Darn Right, Mark Allen is a Republican

Darn Right, Mark Allen is a Republican

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

October 29, 2007

Oh the horrors, the stigma – Delegate candidate Mark Allen has been “outed” as a Republican. What will the neighbors say?

Advertisements in this and other publications have dubbed Mr. Allen as a stealth Republican – hiding his party affiliation in the hopes of fooling voters in Virginia’s 45^th legislative district.

That couldn’t be further from the truth. Mark Allen, a 30-plus year Alexandria resident with his own business in the city is a Republican who knows and understands what Alexandrians go through to work hard, earn a living, pay taxes, send his children to school and even have a personal grapple with the city school system regarding special needs students.

At no time during this campaign, that I have witnessed, has Mr. Allen shied away from the GOP label. Mr. Allen has stood proudly with US Senator John Warner (R) and announced that he is the Republican candidate at numerous events – even in mixed company!

Mark Allen is a candidate of substance and is not just about a label. He has supporters and contributors from both sides of the aisle – people supporting him for his name’s sake, not necessarily his party’s name.

The Democrats, however, want to play party politics because that is all they have on which to hang their hats. Vote for me, I’m a Democrat is their mantra. Never mind that the current Democratic delegate has one of the lowest ratings as a supporter of business in the commonwealth.

Look around the commonwealth – most candidates are not identified by party on their signs or literature. Of 18 party affiliated candidates running for office in Alexandria and Fairfax County, only three – two Republican and one Democrat advertised their party on their signs. Candidates know the voters are tired of partisan politics and are interested in the character of the candidate.

However, if we’re going to play party politics, it would be nice to have a seat at the table with the election of Mark Allen joining the majority party in the legislature when important decisions are made. The voters of the 45^th district deserve that much.

Sanford D. Horn is a writer and political consultant living in Alexandria.