Republicans To Hold Primary In 8th Congressional District
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(Wednesday) April 21, 2010
Staff Report
alexandrianews.org
On June 8, Republicans will hold a primary election in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District to determine whether Matthew B. Berry or J. Patrick Murray will face incumbent Democratic Congressman Jim Moran in November. Moran has no Democratic challenger.
Democrat Ron Mitchell collected signatures hoping to challenge Moran in a primary. However, he failed to meet the minimum requirement of 1000 signatures of registered voters in the District. He could choose to run as an Independent.
Matthey Berry (Courtesy Photo)
Berry, an attorney, lives in Arlington County with his partner, Josh, and their two dogs. . After graduation from Dartmouth College and Yale Law School, Berry clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and Judge Laurence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. He worked for the U. S. Department of Justice, providing legal support to law enforcement and intelligence agents. He was integral to the Justice Department’s efforts to win reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act and worked on legislation to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. He is the recipient of the Department’s John Marshall Award, DOJ’s highest award for excellence in legal performance by attorneys.
Following his tenure at Justice, Berry served as Deputy General Counsel and General Counsel of the Federal Communications Commission. While there, he managed an office of 80 employees and worked to accelerate broadband deployment throughout the country, promote more competition within the cable television industry, safeguard consumer privacy and promote the use of communications technology to support public safety.
Patrick Murray (Courtesy Photo)
Murray, a retired U. S. Army colonel, lives in Alexandria. The child of a World War II veteran, Murray enrolled in the ROTC program at Oklahoma State University. After graduation, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army and was assigned to combat units on the East-West German border. After commanding tank units for seven years, he became a Foreign Area Officer in the Defense Intelligence Agency. As a military attache, Murray served in U. S. embassies in Russia, Belarus, Bosnia, Yugoslavia and Kosovo. In 2007, he deployed to Baghdad with the Joint Forces Command where he served as part of the Multi National Forces Iraq. His final tour of duty was at the United Nations in New York on the U. S. Military Staff Committee.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) (Photo: Regan Kireilis)
Moran has served the 8th Congressional District for nearly two decades. A senior member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee, he chairs the Subcommittee on the Interior and Environment. He is a member of the Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittees and holds a leadership role in the Democratic Caucus as a member of the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee. He is a Co-Chair of the Task Force on Trade for the New Democrat Coalition, co-chairs the Congressional Prevention Caucus and leads the Task Force on Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Moran’s political career began in 1979 when he was elected to the Alexandria City Council. He became Vice-Mayor three years later and served in that capacity until 1985, when he was elected Mayor. He was elected to Congress in 1980. He received his Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Pittsburgh in 1970. Prior to running for public office, he worked at the Department of Health, Education and the Workforce and served as a committee staffer for the Senate Appropriations Committee.