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Doug Denneny leaves Navy with hopes of entering politics
Doug Denneny has always wanted to make a difference by serving in public office.He took a 22-year detour serving in the U.S. Navy, but he is now making a bid for the 11th District seat, challenging fellow Democrats Gerry Connolly, Leslie Byrne and Lori Alexander in a June 10 primary.
The winner will face Republican Keith Fimian for a seat that has been occupied by Republican Tom Davis for 13 years.
Denneny advised his school board as a high school student in Scottsdale, Ariz. He also competed against other students to be city manager of Scottsdale for a day and he won.
A nation immersed in the Cold War made him choose the Navy temporarily, he said.
“I felt politics and public policy could come later,” he said. “I thought that then I could use my skills to protect my country.” He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1984.
Denneny, 45, a resident of the Mantua neighborhood in Fairfax, says the experience he has gained as a naval flight officer makes him the best person to represent the district that includes parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.
He retired after 22 years in the navy as a deputy legislative assistant for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after being a Top Gun instructor and serving in Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. He said he declined a promotion to captain and now serves as a business development professional for Boeing.
Running for office “is a calling” he has had for a while, Denneny said. “This country is going the wrong way and needs leadership.”
If he is elected, he promises to make a phased withdrawal from Iraq his top priority. The Iraq war is not only harming the country's foreign policy, but is also partly to blame for the country's economic troubles, Denneny said.
His experience on the Tysons Land Use Task Force, the county's Environmental Quality Advisory Council, and president of the Mantua Homeowners Association makes him a well-rounded candidate, Denneny says.
He says he has sound legislative experience. He earned a certificate in legislative studies from Georgetown University and was a nonpartisan military legislative fellow for U.S. Sen. John McCain (R).
Although he recognizes he is not one of the front-runners in the race – that would be Connolly and Byrne – he is used to fighting difficult battles as a fighter pilot.
“Let people take their shots at me,” Denneny said. “I've been shot at before.”
Denneny was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor for leading the first strike team of non-stealth aircraft over Baghdad at the beginning of the Iraq war. He has also earned six air medals and other awards for military campaigns around the world.
When he is not working or campaigning, he enjoys working out and spending time with his family. Denneny and his wife Stacey have a son and a daughter.
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