Podcast: Brescia for Delegate!

I sat down with Eric Brescia, Republican candidate for delegate in Virginia’s 47th district, to discuss his thoughts on a few local issues as well as the future of the party. Eric is running in Arlington, a notoriously liberal county just across the river from D.C., so his candidacy thus far has been pretty unorthodox. He’s been endorsed by The Washington Post, has come out in favor of gay marriage (he wrote an op-ed on the subject for The Washington Blade), and his campaign features some distinctly libertarian overtones.

I don’t agree with everything Eric has to say on the podcast, but he’s a smart, engaging guy with a real interest in public service, and his campaign is a useful template for other Republican candidates in liberal districts (Liz Mair has more on Arlington’s political environment and a few local races here).

On another level, while I’ve enjoyed reading the League’s back-and-forth on conservative dissidents, I think our discussions are sometimes a bit too detached from the everyday reality of partisan politics. The real work of debate, discussion and political innovation often takes place at the local level before percolating upwards, and I think Eric’s campaign is an interesting case study for intra-party reform.

Of course, if you happen to live in Arlington’s 47th district, I encourage you to cast a ballot for Eric next Tuesday. If you’re so inclined, I know he could also use some financial support.

Full audio after the jump:

[In the interest of full disclosure, I should add that a friend of mine is involved with Eric’s campaign, which is how I heard about it in the first place. Due to scheduling constraints, my ability to follow-up on questions was also pretty limited. Oh yeah, the audio sucks. Sorry – we’re working on a better podcast set-up.]