Comstock Earns Shock Firefighter Endorsement in 10th District Race

There are few endorsements in Fairfax County politics more coveted than the endorsement of International Association of Firefighters Local 2068.  John Niemic’s nearly two thousand active and retired firefighters take their endorsement process seriously, and it’s not uncommon to find them taking stances that raise eyebrows, from endorsing challenger candidates to long-time incumbents, to not endorsing others, and crossing the aisle of traditional labor party politics to support men and women who stand up for firefighters in elected office regardless of party affiliation.

That’s why their endorsement Tuesday of Congresswoman Barbara Comstock is such a big deal.

For the first time in her career, Congresswoman Comstock has earned IAFF 2068s’s endorsement.  In 2014, Local 2068 endorsed Comstock’s opponent John Foust, a multi-term member of Fairfax County’s Board of Supervisors.  In her two campaigns for Virginia House of Delegates, IAFF 2068 endorsed her Democratic opponents.

The firefighters noted in their endorsement that Congresswoman Comstock has done what she’s told them she’d do, from simply listening to supporting legislation designed to protect firefighters who were exposed to a variety of toxic substances on 9/11, including their own members who were on-site at the Pentagon.

“Congresswoman Barbara Comstock has worked hand in hand with the brothers and sisters of the firefighter and paramedic community from day one in Congress,” said IAFF Local 2068 President John Niemiec. “When she said that her door would always be open to us, she meant it and we appreciate that Congresswoman Comstock has already demonstrated herself as a leader on the development of a national cancer registry for firefighters and cosponsoring the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Reauthorization Act. This legislation that was signed into law helps our brothers and sisters who responded to the terrorist attacks in New York and locally here at the Pentagon with the proper medical care for any illnesses that can be traced back to the events of that horrific day.”

Having spent most of my career in organized labor, in my experience there is nothing that any Union wants more than an elected official who is willing to sit down and listen, regardless of party.  Finding those members, especially Republicans, whose support base is often made up of people who treat Union like it’s a four letter word, is not always easy.  When you find one who will listen, and when you find there’s common ground, those are the members you do your best to support and try to keep in office.  Even if you can’t always agree, having someone who will work with you is light years better than someone who will tell you what you want to hear and do nothing.

This endorsement says a lot about the leadership style of Congresswoman Comstock, one of the hardest working members of Congress in the country.  For a freshman member, she has racked up a considerable number of accomplishments, including authoring a number of pieces of legislation that have passed the House and earning a subcommittee gavel in her first term, a rare feat.  Picking up a labor endorsement – arguably, the most sought after labor endorsement in Fairfax – is an additional sign that Congresswoman Comstock is actually doing her job, as opposed to simply going through the motions.

What this endorsement also points out is the inherent weakness of Comstock’s opponent, LuAnn Bennett.  While it pains me to admit it, your average Democrat – even a challenger – is going to have a leg up on any Republican, especially a Republican incumbent, for a labor endorsement.  That Bennett has already lost, in July, one of the handful of premiere labor endorsements in the 10th District does not bode well for her future efforts.  Labor provides a significant amount of grassroots support for their endorsed candidates, and this fall Firefighters will be knocking doors for Barbara Comstock, not LuAnn Bennett.  Despite ample fundraising and DCCC support, Bennett’s campaign has yet to get off the ground.  This makes it even harder for her.  While the 10th District remains a “Lean Republican” seat according to Charlie Cook, the Democrats still view it as a big potential pick up and the DCCC has already begun prepping for a big ad blitz this fall.

That pick up just got a lot harder, thanks to this endorsement.