Del. Dan Helmer Doesn’t Believe In An Independent Judiciary
Poor Dan Helmer.
No one wants to be a member of Congress more than this 44-year-old man, yet so far he’s been unable to win a Democrat primary election.
Not for lack of trying.
For the time being, he’ll have to be content with his seat in the House of Delegates representing the 40th District. Small potatoes compared with Congress.
It must be frustrating. On paper, Helmer has it all: West Point grad, Rhodes Scholar, Army vet.
And yet, the voters in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District just aren’t into him.
He tried to get the Democrat nomination in that blue district in 2018, but lost to Jennifer Wexton who went on to serve until 2024 when an illness forced her to step down.
In 2024 Helmer lost the Democrat primary to Suhas Subrananyam, who is presently serving in Congress.
Helmer’s hopes soared when Virginia Democrats cooked up their illegal referendum that would redraw congressional districts across the the commonwealth. That’s when the infamous 7th Lobster District was born.
One of the claws of the lobster reportedly included Helmer’s neighborhood.
At last! Helmer had a congressional district carved out just for him.
In a stroke of bad luck, however, a host of hungry Dems - including Dorothy McAuliffe, wife of Terry - also announced their candidacy for the imaginary 7th District.
Helmer reportedly ordered 1,000 yard signs to blanket the lawns of the crustacean district.
He could almost taste victory.
Then this happened:
“On Thursday night, Dan Helmer received a shipment of boxes with 1,000 yard signs that read: “Dan Helmer for Congress.”
By late Friday morning, Mr. Helmer no longer had a seat to run for,” The New York Times, May 10.
The signs were delivered, the day before the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the redistricting referendum had violated the Virginia Constitution.
Poor Danny. He’s apparently been fuming ever since.
His next move? He attacked the Virginia Supreme Court Justices who upheld the state constitution.
They were unelected “Republicans” he hissed.
They were partisan, he griped.
On Wednesday, in an interview with the Virginia Scope, Helmer reportedly went further.
He vowed revenge.
Not on the party leaders who violated the Virginia law to stage a hasty referendum. Helmer wants revenge on the Supreme Court Justices who issued a ruling with which he disagreed. Specifically, Justice Arthur Kelsey, a well-respected jurist who was appointed to the Court by then-Gov. Mark Warner in 2002 and who is up for reappointment next year.
Let’s be clear, Del. Dan Helmer is threatening the future of a Virginia Supreme Court Justice. This is not how the separation of powers is supposed to work.
An independent judiciary is critical to the survival of our Republic. Dan Helmer, with his fancy education and multiple degrees doesn’t get that.
No wonder the voters of the 10th Congressional District have kicked sand in his face every time he made a bid for higher office.
Helmer’s not only ignorant of the Virginia Constitution. His views on the judiciary are dangerous.
