Eileen Filler-Corn

Last updated

Eileen Filler-Corn
Eileen Filler-Corn (cropped).jpg
Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
In office
January 12, 2022 –April 27, 2022

Eileen Robin Filler-Corn (born June 5, 1964) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates from January to April 2022, a position she previously held from 2019 to 2020. She previously served as the 56th Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2020 to 2022. She represented the 41st district in the Fairfax County suburbs of Washington, D.C., from 2010 to 2024. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She is also the first woman and Jewish person to serve as Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. [1]

Contents

Personal life

Filler-Corn was born in New York City and grew up in West Windsor, New Jersey, graduating from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School in 1982. [2] [3] She graduated from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Arts in 1986. She attended law school at American University's Washington College of Law in 1993. [4] In the time between her two college stints, she worked on Democrat Jeff Laurenti's unsuccessful 1986 campaign to defeat incumbent Republican congressman Chris Smith. [3] She has two children with her husband Robert Corn, President of Landmark Strategies, Inc., a national issue advocacy, grassroots engagement and campaign voter contact firm. [5]

Career

Filler-Corn made her first run for office in 1999, running unsuccessfully for the 41st district seat.

She again ran for the seat in a 2010 special election to replace David W. Marsden, who had himself won a special election to the Senate of Virginia the month before. [6] [7] She won by 37 votes. She was sworn in on March 3, 2010, after her opponent dropped his plans to request a recount. [8]

During the 2010 campaign, she was endorsed by Jim Dillard, the Republican incumbent who had defeated her in 1999 because of her opponent's position that funding for Fairfax County Public Schools was "excessive". [9]

On January 1, 2019, Filler-Corn became Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, and was the first woman to lead a caucus in the 400-year history of the Virginia House of Delegates. [2] From 2020 to 2022, Filler-Corn served as the Chair of the Rules Committee and as Chair of the Joint Rules Subcommittee. [10] [ failed verification ]

On January 8, 2020, the new Democratic majority elected Filler-Corn Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates. She is both the first woman and Jewish person to serve in this position. On November 9, 2019, following elections where the Democratic Party of Virginia won control of the House, the incoming caucus officially nominated her for the position of Speaker in the 161st General Assembly. [11] She began her term as Speaker on January 8, 2020. [1]

On May 26, 2020, Filler-Corn endorsed Joe Biden for President after he had secured the nomination and was the presumptive nominee. [12]

On April 27, 2022, Filler-Corn was removed from her position as Democratic leader after a vote of the party caucus; no official reason was given at that point in time. [13] The caucus did not have an immediate vote to fill the position, but it is now held by Don Scott. [14] It was later revealed that she was accused of not spending enough on Democratic House of Delegates races, money that her critics felt might have made a difference in some tight House races that went to Republicans. [15]

In May 2022, a judge fined Filler-Corn $500 for violating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The violation occurred after a lawyer requested records on details surrounding the removal of Confederate statues from the Virginia State Capitol, which Filler-Corn responded stating that the documents did not exist. The lawyer then filed a FOIA request with the Virginia Department of General Services, which did return records. [16]

In March 2023, Filler-Corn announced she would not run for reelection. [17] On October 18, 2023, she announced that she would run for Congress in Virginia's 10th congressional district to succeed outgoing U.S. Representative Jennifer Wexton. [18]

In June 2023, a campaign finance complaint was filed to the Federal Election Commission against Filler-Corn, alleging violations of federal campaign finance laws. The complaint claimed her campaign misreported contributions and expenses and failed to accurately disclose donor information, raising concerns about transparency and compliance with campaign finance regulations. According to the complaint, Filler-Corn gave the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC $110,000 a day after the group endorsed her. [19]

Political positions

Filler-Corn is a supporter of Israel and is a board director on the American Jewish Committee. [18] [20] Following October 7th attacks, she attended the March for Israel in Washington, D.C., as a speaker. [21] [ non-primary source needed ]

Electoral history

DateElectionCandidatePartyVotes %
Virginia House of Delegates, 41st district
November 2, 1999 [22] General J H Dillard II Republican 7,75258.52
E R Filler-Corn Democratic 5,48241.38
Write Ins130.10
Incumbent won; Republican hold
March 2, 2010 [23] Special Eileen Filler-CornDemocratic5,75850.13
Kerry D. BologneseRepublican5,72149.80
Write Ins70.06
David W. Marsden was elected to the Senate; Democratic hold
November 8, 2011 [24] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic11,95968.01
Mike R. Kane Libertarian 5,50931.33
Write Ins1140.64
November 5, 2013 [25] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic15,03056.9
Fredy BurgosRepublican10,39239.41
Christopher DeCarloIndependent9443.58
Write Ins370.1
November 3, 2015 [26] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic12,17592.8
Write Ins9457.2
November 7, 2017 [27] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic22,98590.8
Write Ins2,3179.2
November 5, 2019 [28] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic17,30271.58
John Michael WolfeIndependent4,56818.90
Rachel MaceLibertarian1,8757.76
Write Ins428
November 2, 2021 [29] GeneralEileen Filler-CornDemocratic23,20165.14
John Michael WolfeRepublican12,34634.66
Write Ins710.2
United States House of Representatives, Virginia's 10th district
June 18, 2024 [30] Primary Suhas Subramanyam Democratic13,50430.4
Dan Helmer 11,78426.6
Atif Qarni4,76810.7
Eileen Filler-Corn4,1319.3
Jennifer Boysko 4,0169.0
David Reid 1,4193.2
Michelle Maldonado 1,4123.2
Adrian Pokharel1,0282.3
Krystle Kaul9822.2
Travis Nembhard7221.6
Marion Devoe3860.9
Mark Leighton2240.5

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References

  1. 1 2 Suderman, Alan; Rankin, Sarah (January 9, 2020). "Newly empowered Virginia Democrats promise action". Associated Press . Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  2. 1 2 Schneider, Gregory (January 2, 2019). "A 400-year first: Filler-Corn breaks many barriers as new Democratic leader in Virginia's House". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Wildstein, David (November 9, 2019). "New Virginia House Speaker is New Jerseyan who worked to oust Chris Smith in 1986". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  4. ↑ Hatzipanagos, Rachel (August 18, 2011). "Profile: Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, 41st District". Fairfax Station, VA Patch . Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Eileen Filler-Corn's Biography". Vote Smart . Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Del. Dave Marsden Wins 37th State Senate Special Election". Fairfax County Democratic Party. January 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  7. ↑ "VA State House 041 - Special Election Results". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
  8. ↑ Kravitz, Derek (March 3, 2010). "No recount in close Virginia House race". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2010.
  9. ↑ Kravitz, Derek (February 21, 2010). "Democrat in special election for Fairfax House seat nabs endorsement from ex-rival". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Virginia House of Delegates Member Listings". virginiageneralassembly.gov. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Eileen Filler-Corn is the first woman to be nominated for Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates". 8News . November 9, 2019. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Va. House Speaker endorses Biden for President". NBC 12 . May 27, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  13. ↑ Rankin, Sarah; Lavoie, Denise (April 27, 2022). "Virginia House Democrats vote to remove their leader". AP News. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  14. ↑ Moomaw, Graham (April 27, 2022). "Va. House Democrats remove Filler-Corn without picking new leader". Virginia Mercury . Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  15. ↑ Vozzella, Laura (May 5, 2022). "Virginia Democrats leadership fight grows after House ouster". Washington Post. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  16. ↑ Hipolit, Melissa (May 2, 2022). "Judge fines Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn for FOIA violation". WTVR . Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  17. ↑ "Filler-Corn, Lewis join Virginia General Assembly exodus". WTOP-FM . Associated Press. March 7, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Kassel, Matthew (October 18, 2023). "Eileen Filler-Corn announces campaign for open House seat in Northern Virginia". Jewish Insider . Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  19. ↑ Marans, Daniel (June 14, 2023). "Eileen Filler-Corn Faces Campaign Finance Complaint". HuffPost . Retrieved June 14, 2024.
  20. ↑ McLaughlin, Seth (October 20, 2023). "Loudoun County Democrats balk at Democratic congressional candidate trumpeting her Jewish faith". The Washington Times . Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  21. ↑ Filler-Corn, Eileen [@EFillerCorn] (October 14, 2023). "My heart remains broken for the people of Israel and the Jewish community around the world. It was an honor to speak to the tremendous crowd gathered yesterday in DC, united in solidarity with Israel" (Tweet). Retrieved November 11, 2024– via Twitter.
  22. ↑ "Election Results - House of Delegates - Nov 1999 Gen Election". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on December 28, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  23. ↑ "March 2010 House of Delegates Special Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on October 14, 2010. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  24. ↑ "November 2011 General Election Official Results". Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Virginia Elections Database » 2013 House of Delegates General Election District 41". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Virginia Elections Database » 2015 House of Delegates General Election District 41". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Virginia Elections Database » 2017 House of Delegates General Election District 41". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Virginia Election Results: November 5, 2019". The Virginia Public Access Project. Retrieved November 8, 2019.
  29. ↑ "2021 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on February 5, 2022. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  30. ↑ Vakil, Caroline (June 19, 2024). "Suhas Subramanyam wins Virginia Democratic primary for Wexton's seat". The Hill. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
Virginia House of Delegates
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
2019–2020		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates
2022		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
2020–2022		Succeeded by
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