For someone who made all the right friends in Republican circles, David Ramadan can still feel like an outsider. As the Republican nominee in Northern Virginia’s 87th House of Delegates district, Ramadan’s Islamic faith has become a lightning rod for those hoping to keep him from office. In a post-9/11 world, he somewhat expected it.
But as the South Riding resident moved from his behind-the-scenes role as a political contributor to the political spotlight, he never imagined his faith would be such a distraction from his campaign.
“It’s very unfortunate using this and making it more than what it is in order to scare and disrupt,” said Ramadan, a Lebanese-American businessman who emigrated to the U.S. in 1989 and first began working on Republican campaigns in the 1992 presidential race.
The Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force — an organization whose stated purpose is keeping the religious laws of Islam out of Virginia — recently created a political action committee specifically to block Ramadan’s candidacy. Task force Chairman Jim Lafferty said he intended to be more active in opposing Ramadan in the August primary election but didn’t get state approval for his PAC until this month.
Though it has yet to raise any money or get involved in the general election, the group is prepared to mobilize if a conservative independent candidate starts a write-in campaign against Ramadan. The group boasts a mailing list of about 2,500 people, but failed to prevent Ramadan from defeating Jo-Ann Chase in the GOP primary. He will face Democrat Mike Kondratick on Nov. 8.
Lafferty claims Ramadan is a supporter of Shariah law and would advocate for it in the House of Delegates. Ramadan counters he is not a practicing Muslim, but that distinction shouldn’t matter. His wife of 10 years, Christie Wray, is Methodist.
“We have a country with freedom of religion,” he said. “We should not alienate and we should not litmus-test any American based on their religious beliefs.”
Ramadan’s backing from the party brass has positioned him well and helped deflect questions about his background. Republicans Gov. Bob McDonnell, U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Rep. Frank Wolf have endorsed Ramadan — a past campaign contributor to all three including two $10,000 donations to McDonnell during the 2009 election. McDonnell appointed Ramadan to the George Mason University Board of Visitors in 2010.
“It’s showing the electorate that this was nothing but fear and smear against a solid conservative Republican that has been known and vetted,” Ramadan said. “You don’t get Majority Leader Cantor to weigh in on a House of Delegates race unless he knows you.”
