Interview with Tom Harmon, Candidate, 2nd VA Senate District

By Andrew Schwartz | Thursday, September 29th, 2011 | Politics

I had the privilege of being in Steve Batton’s studio this morning, where I met Thomas Harmon IV, candidate for the 2^nd District, Virginia State Senate seat.

Tom Harmon has an uphill battle. His opponent is the incumbent since 2004, Mamie Locke, whose ideology is perhaps the complete opposite of the enlightened philosopher’s surnamesake.

The district in which Harmon is running, before the redistricting lines were redrawn, is heavily Democratic, and only voted 40% for Bob McDonnell in 2009; but that does not make Harmon pessimistic. Unlike Mamie Locke, who has repeatedly refused such an interview, Harmon was eager to meet with Mr. Batton and get his ideas over the airwaves, arriving fashionably early and fully prepared.

Harmon’s experience in community relations in the Hampton and Newport News area has garnered his campaign local support, which shows signs of gaining on Locke. His campaign has received more than twice the amount of contributions, from 11-Aug to 31-Aug, than it did between 1-Jul and 10-Aug. Since 10-Aug, his opponent has increased her campaign’s expenditures from next-to-nothing, to spending thousands of dollars in promoting herself.

Mamie Locke has recognized the danger in Republicans gaining a majority in the Senate. As such, she has volleyed the argument that a house divided is better for everybody. In a video on her website, she insists that our current makeup of Virginia’s government is preferable, because “with a divided government…we will get more debate and more discussion about the issues that affect you.” An analysis of this argument would require its own article, but I don’t believe she would be making this claim if there were a chance of Democrats regaining control of the House of Delegates.

In response to this argument, Mr. Harmon identified that despite however much more “debate and discussion” takes place, the Democratic Senate has repeatedly blocked legislation that would “expand opportunity to all families,” and it has limited Virginians’ abilities to legally execute their fundamental right of self-preservation. He noted in particular the Democratic-controlled Courts of Justice Committee that voted to pass by indefinitely—read, “kill”—a bill containing the “Castle Doctrine.” This bill, which prohibits civil suits against a resident who used lethal force on an intruder in his own home, passed in the House with bi-partisan support, 75-24. On the Senate committee, it received 9 votes to kill the bill (all Democrats), and 6 votes (5 Republicans, 1 Democrat) to allow it to proceed to the floor.

For over 30 years, his involvement with the community has been extensive. He was the Virginia State Director for the Corporation for National and Community Service, retiring in 2009, and was the Senior Program Development and Planning Specialist for the Volunteers in Service to America.

If he were a Democrat, he might be called a “Community Organizer.” But unlike the chief Community Organizer who rose to occupy the White House, Harmon’s philosophy sees a much more devolved solution. He believes there should be a “limited role for government; a larger role for the private sector; and [the greatest] role for the individuals in the community.”

His approach to the issues seems to reflect this. He prefers to focus on local issues, rather than get caught up in the excitement and current polarization of national headlines. When Batton asked him about his position on the 2^nd Amendment, he answered succinctly that he supported 2^nd Amendment rights, and then moved on; when a caller asked about when life begins, he answered simply and directly that he believes it begins at conception. Enough said. But his passion for local issues dominated his conversation, and he declared that his opponent has not done her job in serving her constituents in this manner. He was not hesitant to say, “Mamie Locke lacks leadership.”

It is from the concern for his community that he launched his campaign, which is founded on “identifying and accessing resources to improve the quality of life in minority communities.” But rather than doing this by subsidizing failure, he wants to “change the conversation” to an “old school” approach that encourages entrepreneurship instead of dependence. “There are plenty of resources already,” he says, but the community needs to be aware of the resources available and understand how to access those resources. In this regard, he claims, the current senator has “lost track” of her job.

But there are other ways he wishes to help his community, including increased choices in education, streamlining regulation, encouraging seniors to use their “talents, wisdom, and skills” in the community, and by fighting for “low individual and business tax rates.”

When asked how he has been received as a conservative candidate in a highly Democratic district, Harmon replied with optimism. “Once my perspective is explained,” he said, “they don’t have a problem with it.” He believes the Democratic Party has acted with “arrogance” in “taking the minority vote for granted.”

“We have allowed the media to frame the Republican Party negatively” as it applies to minorities, he claimed; but he hopes his community efforts and his campaign will “force the media to be honest” about minority Republicanism.

Tom Harmon and Mamie Locke are scheduled to debate on Oct. 28^th at 6:30pm in Hampton City Hall. He also declared his willingness to debate his opponent on Steve’s radio show; she needs only to accept.

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