Two Candidates Lean Left on Views

On Tuesday, voters in Virginia's House District 49 will choose between two left-leaning candidates to represent them in Richmond: incumbent Adam P. Ebbin (D) and James Ronald Fisher of the Independent Green Party. No Republican candidate entered the race.

Ebbin, who is seeking his third term, was the first openly gay legislator to serve in the House of Delegates when he was elected in 2003. He said he is seeking reelection to continue his work as a voice for diversity. His district, which has a large percentage of Latinos and immigrants, includes parts of Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax counties.

Throughout his two terms, Ebbin, an Alexandria resident and communications consultant, has often been sought out for comment during legislative debates in the conservative General Assembly over the marriage act and efforts to curtail the rights of same-sex couples and services for illegal immigrants. Most recently, he tried unsuccessfully to push legislation that would have strengthened the state's workforce discrimination laws.

"I don't want people to be singled out and discriminated against, whoever they are," Ebbin said. "There has been a lot of nasty anti-immigration legislation passed. . . . My greatest concern is that in the frenzy to target and punish undocumented immigrants, we will drive away legal citizens."

Ebbin cites his work on legislation requiring emergency planning for schools, protection for consumers as it relates to auto loans and paving the way for an arts and entertainment district in Alexandria among his recent achievements. If reelected, he plans to focus on human services and environmental legislation and wants to establish a panel to study climate change in Virginia.

He acknowledges it might be a tough year, given a projected budget shortfall that could mean layoffs and fee increases.

"We're going to have big challenges because there is a revenue shortfall. There's strong support in my district for solving problems in a realistic way," Ebbin said.

Ebbin is being challenged by Fisher, a retired Navy captain and engineer from Arlington. Fisher runs the Defense Fire Protection Association, a research foundation dedicated to military safety. He said he was a Republican and precinct captain in Arlington for many years. He chaired the 2000 Northern Virginia presidential campaign for former Naval Academy classmate John McCain.

But in recent years he has split with the Republican Party over the Iraq war and joined the Green Party. He said he would caucus with Democrats in Richmond if elected.

"I'm absolutely disillusioned. . . . I won't support the Republicans anymore," Fisher said. "The main thing is that our government is dysfunctional. There's no other way to describe it, from Richmond to Capitol Hill."

He said state legislators need to speak out more strongly against the war in Iraq.

If elected, he would work to shift spending on criminal justice, prisons and management of the death penalty system to social programs such as expanding mental health services and pre-kindergarten programs.