Ashburn Patch - Luann Bennett Officially Launches Congressional Campaign

News Article

By: Sharon Reed

Luann Bennett officially launched her Congressional campaign at a kickoff event on March 16 at the Bungalow Lakehouse in Sterling.

More than 150 people attended the event, according to Adam Zuckerman, campaign manager, Luann Bennett for Congress.

Attorney General Mark Herring introduced Luann Bennett at the campaign kickoff. Additional officials present at the event included: Senator Jennifer Wexton, Senator Barbara Favola, Delegate John Bell, Leesburg Supervisor Kristen Umstattd, Sterling District Supervisor Koran Saines, Delegate Mark Sickles, and Supervisor John Foust.

Bennett, a Democrat, is running for Virginia's 10th district Congressional seat against incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA).

A real estate executive, Bennett is president of the Bennett Group. She grew up on her family's working farm in Highland, Illinois. Bennett earned a Bachelor's degree in education from Eastern Illinois University. In 1980, Bennett moved to Great Falls, where she married her late husband Rick Bennett, according to LuAnn Bennett for Congress. She has three grown sons and a grandson. She is the third ex-wife of former Rep. James P. Moran, who represented Virginia's 8th District from 1991 to 2015.

Here are some excerpts from Bennett's speech at the event:

"As I stand before you today, I know that my story could be the story of so many families in Northern Virginia. When things go wrong, we have a choice: we can give in or we can fight. I've spent the last 21 years fighting for my family. Now, I want to help fight for you, your family and all families here in the 10th district.

"As a business owner for the last 35 years, I've gone to work every day and faced challenges. I routinely work with people I don't necessarily agree with and, in some cases, may not even like. But I do it because my company, my customers and my employees depend on solving those problems and moving forward.

"Unfortunately, today our government is not making the hard decisions to move our country forward. They're not finishing the work to full heal our economy. There are still too many families that are struggling to make ends meet. We need to rebuild our middle class so that each and every worker can earn a fair wage. We need to invest in our infrastructure and pass comprehensive immigration reform. We need to invest in order to provide a quality education for every child, make college more affordable and provide opportunities for retraining adults in the workforce to provide new opportunities and new career paths as the economy changes.

"The 10th district deserves a Congresswoman who reflects its values. One who trusts women to make their own health care decisions. One who believes we need to treat new Americans with compassion and doesn't compare them to FedEx packages. One who believes in science and is committed to protecting our natural environment for our children and grandchildren. And one who is willing to stand up to the gun lobby and support common sense gun safety measures.

"That's why I'm running. There is work to be done and, together, we will fight to find solutions to the challenges facing Northern Virginia and our country, not hide from the hard choices or shut the government down when we don't get our way."

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