Meet David Cox

Story by Chris Graham

David Cox is best-known in Shenandoah Valley political circles for his run in 2005 for the 24th House District seat in the Virginia General Assembly.

So what was it about his 37.5 percent showing in ’05 that makes him think that he can be a viable contender in the 24th Senate District this time around?
“What makes this race attractive in the 24th Senatorial District is the fact that we may have a clean slate – it may be an open seat. And so people have the opportunity to look in a different way at each candidate and assess that candidate on his or her own merits quite apart from incumbency,” the Democratic Party nominee said in an interview on this week’s “New Dominion” Internet talk show.

Of course, that is assuming an awful lot – namely, that incumbent Emmett Hanger will be upset in his bid for the Republican Party nomination by conservative Buena Vista businessman Scott Sayre in next week’s GOP primary.

The logical question would be – what happens then? Does the retired Rockbridge County pastor continue through to November as the candidate of the Democratic Party?

“I expect to be – but who knows what the future will bring?” Cox said in response to a question on that topic in the interview.

“It’s up to the Republicans to determine what they do – and Democrats are going to respond appropriately,” Cox responded to a followup question on the subject.

Cox won the Democratic Party nomination in a mass meeting of 24th District Dems last week – outpolling Churchville Democrat Will Hrovat by a margin of 28-9 in the final tally.

Cox said he decided to enter the race “as a chance to give a choice of somebody who has experience on the campaign trail.”
“We need to provide this kind of option for the voters at large – especially in this year when the old politics are quite different. We have a different situation going on – particularly given the Republican primary,” Cox said.

Cox is focused on issues involving development – “and particularly I think of the developments that are being proposed along I-81, some of which I find frightening in the harm that they could do to the whole human and natural environment that we really cherish.”
“The idea of doubling the size of I-81, I think, is going to be disastrous for our economy as well as our ecology,” Cox said. “And I’m very concerned about the way the development is taking away many of our farmlands – and I worry about that not only to preserve the way of life that has been lived here for generations, but also for the fact that in this time when worries are growing about the food that we import from overseas, either for health reasons or because it’s going to cost so much with fuel prices rising, we’re not going to be able to feed ourselves.

“Here’s an opportunity to really boost our farming economy – and to make that even more profitable for people so that they can continue this way of life that they cherish and that benefits all of us,” Cox said.