2018 Candidates for Congress
Leslie Cockburn
US Congress
lesliecockburnforcongress@gmail.com
Leslie Cockburn is a graduate of Yale (BA '74) and the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (MA '76). Her career as an award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker spanned thirty-five years.
In 2017, in the wake of the Trump victory, she is running for office, as a candidate for the US House of Representatives, 5th district, Virginia. She is a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, the Explorers Club in New York and is a founding member of the Frontline Club in London. She served on the boards of the Piedmont Environmental Council in Warrenton for over a decade along with the Krebser Fund in Rappahannock, the Pen Faulkner Foundation and the Fund for Constitutional Government.
Leslie is a skier, sailor and hiker, and produces organic hay. She has created an ornamental garden dedicated to butterflies and bees.
Leslie has three children, four grandchildren, and lives with her husband Andrew in Rappahannock County, Virginia.
She has written three books and co-authored two more on foreign affairs among them Looking for Trouble, on her coverage of "six wars and a revolution", including the war in Central America, the anti-Duvalier revolution in Haiti, the wars in Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq (both Gulf Wars in Colombia. Her latest book (2013) is the political thriller Baghdad Solitaire, set in Baghdad in the fall of 2003
Andrew Sneathern
Virginia House of Representative Congress
sneathernforcongress.com
Before I got in this race, I thought a lot about what this might mean for my family and me. I knew it would mean a lot of time away from them, and I was scared of the toll it would take on them and myself. But, I ultimately decided that I was more scared of a world led by Tom Garrett and his mentor, Donald Trump, than at anything anyone might throw at me personally. I don't want to say ten years down the road that when the core values we hold dear were being threatened by a selfish and divisive ideology, I didn't stand up and do something. Tom Garrett does not show up and listen to his constituents, and does not look out for us all in #VA05. He has forgotten, if he ever knew, that this is NOT his seat. This is our seat.
I hope you will take a moment to watch this introductory video and take a look at my Roadmap to Rural America. We have to do a better job as Democrats reaching out to people and showing up all over the map.
Roger Dean Huffstetler
Entrepreneur
Every day, Americans of every creed, color, and class make a commitment to their country – and to one another – to preserve the rights and resources that make our nation special while laying a foundation for an uncertain future. Each generation building upon the last, this perpetual pledge is the driving force behind the success of our great country.
Our nation was built on the moral obligation to ensure individuals - no matter the color of their skin or collar - can excel and no community is left behind. It is incumbent upon Congress to ensure those who are willing to work hard and play by the rules are provided opportunity and the resources necessary to fulfill our commitment to each other and the next generation. Below are the priorities I believe we must focus on to get there.
Ben Cullop
Council Member
’m a proud 4th generation Virginian born in Charlottesville to two educators. My parents both served our community as teachers, and my wife Ashley and I have built our family in Albemarle County.
Hard work runs deep in the 5th. My grandfather worked for Norfolk Southern after serving in World War II, and my parents worked as teachers in Virginia and across the world to give us a good, middle-class life. I worked hard, went to the University of Virginia for both of my degrees, and built a successful career here. I’m running for Congress to make sure every Virginian has the same opportunity to succeed that I had.
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