Take heart, Republicans! I have good news to deliver from the deepest blue part of purple Virginia. Alexandria City elected one Republican and one Republican-leaning Independent to its City Council yesterday, knocking off two Democratic incumbents. Frank Fannon IV, a mortgage banker, and Alicia Hughes, a federal government employee required to run as an Indy by the Hatch Act, will add two right-of-center voices to a body owned by Democrats since 2003. Who knew the Republican "rebranding" effort could work so quickly? The election of both Fannon and Hughes is significant, as it requires two votes to bring something up for discussion on the council:
"A lot of people in Alexandria thought there was no way Republicans can win," Fannon said. "The citizens of Alexandria are ready for a change--and not having a one-party system. People like to have options... "If I were the only one up there, it could have been a lonely spot," Fannon said.
The city voted for Barack Obama in November by more than 70 percent. I attribute the Republican tide in this deep-blue enclave to a) the intense fear engendered by a possible Terry McAuliffe governorship and b) the fact that maybe the citizens of Alexandria don't want Gitmo terrorists parked in their neighborhood. NIMBY strikes again! Sure, it could have been just property taxes and transportation issues, but let's go with the first two.