RICHMOND--
When 1st District congressional candidate Keith Hummel said three weeks ago he was suspending his campaign, local Democrats hoped he could exit the race quietly and they could find a new candidate.But since then, Hummel has not taken steps to withdraw formally from the race.
Frustrated, Fredericksburg Democrats have passed a resolution demanding that he withdraw. And they also passed a resolution asking for the resignation of 1st District Democratic chairwoman Suzette Matthews.
Hummel, an emergency room doctor who also runs a vineyard in Montross, suspended his campaign on July 3 because his multiple past bankruptcy filings had become an issue.
In a written statement announcing the suspension, he blamed others for making his financial difficulties an issue that threatened to overshadow his campaign.
In the bankruptcy filings, his debts were settled for cents on the dollar--around 40 cents per dollar in one filing--leaving numerous creditors, many local, with debts they couldn't collect in full.
While Hummel has said he was open about his financial difficulties, area Democrats say he misled them as to the extent of his past bankruptcy filings, and that if they'd known his full background--which includes three bankruptcies in the Eastern District of U.S. Bankruptcy Court and two older ones elsewhere--he never would have gotten the party's nomination.
But he did get it, and he still has it. Suspending a campaign is not the same thing as withdrawing from the race.
Democrats can nominate a replacement candidate and put that person on the ballot, but not unless Hummel withdraws, and not after September; the deadline is 60 days before the November election.
Wednesday night, the Fredericksburg Democratic committee unanimously passed a resolution asking chairwoman Amy La Marca to "immediately write Dr. Keith Hummel demanding his immediate withdrawal as the nominee."
The committee also unanimously passed a resolution calling for the resignation of Matthews due to her "failure to properly review" Hummel's background as well as "her refusal to promptly react" when Hummel's background surfaced.
Matthews, reached by e-mail, had no comment. Hummel could not be reached for comment.
La Marca said that she neither initiated the resolutions nor voted on them. "The body felt that the candidate had not been vetted and the situation could have been avoided," she said.
According to the state code, a candidate who withdraws from a race must do so in a letter to the district chairperson--in this case, Matthews. That letter gets sent to the State Board of Elections, which then begins the process of removing the candidate from the ballot.
A withdrawal also reopens the entire nominating period, which means any potential independent candidates who didn't get on the ballot earlier, before the regular deadline, would have another chance to qualify.
Hummel can continue to raise money while his campaign is in suspension, which would not be the case if he withdrew.
His campaign finance report, filed this week, shows he owes money--$9,570 total--to two campaign consultants and a Web designer.
He's also counting his $5,000 filing fee as a loan to the campaign from himself and counts it among his debts, so, in all, his campaign owes $14,570. He reported having $6,740 in cash on hand.
Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman is running for reelection, Nathan Larson is running as a Libertarian candidate and independent Craig Ennis is also running.
Chelyen Davis: 804/782-9362
Email: cdavis@freelancestar.com