Thelma Drake
Thelma Drake | |
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Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Virginia's 2nd district | |
In office January 3, 2005 – January 3, 2009 | |
Preceded by | Ed Schrock |
Succeeded by | Glenn Nye |
Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 87th district | |
In office January 10, 1996 – January 3, 2005 | |
Preceded by | Howard Copeland |
Succeeded by | Paula Miller |
Personal details | |
Born | Elyria, Ohio | November 20, 1949
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Ted Drake |
Residence | East Ocean View, Norfolk, Virginia |
Occupation | Real estate agent |
Thelma D. 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.
Personal life
Thelma Drake was born 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 is married and has two adult children. She and her husband reside in Norfolk. She was the director of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit under the McDonnell administration.
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, after being caught on tape soliciting sex from a gay prostitute. 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.[1] Nye won the election and took office in January 2009.
Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2004 | David Ashe | 108,180 | 45% | Thelma D. Drake | 132,946 | 55% | * | ||
2006 | Philip J. Kellam | 83,901 | 48% | Thelma D. Drake | 88,777 | 51% | * | ||
2008 | Glenn Nye | 141,857 | 52% | Thelma D. Drake | 128,486 | 47% | * |
*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.
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2008#District 2
- Virginia's 2nd congressional district
References
- ^ For Congress: Glen Nye, The Virginian-Pilot, October 24, 2008
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ November 2008 Unofficial Results Virginia State Board of Elections
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Thelma Drake official website
- Congresswoman Thelma Drake U.S. House website via Internet Archives
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Financial information (federal office) at the Federal Election Commission
- Biography from the Virginia House of Delegates, Session 2002
- 1949 births
- Living people
- Members of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia
- Members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Virginia Republicans
- Female members of the United States House of Representatives
- Women state legislators in Virginia
- Old Dominion University alumni
- People from Elyria, Ohio
- People from Norfolk, Virginia
- United Church of Christ members
- Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives