After 33 years of dedicated service in Congress, 10th District Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) has decided to retire. Putative successors are already lining up.
Rep. Wolf’s official announcement can be found here, and contains no hint about what motivated his decision to leave at this particular moment. Speculation about his eventual retirement has been underway for years, but Rep. Wolf told close supporters as recently as September that he had no immediate plans to retire. We can only hope that this decision is not related to any health issues.
Del. Barbara Comstock
There is no telling who may eventually emerge to try to succeed Wolf as the Republican nominee. We’ve previously reported that it has long been rumored that Wolf has favored Del.Barbara Comstock (which might explain her recent high-profile appearance at the annual RPV Advance in Hot Springs earlier this month). Comstock is said to have demurred on the idea of running for Senate against Mark Warner in favor of the safer prospect of succeeding Wolf.
Also apparently in the running is Virginia Senator Jill Holtzman-Vogel, a well known legislator from the rural end of the 10th District. Sen. Vogel is known for a willingness to break from party orthodoxy at times, and to “go rogue” within the GOP caucus. Depending on the issue, of course, this can be an admirable trait or one to watch. Either way, we’re fortunate to have two such capable women candidates who may be vying for this seat.
As of now, we have no word yet on whether Ron Meyer will run for this seat as well. One thing is certain: this contest will be interesting. We will keep our readers abreast of any developments.
UPDATE 2:25 pm 12-17-13: Other names being mentioned among GOP activists about who may run for this nomination include Loudoun County Supervisor Suzanne Volpe, Del. Bob Marshall, Pat Herrity, Del. Tim Hugo, and Prince William Supervisor John Stirrup. It’s going to be a busy political season for 10th District Republicans, with their Chairman John Whitbeck running for Virginia Senate, someone TBD to challenge Whitbeck for his 10th District Chairmanship, a convention to elect delegates to the state convention, and now likely a nominating convention for Frank Wolf’s seat. Sit back and grab some popcorn, folks.
UPDATE 2:37 pm 12-17-13: This is starting to take on a real circus atmosphere now, as gadfly and publicity hound Tareq Salahi (of White House party crasher fame) has now become the first candidate to formally announce a run for the Republican nomination.
