Campaign Literature Criticizes Connolly

Mailing Shows Bitter Contest Shaping Up in Months Before Democratic Primary

The conventional wisdom in Northern Virginia politics was that the two hardened pros leading the field in the 11th Congressional District Democratic primary, Leslie L. Byrne and Gerald E. Connolly, would run a nasty, bitterly contested race.

The conventional wisdom, it seems, was right. The ground war has begun almost three months before the June 10 balloting, which will also include Douglas J. Denneny and Lori P. Alexander. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) is retiring.

In a mailing paid for in part by Byrne's campaign, the women's political fundraising group Emily's List said that Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was "known for his bullying, over-the-top tactics." The mailing, sent this month to the group's 100,000 members nationwide, also accused Connolly of helping campaign contributors obtain "lucrative contracts" with Fairfax County and of concealing information about consulting deals with parties who had business before the board.

James Walkinshaw, Connolly's campaign manager, yesterday called the claims "outrageous."

Connolly, speaking to about 600 supporters at his annual St. Patrick's Day party Monday night, did not specifically mention the mailing. But he said, "My opponent has a history of going really negative, really fast."

He accused Byrne of "Swift-boating" Mark R. Warner when she ran against him unsuccessfully in the 1996 U.S. Senate primary. Connolly said that Byrne unfairly questioned Warner's Democratic credentials and that she also implied "in a not-so-veiled way" that Warner was "a racist."

"It's bad enough when Republicans Swift-boat a Democratic nominee," Connolly said. To have a fellow Democrat do it, he said, is unacceptable.

"Let's not let it happen," Connolly said.

Byrne, a former member of Congress and the state legislature, said the racism charge was "an unbelievable accusation," adding, "It doesn't sound like a guy who is up 22 points in his poll," referring to a recent campaign poll that gave Connolly a 23-point lead, 45 to 22.

The Byrne mailing, researched and written by Emily's List, relies primarily on Washington Post articles and campaign finance data from the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.

Although Connolly has a reputation for a sometimes abrasive, bullying style, part of the assertion in the mailing is based on The Post's endorsement of Connolly in October in his campaign for reelection to the Fairfax board chairmanship. Walkinshaw said that Connolly is "a consensus builder" whose major initiatives usually passed the board by unanimous votes.

The "lucrative contracts" described in the mailing refer to a $10,000-a-month agreement with Alcalde & Fay, hired by the county last year to lobby the federal government. The contract award came less than a month after the firm donated $5,000 to Connolly's campaign. Under county law, contracts are awarded by the county executive. Connolly said he had nothing to do with the firm's hiring.

The other charge in the mailing refers to a 2003 Post article about Connolly's failure to tell board colleagues about his consulting work for Peter J. Halpin, son of Gerald T. Halpin, chief executive of WestGroup, a major Tysons Corner landowner. In January 2003, Connolly was the main supporter of a WestGroup plan to build luxury condominium towers in Tysons, a plan approved by the board in a 9 to 0 vote.

Connolly mentioned the relationship with Halpin on his annual financial statement but said he was advised by County Attorney David P. Bobzien that he was not required to make further disclosure because he was a consultant and not an employee of Peter J. Halpin's company, World Resources.

Early in her 1996 campaign against Warner, Byrne described him as "Republican lite," suggesting that he represented the elites rather than working men and women. She also charged that irregularities involving black supporters evoked "more of the pre-'60s Virginia than Virginia in 1996" and called conduct of the caucuses "segregation, pure and simple." But she also said at the time that she had no proof that Warner himself was involved in what she called "the shenanigans" and blamed his supporters and party officials.

Yesterday, Byrne initially denied a role in any mailing that mentioned Connolly. "I haven't sent out anything that even refers to him," she said.

Later in the day, after being read portions of the letter by phone, she acknowledged that the campaign paid Emily's List a fee to cover mailing costs, as required by federal election law, but that "it is not our writing and not our wording."

Byrne is one of several women, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) supported by Emily's List, which urges its members to contribute directly to their campaigns.