Leslie L. Byrne

 

Leslie Larkin Byrne
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th district
In office 1993–1995
Preceded by	N/A (first representative of the new district
Succeeded by	Thomas M. Davis
Born	October 27 1946 (1946--) (age 61) Salt Lake City, Utah
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Larry Byrne

Leslie Larkin Byrne (born October 27 1946 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American politician, and was a one-term Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1995, having been defeated for re-election by Tom Davis in 1994. She was also the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia in 2005, losing to Republican Bill Bolling.

Pre-political life

Byrne grew up in Salt Lake City and attended both the University of Utah and Mount Vernon College in Ohio.^[1] Shortly after her family's 1971 arrival in Northern Virginia, Byrne entered the public arena as an activist in community organizations and the Parent Teacher Associations for her children's schools. As president of the Fairfax Area League of Women Voters, she was instrumental in averting further developmental degradation in one of the region's most ecologically sensitive areas. She was also Chairwoman of the Fairfax County Commission on Fair Campaign Practices.

In 1985, Byrne co-founded Quintech Associates, Inc., a project-based human resources consulting firm to the high-tech community. She served as president of Quintech until her election to Congress in 1992.

She is married to Larry Byrne, who is President of Byrne and Associates, an international consulting firm. They have two grown children, daughter Alexis and son Jason, and two grandchildren.

Political career

Byrne served in the Virginia House of Delegates for 7 years, starting in 1985 by defeating two-term Republican incumbent Gwen Cody, before being elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 from the newly created 11th congressional district. Virginia was awarded an additional House seat as a result of the [United_States_Census,_1990|1990 U.S. Census]]. The General Assembly had designed the new district to elect a Democrat.

She is the first woman to be have been elected to Congress from Virginia, and in fact, 1992 was known as the "Year of the Woman" for the large number of women elected to Congress in that election. While a member of the 103rd Congress, she served on the Public Works and Transportation Committee and Subcommittees on Surface Transportation, Water Resources; and Investigations and Oversight. Representative Byrne was also a member of the Post Office and Civil Service Committee, serving on the subcommittee on employee benefits and compensation. The freshman Democratic members of the 103rd Congress elected her to the leadership position of caucus whip. Byrne quickly established herself as a leader among her freshman colleagues; introducing and passing more legislation than any other newly elected representative. In addition, she accomplished the remarkable feat of having two of her measures on childhood immunization passed into law early in the first session of the 103rd Congress. Also in her first term, Rep. Byrne was instrumental in preventing cuts in federal workers' wages and benefits. Additionally, she led the effort to improve federal oversight of the nation's 1.7 million miles of natural gas and petroleum pipelines. Byrne's legislative efforts included Medicaid reform; increasing opportunities of IRA holders to see their savings for first-time home purchases and college costs; cost savings on federal highway projects through value engineering and enhancing the international market for American high technologies. She was instrumental in obtaining funds for rail from Tyson's Corner to Dulles.

Tom Davis, then Chairman of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, defeated her for re-election in 1994's "Republican Revolution." Republican staffers suggest that discomfort in face to face meetings with voters, and poor constituent service, contributed to the outcome.

In 1996, Byrne sought the Democratic nomination for US Senate to challenge incumbent Senator John Warner. Future Virginia Governor Mark Warner won the nomination at the 1996 Virginia Democratic Convention, garnering 1,889 Delegates to her 231. He went on to lose to incumbent Republican Senator John Warner(no relation).

In 1998 she took a job at United States Information Agency advising its direcotr on the Au Pair program.^[2]

Byrne returned to elected office when was elected to the Senate of Virginia in 1999, winning a very close election against two-term incumbent Republican Jane Woods (45.52% to Wood's 45.39%). This was made possible by a third candidate who pulled from the Reublican vote. ^[3] She did not seek re-election to the Senate of Virginia in 2003, after redistricting put her into the same district as a fellow Democrat. Her dilemma was that she either oppose an incumbent Democrat, move into another district to run against an incumbent Republican, or retire.

Byrne was the 2005 Democratic Party candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Republican Party candidate Bill Bolling defeated her in the November 8, 2005 general election.

Issues

Byrne has supported public/private partnerships for transportation, including the Dulles Greenway project when she was in the Virginia House of Delegates. Byrne has said that high-occupancy toll lanes are also promising as long as local governments are not taken out of the planning process. Byrne supports linking land use policy to transportation, two policy areas that are typically considered separately in Virginia. In the Senate of Virginia she sponsored legislation to prohibit people from sleeping in rooms except bedrooms, a response to complaints of students and poor immigrants crowded into residential houses.

After political life

On March 15th, 2006, Byrne endorsed Republican-turned Democrat James Webb for United States Senate. She also endorsed Ken Longmyer that year in the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District. Longmyer was defeated in the primary by Andrew Hurst.

Byrne may run for Congress in 2008 in Virginia's 11th congressional district, the seat she lost in 1994, if the incumbent Tom Davis runs for the open seat in the United States Senate. She has formed an exploratory committee for a possible run.

Election results

General election for Virginia Lt. Governor, 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Bill Bolling	979,265	50.5
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne	956,906	49.3
	Write-ins		4,065	0.2

Democratic Primary for Virginia Lt. Governor, 2005
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne	37,904	32.8
	Democratic	Viola Baskerville	30,083	26.1
	Democratic	Chapman Petersen	24,992	21.7
	Democratic	Phil Puckett	22,400	19.4

Virginia Senate election for the 34th District, 1999
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne	13,719	45.5
	Republican	Jane Woods (Incumbent)	13,682	45.4
	Independent	Virginia Dobey	2,726	9.0

U.S. House election for Virginia's 11th District, 1994
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Tom Davis	98,216	52.9	+7.7
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne (Incumbent)	84,104	45.3	-4.7
	Independent	Gordon Cruickshank	3,246	1.8

U.S. House election for Virginia's 11th District, 1992
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne	114,172	50.0
	Republican	Henry Butler	103,119	45.2
	Independent	A. T. Narrow	6,681	2.9
	Independent	Perry Mitchell	4,155	1.8

Virginia House of Delegates election for the 38th District, 1991
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne (Incumbent)	8,017	60.5	+3.8
	Republican	Norman Caron	5,226	39.5	-3.8

Virginia House of Delegates election for the 38th District, 1989
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne (Incumbent)	10,485	56.7	+4.3
	Republican	A. Strode Brent Jr.	8,018	43.3	-4.3

Virginia House of Delegates election for the 38th District, 1987
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne (Incumbent)	8,172	52.4	-2.6
	Republican	A. Strode Brent Jr.	7,434	47.6	+2.6

Virginia House of Delegates election for the 38th District, 1985
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Leslie Byrne	8,497	55.0
	Republican	Gwendalyn Cody (Incumbent)	6,941	45.0

References

1. ^
   • Leslie L. Byrne at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
2. ^ Walker, Jimmye (1998-02-13). Press Release. Release No. 02-98. United States Information Agency. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.
3. ^ Timberg, Craig (1999-10-27). Statehouse Battle Puts Focus on Key N.Va. Races. Washington Post A1. Retrieved on 2007-10-09.

External Links

• Leslie L. Byrne at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Internet Archive of Campaign Website
• Virginia House of Delegates biography

Preceded by newly apportioned district

Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 11th congressional district 1993–1995

Succeeded by Thomas M. Davis

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