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| Sen. John Kerry tries on a cowboy hat belonging to Esther Vassar, right, of Newport News. At Monday’s fundraiser in Chesapeake, Kerry said it was time to pay more attention to jobs and education.
(stephanie oberlander/special to the virginian-pilot) |
By MIKE GRUSS
The Virginian-Pilot
CHESAPEAKE - Less than two weeks after control of Congress shifted, the region's Democratic leaders turned a roast of Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. on Monday into a victory celebration.
Surrounded by Rep. Bobby Scott and at least 15 other officeholders at the Holiday Inn Chesapeake, Sen. John Kerry rallied about 475 Democrats, playfully trading barbs with Spruill, but emotionally detailing the Democratic agenda for the next two years.
"We are the new American majority," Kerry told the crowd to a roaring ovation.
That word - majority - set off a firestorm of applause each time it was mentioned.
Kerry, wearing a blue shirt and light blue tie, was introduced to the U2 song "Beautiful Day," the anthem he adopted for his 2004 presidential campaign. In a short speech, he said jobs and education "haven't been attended to the way they ought to be."
Some leaders credit Kerry's candidacy in 2004 with identifying Democratic voters in Virginia. Those same voters, they say, later put Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Sen.-elect Jim Webb into office.
Monday, Kerry said the Democratic majority would continue to grow in Virginia because it is a party with ideas.
"It is time for Iraqis to stand up for Iraq and for our troops to come home," he said of the war.
Scott, the evening's master of ceremonies, echoed the calls for change.
"Next year, when we vote on minimum wage, there will be a difference," he said.
Del. Franklin Hall, the House minority leader, said he expected "the overwhelming majority" of money raised Monday would go toward Democratic candidates in next year's elections.
