Well, this is a bummer:
Dear Friends,
It is with great disappointment that I must announce that I will no longer be a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the United States Congress in the 10th district of Virginia.
Over the past 3-4 weeks I have been experiencing a reoccurrence of a back injury I suffered years ago. While I attempted to push through the pain and continue on, I found myself in an orthopedic surgeon’s office on Monday. He gave me the news I hoped I would never hear, I need to have surgery on my back.After discussing all of my options, I was told that postponing the surgery until after the election could result in permanent nerve damage. The best case scenario puts my recovery at 4 to 6 weeks. During that time I would not be able to actively campaign. With only 8 weeks until the election, such a time frame simply does not allow me to run an effective primary campaign. So, in conjunction with my doctor and my family, I have come to the sad conclusion that I must end my campaign for congress in Virginia’s 10th district.
The decision is disappointing, and was difficult to make. I truly feel that with my background in economic and workforce development and my strong message of getting our economy on the right track would have made me a strong alternative to Frank Wolf in the fall. But I believe this is the best decision for my family and me.I want to thank all of my supporters, my staff and my family for all of their help. I can’t put into words how much it has meant to me personally. I will contact as many of you as I can in the days ahead.
Once my treatment is complete I intend to do everything I can to support Jeff Barnett’s campaign and focus on our ultimate objective, defeating Frank Wolf in the Fall.
All my best,
Rich
Richard Anthony
I’ll have more to say about this race in coming days. For now, let me just encourage everyone to support Jeff Barnett, a strong progressive (see my Blue Virginia interview with Jeff here) like Rich Anthony.
Sign up for the Blue Virginia weekly newsletter
