Thelma Day Drake (born November 20, 1949) is an American politician and former member of Congress of the Republican party from the state of Virginia. She was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in November 2004 to represent Virginia's 2nd congressional district. She was defeated by Democrat Glenn Nye in 2008.
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Personal life
Thelma Drake was born Thelma Day in Elyria, Ohio. She grew up in Ohio and attended Elyria High School. She later attended Old Dominion University, but did not graduate. She worked as a real estate agent in Norfolk, Virginia.
Drake's first marriage was from 1967 to 1969 to a United States Navy officer. From 1974 to 1984, Drake was married to Joe Sawyers, who had six children previously.
Since 1990, Thelma Drake has been married to Ted Drake. She and her husband reside in East Ocean View, Norfolk. She was the director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit under the McDonnell administration.
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Career in the House of Delegates
In 1995 Drake became the second Republican to be elected from the Norfolk area to the Virginia House of Delegates since Reconstruction. She served in the House of Delegates for nine years representing the 87th District. Drake served as chairman of the Virginia Housing Commission and as a member of the Chesapeake Bay Commission.
Career in the U.S. Congress
Election history
In 2004, Drake was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives of the 109th United States Congress. She entered the race after incumbent Republican congressman Ed Schrock dropped out on August 30, 2004. Drake defeated Democrat David Ashe 55%-45% in the general election, becoming the third woman to represent Virginia in Congress after Leslie Byrne and Jo Ann Davis.
In 2006, Drake defeated Democrat Phillip Kellam 51% to 49%. Kellam, a Democratic officeholder in Virginia Beach, Virginia, currently serves as its Commissioner of Revenue. Her former staffers include Carrie Melvin Domnitch, Jordan Davis, Tyler Brown, Mike Cosio, Dena Kozanas, Kate MacGregor and Jeff Scott.
In 2008, Drake's opponent was Democratic nominee Glenn Nye. Nye received the endorsement of The Virginian-Pilot, which endorsed Drake in 2006. The Virginian-Pilot editors stated that Drake had been ineffective in Congress. Nye won the election and took office in January 2009.
*Write-in and minor candidate notes: In 2004, write-ins received 254 votes. In 2006, write-ins received 481 votes. In 2008, write-ins received 368 votes.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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