Spotlight on the VA 5th Congressional District

Republican Winner, Robert Hurt
Virginia's 5th Congressional District lies in the central region of the state, fanning south from Charlottesville (Univ. of VA) to the North Carolina line. All or part of 17 counties lie in this, Virginia’s largest district. An area of near 9,000 square miles, more square miles than the entire state of New Jersey, is covered. In addition to Charlottesville, other cities encompassed are Bedford, Danville, and Martinsville. The few liberal leaning patches around Charlottesville are over balanced by the district’s strong rural based conservative sectors. Founding Father James Madison, who served from 1789-1793, was the first representative. For more than 150 years, Democrats have held a firm grip on this seat with the only exception being Virgil Goode, Jr., who actually began his tenure in 1997 as a Democrat, spent a term as an Independent and then served as a Republican for three terms before being defeated by Democrat Tom Perriello in 2008. Perriello won by a margin of only 745 out of over 316,000 votes cast. Goode sought a recount but the final margin still favored Perriello and he was certified as the winner. Republicans have carried this district in the last three presidential elections. George W. Bush won by 14 points each time and John McCain beat Barack Obama by 5 in 2008. Perriello was regarded as one of the most vulnerable Democrats running for re-election. State Sen. Robert Hurt easily won the Republican primary over six other candidates and proceeded to defeat Perriello 51% to 47% in one of the most expensive and closely watched races in the nation.
Robert Hurt

Education

  • Mississippi College School of Law, J.D. - May 1995
  • Hampden-Sydney College, B.S. - May 1991

Professional

  • Law Offices of Robert Hurt, July 2008-present
  • H. Victor Millner, Jr., P.C., Attorney & Counsellor at Law,  September 1999-July 2008
  • Pittsylvania Co. Commonwealth's Attorney, Chief Assistant, May 1996-September 1999
  • Attorney and Counsellor at Law, December 1995 - May 1996 

Elected Offices

  • Chatham Town Council, September 2000 - December 2001
  • Virginia House of Delegates, 16th District, January 2002-
  • January 2008, Committee Assignments: Courts of Justice; Counties, Cites and Towns; and Militia, Police and Public Safety
  • Senate of Virginia,19th District, January 2008 - present, Committee Assignments:  Courts of Justice; General Laws and Technology; and Rehabilitation and Social Services; 2008 - Appointed Deputy Whip for Senate Republican Caucus

Memberships

  • Chatham Presbyterian Church, Past Elder
  • Chatham Rotary Club
  • Pittsylvania County Bar Association, Past President
  • Virginia State Bar, Past VSB Council Representative for the 22nd Judicial Circuit
  • Virginia Bar Association Board of Governors, 2006 - present
  • Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services Board, April 2002 - 2007
  • Hampden-Sydney Wilson Center Advisory Board, Aug. 2003 - present
  • New College Institute Board of Directors, 2006 - present
  • Virginia State Bar Public Protection Task Force, 2006 - present
  • John Marshall Foundation Board, 2007 - present
  • Roman Eagle Memorial Home, Inc. Board of Directors, 2008-present
  • Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership-UVA, State Advisory Board, 2008-present
  • Aspen-Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership, 2008-present
  • W. E. Skelton 4-H Educational Conference Center at Smith Mt. Lake, Board of Directors, 2009 - present

Family

  • Wife, Kathryn and sons, Charles, Clement and John

ISSUES

As a Member of Congress I will:

  • Support pro-life legislation
  • Continued support of the Hyde Amendment and oppose any attempts to bi-pass or replace it
  • Oppose Embryonic Stem cell research
  • Support Constitutional Amendment to protect marriage
  • Oppose Civil Unions

As a member of Congress I will:

  • Support efforts to protect property rights
  • Oppose federal government efforts to expand "eminent domain"
  • Oppose all efforts to ban guns, ammunition or any other type of anti-gun legislation.
  • Support right to carry legislation
  • Support efforts of state reciprocity with regard to carry and conceal

As a member of Congress I will:

  • Ensure that our priorities are focused on making Americans safer
  • Support our men and women in the defense and intelligence services
  • Ensure that we fully fund our military operations at home and abroad so that we can successfully fight The War on Terror and act before terrorists strike
  • Support fully funding and deployment of missile defense systems that protect America from rogue nations such as Iran and North Korea.
"In just the last 10 years, our central federal government has grown exponentially. The federal government owns everything from banks to automobile manufacturers and now wants to take over your health care. It is not enough to say you will oppose efforts to continue America down this path - The problem with Washington is that when a problem is identified, Congress’ fix lies in more spending. We need to exercise fiscal discipline, stop the spending, stop the borrowing and roll back spending that has saddled our children and grandchildren with debt. We cannot spend our way to economic freedom and prosperity. Had I been Member of Congress over the last two years, I would have opposed Tarp 1, Tarp 2 – and both “stimulus” packages - these unprecedented government spending programs have saddled our children and grandchildren with a debt unlike ever faced in the country before. "
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The Spotlight On reports are overviews of actual Republican primary winners or top Republican primary contenders. Spotlights should not be interpreted as recommendations to support specific candidates. Before supporting any candidate, do thorough research to confirm that the candidate shares your views on issues you deem most important.