Virginia's Lowell Weicker

Eighteen years after Joe lieberman ended Lowell Weicker's Senate career, and a decade after Weicker ended his one term as governor of Connecticut (and gave the state its first-ever income tax), Lowell P. Weicker is still remembered as one of the most disagreeable liberal Republicans to hold elective office. Indeed, national media attention seemed to be his for the asking, as Weicker (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 17%) frequently and loudly broke with his party's conservative mainstream in Congress.

In Virginia these days, the closest thing to a Weicker is State Delegate Harry Parrish. An elective office-holder for 54 years and a legislator since 1981, the 83-year-old Parrish has consistently moved to the left as his hold on the seat appeared to grow more secure. Rated only 60 out of 100 by the Virginia Family Foundation, Parrish has opposed offering "Choose Life" license plates for state drivers, voted against permitting public schools to post historic documents such as the Ten Commandments and voted against a measure to ban the teaching of sodomy in the family life education curriculum in public schools.

Parrish also helped lead the charge on the House Finance Committee for the $1.4-billion tax increase favored by Democratic Gov. Mark Warner. Along with those of 16 other Republicans and every Democrat in the legislature, Parrish's vote passed the budget that included the largest tax increase in Virginia history. Veteran conservative antitax leaders Grover Norquist and Peter Ferrara dubbed Parrish and the other renegade Republicans the "Least Wanted" for their vote and have created "Least Wanted" posters (like the "Most Wanted" posters in post offices) to remind Virginians of their notorious vote. (Even before the vote for Warner's budget, Parrish was no virgin on the tax issue. He once voted to raise the state gasoline tax and supported the ballot question that would have paved the way to raise taxes in Northern Virginia for highway repair).

Because of Parrish's age and durability, Republicans in his Northern Virginia district have been forgiving of his apostasies. But the protax alliance with Warner was too much for most conservatives, and Parrish is now being challenged in the June 14 GOP primary by Steve Chapman, who owns a successful power-washing business in Manassas. Active in local Republican politics since he was a teenager, the 26-year-old anti-tax Chapman is strongly pro-life, pro-family, and pro-man-and-wife marriage. Last month, Chapman was named "Republican of the Year" by the Prince William County GOP.

The Chapman-Parrish primary is one of those defining races in party politics in which everyone who is anyone within the GOP universe takes sides. Scan Connaughton, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and a candidate for the GOP nod as lieutenant governor, is supporting Parrish. John Stirrup, a county supervisor and well-known conservative activist, is strongly for Chapman,

(Friends of Steve Chapman, P. O. Box 4343, Manassas, Va. 20108)

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. May 9, 2005
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