FARMVILLE — Partisan sparring began within hours of Leslie Cockburn receiving the Democratic nomination for the 5th Congressional District race.
Saturday afternoon, after the Democrats' convention in Farmville, the Republican Party of Virginia sent out a news release calling her an anti-Semite.
The accusation is based on “Dangerous Liaison: The Inside Story of the U.S.-Israeli Covert Relationship,” a book Cockburn and her husband, Andrew, published in 1991.
It examines the relationship between the United States and Israel and alleges the two nations have contributed to international instability.
The RPV release said Cockburn’s book advocated the belief that Israel controls America’s foreign policy, an idea the release describes as “inherently anti-Semitic.”
Also contained in the release is a statement from Jay Ipson, a Holocaust survivor and co-founder of Richmond’s Holocaust Museum.
“Cockburn and the Democrats want to take away Israel’s ability to defend itself,” he said.
Louise Bruce, campaign manager for Cockburn, disagreed with the RPV’s accusations.
“Leslie has dedicated her career to speaking truth to power and standing up to racism, anti-Semitism and corporate special interests that take advantage of everyday people,” she said.
The campaign office of incumbent Rep. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, said it would not make a comment on Cockburn’s nomination, deferring to the RPV’s release.
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At the convention, 146 of the 236 delegates voted for Cockburn, much more than the 51 percent needed to secure the nomination. The other two candidates, R.D. Huffstetler and Andrew Sneathern, received 28 and 62 votes, respectively.
After clinching the nomination, Cockburn promised to defeat Garrett, and criticized things such as his perceived unwillingness to meet with constituents on Capitol Hill.
“The first thing we are going to do when we get in that office is remove the door,” she said. “The job of a congressman is not, and should not, be a glamorous job. It’s work, the same kind of work we’ve put into this campaign for the last year. It’s listening.”
Among her promises, Cockburn said she would fight to provide health care for all Americans, read every piece of legislation that comes to her office and fight against the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines.
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The 5th District Democratic Committee chose in October to select their candidate via caucus/convention format and since then has faced critiques and uncertainty about the decision.
In February, a committee-wide meeting was held to discuss switching to a primary. The convention committee cited concerns it would not be able to prepare in time and led a motion to rescind the October decision to hold caucuses. That motion failed by a 16-7 vote and the district stuck with caucuses.
During the April caucuses, the Cockburn campaign ruffled some feathers, and Elizabeth Alcorn, chairwoman of the Greene County Democrats, accused it of harassment.
Alcorn resigned following the caucuses, and cited Cockburn as the reason.
After Alcorn’s resignation, Cockburn met with the remaining leaders of the Greene County Democrats and denied her staff harassed anyone or broke caucus rules. Instead, she asked them to work with her to defeat Garrett.
Suzanne Long, chairwoman of the 5th District Democratic Committee, on Saturday spoke on the reasoning behind holding the caucuses and convention.
“This year, the 5th Congressional District Committee voted to support caucuses: meetings where voters sit down with their neighbors and discuss the various candidates prior to casting their votes,” she said. “We believe this process encourages greater participation and involvement than simply casting a ballot.”
Long also pointed out that by electing a candidate via caucus, the 5th District Democrats now have an extra month to campaign they wouldn’t have if they used a primary.
This extra time paired with the experience committee that members and staff have will help give the party an edge over Garrett, she said.
“He won’t know what hit him,” Long said.