Republican congressional hopeful Keith Fimian repeatedly hammered his opponent, Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Va., over jobs and the economy in a debate Thursday, putting the incumbent on the defensive.
“The single most important thing government can do to create jobs is reduce uncertainty,” Fimian said at the Tysons Corner event. “Mr. Connolly doesn’t know that — he’s never created a job his whole life. As a consequence, he is not in a position to fix what’s broken.”
But Connolly, who is seeking a second term in Congress, cited his time on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors as evidence to the contrary.
“We created the strongest pro-business climate in the United States,” he said. “Fairfax County has a 4.7 percent unemployment rate right now — half the national average. We’ve created hundreds of thousands of jobs … we are the envy of the United States in terms of economic achievement.”
Fimian, who had emphasized his business credentials in the race, said Connolly taking credit for creating jobs was “like a fan in the stands at Redskins park saying he threw the touchdown pass.” He argued that Fairfax’s economy was strong because of federal spending, and labeled Connolly “the most reliable anti-business candidate in Virginia.”
Connolly, formerly a vice president at Science Applications International Corp., cited his support for a variety of regional industries, from construction to federal contracting. “They don’t think I’m anti-business,” he said. “They think I’ve been a friend of business, and I have.”
Fimian charged that Connolly has “abandoned” those who supported him in 2008, when Connolly easily defeated Fimian.
“He does not want to hear what you have to say — he’s in Congress,” Fimian said. “He’s safe now. He’s where he wants to be and your opinions do not matter any longer.”
Connolly defended his career. “Hyperbolic political rhetoric and personal attacks notwithstanding, I [went] into public service because I lived in a neighborhood that needed some help from government and wasn’t getting it,” he said. “I am passionate about public service and serving others and trying to make life better and leaving the community stronger than I found it.”
