Leslie L. Byrne
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| Leslie Larkin Byrne | |
| [[Image:|160px|Leslie L. Byrne]] |
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| In office 1993 - 1995 |
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| Preceded by | N/A (first representative of the new district |
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| Succeeded by | Thomas M. Davis |
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| Born | October 27, 1946 (age 60) Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Political party | Democratic |
Leslie Larkin Byrne (born October 27, 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American politician, and was a one-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995, having been defeated for re-election by Tom Davis in 1994. She was also the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2005, losing to Republican Bill Bolling.
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[edit] Pre-political life
Byrne grew up in Salt Lake City and attended the University of Utah. Shortly after her family's 1971 arrival in Northern Virginia, Byrne entered the public arena as an activist in community organizations and the Parent Teacher Associations for her children's schools. As president of the Fairfax Area League of Women Voters, she was instrumental in averting further developmental degradation in one of the region's most ecologically sensitive areas. She was also Chairwoman of the Fairfax County Commission on Fair Campaign Practices.
In 1985, Byrne co-founded Quintech Associates, Inc., a project-based human resources consulting firm to the high-tech community. She served as president of Quintech until her election to Congress in 1992.
She is married to Larry Byrne, who is President of Byrne and Associates, an international consulting firm. They have two grown children, daughter Alexis and son Jason, and two grandchildren.
[edit] Political career
Byrne served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 7 years, starting in 1985 by defeating two-term Republican incumbent Gwen Cody, before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 from the newly created 11th Congressional District, which was formed based on redistricting done after the 1990 U.S. Census.
She is the first woman to be have been elected to Congress from Virginia, and in fact, 1992 was known as the "Year of the Woman" for the large number of women elected to Congress in that election. While a member of the 103rd Congress, she served on the Public Works and Transportation Committee and Subcommittees on Surface Transportation, Water Resources; and Investigations and Oversight. Representative Byrne was also a member of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee serving on the subcommittee on employee benefits and compensation. The freshman Democratic members of the 103rd Congress elected her to the leadership position of caucus whip. Byrne quickly established herself as a leader among her freshman colleagues; introducing and passing more legislation than any other newly elected representative. In addition, she accomplished the remarkable feat of having two of her measures on childhood immunization passed into law early in the first session of the 103rd Congress. Also in her first term, Rep. Byrne was instrumental in preventing cuts in federal workers' wages and benefits. Additionally, she led the effort to improve federal oversight of the nation's 1.7 million miles of natural gas and petroleum pipelines. Byrne's legislative efforts included Medicaid reform; increasing opportunities of IRA holders to see their savings for first-time home purchases and college costs; cost savings on federal highway projects through value engineering and enhancing the international market for American high technologies. She was instrumental in obtaining funds for rail from Tyson's Corner to Dulles. In 1994's "Republican Revolution," she was defeated for re-election to the House by then Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chair, Tom Davis.
In 1996, Byrne decided to seek the Democratic nomination for US Senate to challenge incumbent Senator John Warner. Byrne was challenged in the primary by future Virginia Governor Mark Warner, who was picked as the eventual nominee at the 1996 Virginia Democratic Convention, garnering 1,889 Delegates to Byrne's 231, but who went on to lose to incumbent Republican Senator John Warner(no relation).
Byrne returned to elected office when was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1999, winning a very close election against two-term incumbent Republican Jane Woods (45.52% to Wood's 45.39%). She did not seek re-election in 2003, due to Republican redistricting which moved her residence out of her own district and into that of an incumbent Democratic State Senator.
Byrne was the 2005 Democratic Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Byrne was defeated by Republican Party candidate Bill Bolling in the November 8, 2005 general election[1].
[edit] Issues
Byrne has supported public/private partnerships for transportation, including the Dulles Greenway project when she was in the Virginia House of Delegates. Byrne has said that high-occupancy toll lanes are also promising as long as local governments are not taken out of the planning process. Byrne supports linking land use policy to transportation, two policy areas that are typically considered separately in Virginia.
[edit] After political life
On March 15th, 2006, Byrne endorsed Republican-turned Democrat James Webb for United States Senate. She also endorsed Ken Longmyer for the 2006 11th District Democratic Congressional primary. Longmyer was defeated in the primary by Andrew Hurst.
[edit] Election results
- 2005 Race for Virginia Lieutenant Governor
- Bill Bolling (R), 50.5%
- Leslie Byrne (D), 49.3%
- 2005 Democratic Primary for Virginia Lieutenant Governor
- Leslie Byrne (D), 32.8%
- Viola Baskerville (D), 26.1%
- Chap Petersen (D), 21.7%
- Phil Puckett (D), 19.4%
- 1999 Race for Virginia Senate
- Leslie Byrne (D), 45.5%
- Jane Woods (R), 45.4%
- Virginia Dobey (I), 9%
- 1994 Race for US House
- Tom Davis (R), 55.7%
- Leslie Byrne (D), 45.3%
- 1992 Race for US House
- Leslie Byrne (D), 50.02%
- Henry Butler (R), 45.0%
[edit] External links
| Preceded by newly apportioned district |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district 1993-1995 |
Succeeded by Thomas M. Davis |
