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Charlie Diradour had a rocky start in his quest to unseat the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, Eric I. Cantor, R-7th.
In the course of his first day on the campaign, the Richmond business owner acknowledged that he doesn't live in the district -- which is not required -- and amended details of his criticism about Cantor's conduct during President Barack Obama's health-care speech to a joint session of Congress.
Television cameras caught Cantor using his BlackBerry as Obama called for health-care reform. Cantor told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that he was taking notes about the contents of the speech.
Diradour launched his campaign for the 2010 Democratic nomination yesterday morning with a Web video that said Cantor was using Twitter during the speech. His video showed several postings during that general time frame. Diradour later backed away from the claim, saying his campaign made "an honest mistake" on the timing of Cantor's messages.
Ray Allen Jr., a senior strategist with Cantor for Congress, said: "No tweets went out during the president's speech -- period."
"This charge is an outrageous lie," he said. "It is amazing that someone who thinks he wants to represent the good people of the 7th District would begin his campaign with an outrageous lie and fabrication."
Cantor's posts were made before and after, not during Obama's speech. According to the White House, Obama began speaking at 8:16 p.m. and ended at 9:03 p.m.
The tweets, which referred to the congressman's upcoming TV appearances, were posted by Cantor's staff. Allen said Cantor approves tweets that his staff posts.
Though speaking on cell phones is not allowed on the floor of the House, per the House speaker's rules, use of a BlackBerry to record text is not specifically prohibited.
"Whether the congressman was tweeting or not is now not the question," Diradour said. "The fact that he was on his BlackBerry during the president's address is an affront to the people of the 7th District, the House of Representatives, the president and the presidency."
Diradour, a small-business owner who has been involved in local politics for years but has never run for office, said yesterday that he lives blocks from the 7th District, and he faulted the political gerrymandering of the district to divide the community.
"I live 10 blocks outside the district, but I live in a community that's being underserved by Eric Cantor," Diradour said. "The Constitution says I can run in the 7th District, and I'm running in the 7th District."
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