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HALL: Stimpson Violated The First Rule of Politics

Mrs. Stimpson, where does your loyalty lie?

Yall, I’m proud to say I’m not from NOVA, no offense to the readers from there, but I watch and observe Northern Virginia elections from afar. So, I’m driving to work a week ago yesterday, thinking about the 9000 things I have to do when I get there. I’m thinking about all the stuff going on at my job and in life, and I almost have an accident! Why did I almost have this accident? Was it the ice storm or a car with no turn signal? No, just the Commander of Common Sense laying down some Cold Hard Facts.

At this point I’m floored! I had neither seen, nor heard the video that John Frederick’s was playing on the radio, and it almost sent me through the roof of my car.

This is a video of Susan Stimpson in 2011, singing an aria of praise to the work of Speaker Bill Howell. How he is a mentor. How he has led her to governing and public service. How they talk daily. How he taught her everything she needs to govern.

Then yesterday I am reading the VPAP morning update (which I recommend that all hard core VA politicos read) and an article about the Howell/Stimpson Race comes up. Susan Stimpson’s campaign manager comes out with potentially one of the worst lines I’ve ever heard [1].

Susan knows Bill Howell better than most, and his record,” campaign manager Rollin L. Reisinger said in a statement.”

“Knows Bill Howell better than most?” Of course they know each other! Bill created the politician that is Susan. There would be no Susan Stimpson if it wasn’t for Bill Howell. He paid for her first campaign, they worked together, campaigned for George Allen together, and made governing decisions together. Fast-forward to 2015, and Stimpson is working to upset Howell in the primary. With all this being said, I now have some questions. Mrs. Stimpson, Where does your loyalty lie?

  1. Is your loyalty with your mentor? No. A few years ago Stimpson & Howell were working together and Howell was funding her first House race, to the tune of $14,442 for her Supervisor race in 2009 (http://vpap.org/committees/174980/donor/124585/), Howell helped to build her into the candidate she is. Mrs. Stimpson, loyalty is not a laughing matter.
  2. Is your loyalty with your district Mrs. Stimpson? No. Because she could have had this seat lock stock barrel when Howell retired, yet she grew impatient. Mrs. Stimpson got tired of hiding in the shadow of her mentor, and she betrayed her boss for her own gain. The Conservative Fellowship of the State Central Committee have been looking to pull off another Dave Brat upset. They have told her she can win, and that her district will support her. Stimpson, the will of the Conservative Fellowship of RPV is not the will of a District. They can’t raise the money necessary, nor are they going to bring the GOTV effort needed.
  3. Stimpson, where is your Integrity? We know that Ms. Stimpson said over and over she never wanted to be a Delegate. Rumors floated in 2013 that the only reason she was running for Lieutenant Governor was so she could primary Bill Howell in 2015. We saw she brushed this off her shoulders, calling it ridiculous. But now, the rumors have come true. And the Conservative Fellowship crowd has forgotten these bygone rumors in the sake of right wing political expediency. It’s like the slate has been wiped clean, the thought escapes the mind of the far right wing.

Look, is there a time that the course of the Political Spectrum needs a change, yes. Did I like the Transportation Tax Hike? No. Do I think it’s a reason to make the Speaker waste money on a candidate who was disloyal him and is only doing this to seize the opportunity of a fractured Republican Party? No.

Speaker Howell is an amazing leader, and has fought for Conservative Principles since before I was born. A 68 seat majority in the House of Delegates is an amazing feat of political strength, it’s nothing to scoff at. Yet there are those without the loyalty or integrity to wait for their moment to shine. They instead seize the opportunity of the weary, angry, and fractured Republican Party to seek their own rise to power.

I also wonder if Ms. Stimpson has taken into account that if her quixotic endeavor fails, there is no third act in Virginia Politics. You lose two prominent elections, one of which you primary the best funded and most prominent Republican in the state, it’s over. Mrs. Stimpson, the Tea Party may forget that you used to be Bill Howell’s mentee and a proud George Allen supporter in 2012, but us “Establishment Republicans” will never forget how you decided to primary Bill Howell just to get ahead in politics. We never ever forget.

Ed Gillespie said it best “the First Rule of Politics is loyalty.” This rule has certainly been broken by Mrs. Stimpson.  She betrayed her mentor and seized on the opportunity of the fractured party to bring about her own political rise. She is not fit to represent the 28th district, because the people of Virginia demand the integrity and honesty of their representatives and the results of their representatives, not an opportunist who will betray her mentor just to advance their own career.


Matt Colt Hall is the proud son of two blue collar workers from Carroll County, Virginia. He has been in the Republican Party since the age of 16, and along the way has interned and worked with many great Republican candidates. Matt is a graduate of Ferrum College, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Political Science degree. He currently lives in Roanoke with his amazing wife Lauren and he is a member of both the Roanoke Valley Young Republicans and the Roanoke County Republican Committee.