An 8th Term? Tom Davis Silent, but Others Aren't

Will he or won't he?

That's the big question for Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who is expected to decide in coming weeks whether to seek an eighth term.

Davis, who swept into Congress with the Republican tide of 1994, isn't saying. Friends, colleagues and staff members say they really don't know. But speculation is growing fiercer by the day on blogs and in Northern Virginia political circles as to whether Davis, long viewed as one of the state Republican Party's shining stars, is ready to move on.

"I honestly don't know what he's going to do," said Todd A. Stottlemyer, president of the National Federation of Independent Business and a former chairman of the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce whose relationship with Davis dates to the congressman's days on the Board of Supervisors. "I really do think it's a deeply personal decision for him, and he's having to sort out a lot of things."

Davis certainly isn't slowing down. He held a fundraiser last week at a supporter's home and threw his annual Christmas party at Northern Virginia Community College over the weekend. He is sending out news releases promoting his efforts to secure money for federal raises, transportation improvements and local law enforcement. And he is making speeches and other public appearances, including a moving tribute this week in Vienna for Nghia Van Dong, a constituent and veteran of the Vietnamese Special Forces.

For supporters and party leaders, it is evidence that he is not done with politics.

"He's still our congressman," said Jim Hyland, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee. "He's making appearances, and he's working hard. Let's put it this way: We very much hope he's going to run."

Davis isn't talking -- not to the media, not even to his closest backers -- about whether he'll stay or parlay decades of private-sector connections into a lucrative second career.

"He got asked that question at his fundraiser, and his answer was: 'I love this job. I really enjoy doing this job,' " said Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax), a longtime supporter. "But he didn't say anything more than that."

Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) said Davis was offered "a seven-figure job to head a major association" a couple of years ago. "He would probably be one of the most marketable members of Congress on either side of the aisle. He knows everybody, and anybody he doesn't know, they know him. He could be a rainmaker for any corporation, lobbying firm, law firm, whatever."

The speculation comes in part because circumstances have shifted so rapidly for Davis, who did not return phone calls or answer questions at a public appearance this week.

After making his name as an advocate for District home rule and the federal workforce, nurturing the technology and defense contracting industries of Northern Virginia, and leading the National Republican Campaign Committee through two successful elections, Davis has long been assumed to be a natural contender for the U.S. Senate.