Gary McCollum (Virginia)
Gary McCollum was a 2015 Democratic candidate for District 7 of the Virginia State Senate.[1]
Biography
McCollum earned his bachelor's degree from James Madison University.[2] McCollum was the senior vice president of Cox Communications' Virginia operations until September 2015; he said that he was placed on paid leave pending the outcome of the election, while a Cox representative said that he was "no longer employed" by the company.[3]
Elections
2015
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2015
Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015.[4] Gary McCollum was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Incumbent Frank Wagner was unopposed in the Republican primary. Wagner defeated McCollum in the general election.[5]
Race snapshot
The contest was marked by several controversies. In September, McCollum's campaign admitted it had incorrectly represented him as an active major in the U.S. Army Reserve; records show that he was discharged in September 2001. The Republican Party of Virginia called on McCollum to drop out of the race, calling the misrepresentation "an insult to veterans and automatic disqualification for public office."[6]
Wagner also came under fire that month after making remarks at an event held at the Princess Anne Country Club in Virginia Beach; noting that his district includes "very, very high income [properties] right on down to... rent-assisted places," he said that "I wish sometimes I represented this half, but I've very, very happy to represent the folks I have." McCollum said in a statement, "Unlike Frank, I'm running to represent all the people of the 7th District. No matter their income." The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus inquired as to the intent of Wagner's comments. Wagner's campaign responded that he was joking in reference to Republican supporters in general, not the wealthy. State Sen. Mamie Locke (D), the chair of the Black Caucus, countered, "If you wanted to say 'I wanted to have more Republicans in my district,' that is what you would have said."[7]
Both candidates were accused of filing incomplete campaign finance reports. On September 22, the Virginia Republican Party filed a campaign finance complaint against McCollum. As a senior executive of Cox Communications' Virginia operations, McCollum had been paid while on leave to campaign, something the GOP said should have been reported as a donation. Cox has since dismissed McCollum from the company. On September 25, the Virginia Democratic Party filed its own complaint, claiming that Wagner had filed a statement without the names of his campaign workers. The Wagner campaign responded that the omission was a simple mistake brought on by a change in software. Fines for offenses in incomplete reports are $100 for the first and $1,000 thereafter.[8]
In mid-October, McCollum's campaign released a television advertisement claiming that Davis Boat Works, a shipyard Wagner owned until this year, fraudulently billed the U.S. Navy in the late 1990s "to line his own pockets." The company settled a lawsuit by a former accountant for $400,000 after Wagner won election to the Senate in 2000. The accountant claimed that she left the company in 1998 after Wagner demanded that she file false bills. In 2001, Wagner said that he settled in order to maintain Davis' government relations. Following the advertisement, Wagner maintained his innocence, saying that a trial would have cost double the amount of the settlement, and that McCollum was looking to mislead voters.[9]
The race attracted the attention of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), who was set to helm a canvassing kickoff on October 24.[10]
| Virginia State Senate, District 7 General Election, 2015 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Frank Wagner Incumbent |
54.2% | 18,266 | |
| Democratic | Gary McCollum | 45.8% | 15,434 | |
| Total Votes | 33,700 | |||
Noteworthy events
Military service
McCollum stated in his campaign literature and other places that he was "currently a major in the Army Reserve," but U.S. Army records showed that McCollum was discharged in September 2001.[11] He served in the U.S. Army as an military intelligence officer from 1981 to 1989. From 1989 to 1992, McCollum served in the Army Reserve as an active member. In 1992, McCollum became an inactive member of the Army Reserve.[12]
After his military service record was revealed, McCollum made the following statement:
| “ | From that point forward, until the news of this past week, I truly believed I was in the inactive Reserve and had no reason to believe that my status had changed. What I have now been informed is that at some point in 2001 I should have received a letter informing me of my official discharge. Not only do I believe I never received that letter, but even when my campaign requested my full military records earlier this year, there was no such note of discharge included.[13] | ” |
| —Gary McCollum (D)[12] | ||
Recent news
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See also
- Virginia State Legislature
- Virginia State Senate
- Virginia Senate Committees
- Virginia state legislative districts
External links
- Official campaign website
- Gary McCollum on Facebook
- Gary McCollum on Twitter
- Profile from Project Vote Smart
- Virginia General Assembly
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Virginia General Assembly Candidate Filings," accessed April 23, 2015
- ↑ Gary McCollum for State Senate, "Meet Gary," accessed October 20, 2015
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "State Senate candidate Gary McCollum no longer employed at Cox," September 25, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Va. Senate candidate misrepresents military record," September 15, 2015
- ↑ WVEC, "Wagner campaign responds to country club comment," September 29, 2015
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "Va. Beach prosecutor to handle Wagner, McCollum election complaints," October 10, 2015
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "McCollum attacks Wagner over lawsuit settlement 15 years ago," October 16, 2015
- ↑ The Virginian-Pilot, "McAuliffe to assist McCollum in canvassing kickoff Saturday," October 22, 2015
- ↑ Virginian-Pilot, "Senate candidate McCollum said he misunderstood his current military classification," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 gmccollum.com, "Regarding my Military Service," accessed September 23, 2015
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
