to best manage state finances for the good of the state.

"I'm not going to donate money to any candidate for any other reason than to continue that," Chichester said.

Houck and Colgan are both members of the Senate Finance Committee, of which Chichester is the chairman.

If re-elected, Colgan will be the senior member of the committee, and Houck is one of the most senior members. Both are also members of the budget conference committee, a small group of lawmakers who meet privately to work out budget details during the last week of the legislative session.

Chichester said it was an obvious choice to donate money to Houck.

"That one would donate to him is pretty elementary," Chichester said. "He's going to go back to Richmond with enormous clout. He will be an enormous asset to the greater Fredericksburg area and to the commonwealth of Virginia. The experience he's had is invaluable."

Of Colgan, Chichester noted that if Democrats win control of the Senate, Colgan is in line to chair the Finance Committee.

Miller is running against Republican Tricia Stall, who defeated incumbent Sen. Marty Williams in a primary, making that race between two new candidates.

Chichester said sources in that district told him Miller is the candidate more in line with his own philosophies.

Chichester had over $300,000 in his campaign account. He said he thinks those who donated that money to him will agree with how he's using it.

"The folks who have generously donated to my campaign in the past donate to me for what I stand for," he said. He said it's fair to those donors to "donate to people who are like-minded."

Chichester made $15,000 in donations. In addition to the $7,000 to the three Democrats, he gave $3,000 to Republican Richard Stuart, who's running for Chichester's own 28th District seat; $3,000 to Sen. Fred Quayle, R-Suffolk; $1,000 to Del. Tom Rust, R-Herndon; $500 to Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, R-Vienna; and $500 to Stafford supervisor candidate Cord Sterling.

Date published: 10/19/2007