Conlon files for 13th Congressional District
By Staff Reports
Published in News on March 9, 2014 1:50 AM
Virginia Conlon of Raleigh has filed as a Democratic candidate for North Carolina's 13th Congressional District seat.
The 13th District includes most of Wayne County and a major portion of Goldsboro. It also includes parts of central and northern Wake County as well as parts of Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Nash, Vance, and Wilson counties.
Also filing for the May 6 primary, and a chance to face Republican incumbent George Holding in the Nov. 4 general election, were Arunava Sanyal of Raleigh and Brenda Cleary of Cary.
Mrs. Conlon said her focus is on making good jobs, education, and retirement security priorities in Washington, D.C.
"I am fiscally responsible, and that means I believe in investing in the people of this state," Mrs. Conlon said in a prepared statement. "Cuts to programs like food stamps, unemployment insurance for the long-term unemployed, and Social Security are unconscionable.
"Voting to make correctional officers at the federal prison in Butner or nurses at the Durham VA Medical Center work without pay for over two weeks while the government is shut down is immoral. Costing the American economy $24 billion was equally senseless."
Yet, that is exactly what Holding has done, she said.
"He has signed on full force to an extremist, minority view within his party that does not have the support of this district or the citizens of this state," she said. "America wants good government, not negligent government, and I am running to make that a reality for the 13th Congressional District.
"The state of politics nowadays is truly deplorable. It seems that many politicians now serve the interests of the wealthy rather than the majority. It is time for average Americans to take back our government."
Mrs. Conlon and her husband of 38 years, Terry, have two grown sons, Sean and Bryan.
Aside from work at public service nonprofits, she has also been a small business owner.
She has been involved in serving the community through volunteer work and employment at public service nonprofits, most recently with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.