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Tom Davis on politics today in Northern Virginia~\n\nThey've done it to themselves because they've emphasized these social issues, in an area that's becoming much more widely diverse, instead of focusing on the bread and butter and the economic issues that basically decide the success or not of every jurisdiction. They just priced themselves out of the market. So even where they were right on a number of issues, you had young people, people of color, just pushing the mute button when you had the Republican label.\n\nTom Davis - Retired Congressman and Rector, George Mason University and host Andy Ockershausen in-studio interview\n\nAndy Ockershausen:\tThis is Our Town and this is Andy Ockershausen and we're so fortunate to have a friend for many, many years who sort of disappeared part of our life, but thank God, not totally. Congressman Tom Davis, welcome to Our Town.\nTom Davis:\tAndy, it's great to retire from my life of quiet anonymity to come on to your show.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tTom, I can't tell you Tom, how much I miss you and seeing your career and being a part of your life, whether you like it or not, WMAL was because-\nTom Davis:\tAbsolutely.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tAnd I was involved with the Alexandria Group there and the good old days when we elected people, but you can't get a Republican elected in Alexandria now with a search warrant. But Tom, you've done so well. 14 years in Congress?\nTom Davis - 29 Years of Public Service | Former United States Congressman and Fairfax County Board Member \nTom Davis:\tRight, and I was 15 years on the County Board in Fairfax before that.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tYou were? That's 29. That's half your life.\nTom Davis:\t29. Yeah, I know. Well it was more than half- \nAndy Ockershausen:\tThe Arlington County board?\nTom Davis:\tI mean, less than half my life now.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tThat was the ABC guy?\nTom Davis:\tNo, this was the Fairfax County.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tOh, Fairfax County?\nTom Davis:\tYeah, yeah.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tI remember my friend Bob Peck was on the Arlington Board for a while.\nReminiscing - Local Political Races\nTom Davis:\tOh my goodness. I remember all those races, because I grew up on those races in Arlington.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tYou're an Arlington guy, right?\nTom Davis:\tIn Arlington, yeah. I remember Hal Casto. Do you remember Hal Casto? He was on the Board.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tVery well. I remember the name.\nTom Davis:\tNed Thomas, they owned the cemetery. He was on the County Board.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tThe cemetery? He lived on the cemetery?\nTom Davis:\tHe did. He did.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tHe and his wife lived on a cemetery?\nThe Cemetery Story\nTom Davis:\tIn fact, we ran a registration drive there one year on the cemetery, and we get to this really old tombstone to get it appropriately registered and we couldn't read the name. We're putting the flashlight on. We're trying to put a paper over it and engrave it, and figure out what's the name. Somebody comes and says, "Davis, we gotta get outta here. The cops are going to be here in a few minutes." I said, "Wait a minute. This man has just as much right to vote as everybody else in here."\nAndy Ockershausen:\tHe's one of us, the good Republican. You couldn't find one now with a search warrant, I'll guarantee you. Tom, but you're a local guy. You grew up in Arlington.\nTom Davis:\tRight.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tAnd that's a big part of your life is Northern Virginia. It's been there your whole life, your whole college career was in Northern Virginia.\nOn Growing Up | Family and Education | Full Scholarship to Amerherst \nTom Davis:\tExcept for army, college, and basically law school. Yeah, that's it.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tWhere was college?\nTom Davis:\tAmherst, in Massachusetts.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tAmherst, a good school. Wow!\nTom Davis:\tThey gave me a full scholarship. It was not a hard choice.\nAndy Ockershausen:\tAmherst is one of the schools for the, you know, the silver spoon.\nTom Davis:\tI was lucky.