Democratic Candidate Refutes Claims That He's a Republican

Democratic Braddock District Supervisor candidate Chris Wade is facing numerous allegations that he is actually a Republican.

The allegations appear to stem from his voting record in databases owned and maintained by the Republican and Democratic parties in Fairfax County.

The Republican database had Wade designated as a strong Republican due to his votes in past Republican primaries. The database indicates that Wade voted in general elections in 2003-2006, 2008 and 2009 and that he voted in a Republican primary in 2005 and the Republican presidential primary in 2008.

Wade himself has refuted the allegations (see an excerpt from a Patch video interview with Wade, at right).

Janyce Hedetniemi, one of the two Braddock District Chairs for the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, also dismissed the claims.

“They’re totally unfounded,” Hedetniemi said. “He’s never worked for, canvassed for, called for or contributed to any Republicans. He has signed the pledge of Democratic support as part of the Democratic committee just as the rest of us have. I’m fully confident that he’s bonafide.”

Hedetniemi said that Wade voted in the 2005 and 2008 Republican primaries as a means to skew the outcome. Though voting history in the database are taken from voter records, Hedetniemi said that designations of party could be mistaken.

“The designations are subjective interpretations and should not be considered gospel,” Hedetniemi said.

Wade called himself a former “fan in the stands” when it came to politics and said that he acted as an independent in several of his votes.

“Barack Obama had already sealed up the nomination [for president] so I chose to vote in the Republican primary because I thought my vote would count more,” Wade said of his vote in the 2008 presidential primary.

Ben Tribbett, who runs the well-known political blog Not Larry Sabato, disagreed with Wade's reasoning.

“Virginia was a very hot early state [during the 2008 primary season],” Tribbett said. “Obama won Virginia early, but the results of the presidential nomination were still very much in play.”

Tribbett alleged that Wade was a Republican in a June 5 blog entry that also called Wade “an extremely unsuccessful businessman.” Tribbett also posted an entry today regarding Wade's frequent mentions of his wife Stacy Wade, whose father worked as an undersecretary to Jimmy Carter, and her Democratic credentials.

“I think he’s intentionally misleading people in order to look more palatable,” Tribbett said to Burke Patch. “…It’s not that he voted in Republican primaries; it’s just that he never voted in a single Democratic primary. It’s a clear indicator that he’s not a Democrat.”

An entry on Blue Virginia also alleged that Wade was a Republican, including information from Wade's voter file in the database maintained by the Democratic Party of Virginia and the Democratic National Committee. The writer also said that on March 22, shortly before Wade announced his run for office, the entry was updated to indicate that Wade was a "Strong Democrat."

Current Supervisor John Cook, a Republican, spoke about Wade’s past voting record, but expressed more concern about his past community efforts.

"He’s voted in a few Republican primaries, has never voted in a Democratic primary," Cook said. "He did not vote in the local elections in 2007, has not been active in his community and from what I can see has not had any leadership role in any community organization or any community effort at all. I believe this job is about communities and it's about getting into neighborhoods. . . To me, the first qualification for this job is a proven record in your neighborhood."

Democratic activist Marc Greidinger, , called Wade a “Republican” in an interview with Burke Patch, citing the voter database as a source as well.

Lee District Supervisor Jeff McKay, who voiced his support for Wade back at Wade’s kick-off, has continued to endorse Wade’s run.

“As a Democrat, I want to see a strong line up and I give my support to candidates who have demonstrated their Democratic bona fides,” McKay said in a statement to Burke Patch. “Also, as a Democrat, I support a big tent and candidates who have demonstrated a clear grasp of the issues.  And, as a pragmatist, I support candidates who can win. Chris Wade fulfills all those criteria.”

Chris Wade has before that he is a Democrat.

"I continue to be a proud member of the Democratic Committee,” his latest statement to Burke Patch said. “I remain eager to debate the issues that really matter to the residents of Braddock District, like the budget, transportation and affordable housing."

The endorsement of three more local Democrats - Delegate Vivian Watts of the 39th House District, Senator Dave Marsden of the 37th Senate District and Mason District Supervisor Penny Gross and current vice-chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors—was also announced today in a press release from Chris Wade for Supervisor.