Feddo loses statewide election, promises to run again

Although Peter Feddo last weekend lost the election for vice president of Virginia’s Young Democrats, he continues to stay on track with his plans for the organization’s VCU chapter.

“I was elected 4th District caucus chair this weekend and look forward to another year at VCU,” he said, adding that he intends to run again for vice presidency next year.

Feddo last weekend traveled to Harrisonburg where he competed with JMU’s President David Crain for the statewide vice president’s slot. The weekend went very smoothly, Feddo said, but near the end of the conference several Lyndon LaRouche supporters created an uproar.

Crain said about six LaRouche people mingling among the crowd remained unnoticed until Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine opened the floor for questions after his speech.

“When the lieutenant governor took questions, they raised their hands, asked several questions at once and put political statements into those questions,” Crain said. “We figured out who they were based on those statements.”

The lieutenant governor, Crain said, did a good job in answering the questions.

Despite losing the statewide election, Feddo remains on target with his goals for next year, which involves bringing regional workshops to VCU by January.

“I want to get our organization more involved in the community here at VCU so that we (can) get a reputation for being the top-notch group and showing what Democrats really stand for,” he said.

Crain, the newly elected Virginia’s Young Democrats vice president, also looks forward to his term.

“The position of a vice president is interesting, because you can mold it into whatever you want it to be,” he said, adding that his two major goals are to perfect the internal forms of the constitution and bring the presidential primary election to Virginia.

Christie Ann McClure, the newly elected statewide president, wants to more effectively raise money for the Democrats.

“A lack of money should not inhibit the Young Democrats from achieving our goals in 2003,” she said. “We are the future of the party, and we should be an active participant to ensure it is a bright one.”

Robert D. Holsworth, director of VCU’s Center for Public Policy, said young people bring energy to the political arena, while Jeffrey Geiger, interim chief of staff for the lieutenant governor, encourages active political involvement among students.

“We work to encourage students to participate in politics and campaigns in order to instill a sense of public service and make them feel empowered to add their voice to a political debate,” Geiger said. “The sooner we start getting students involved in political discussions, the more likely they will be active in civic organizations.”

As for Holsworth, he described the Young Democrats as being very important in the commonwealth, partly because the Young Republicans have been more active with young people.

Feddo, who made it his business to re-establish the VCU Young Democrats chapter after it dissolved in 1998, agrees that students need to enhance their interaction with the political system. He sees the presence of Democrats as especially important for a school like VCU.

“We cannot not have a chapter at a historically African-American school,” he said. “We need to be there. We need to have an outlet for people to politically express themselves.”

Geiger, who joined the Young Democrats when he attended The College of William & Mary, said Feddo has done an excellent job in communicating events to students and to the party.

“I think he is a hard worker, has great leadership skills and a strong character that will take him through a successful career, whether it is politics or information technology,” he said.