Keith Fimian is banking on the political climate for 2010 to be dramatically different than when he challenged now-Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) in 2008.

If November’s GOP sweep in Va. and last week’s Republican victory in the Mass. Senate race are any guides, than Fimian’s hunch is correct: the political winds are blowing with the Republicans instead of against them.

"Well, listen, I’m not a career politician," said Fimian. "I’m a small business owner who’s spent my entire career creating jobs and growing the economy. It’s what I know well and what I do best.
Fimian, the chairman and founder of the home inspection company U.S. Inspect, said he thinks "having someone in office in the 11th district who's spent his career creating jobs is what the voters want."

In order to take on Connolly again, Fimian will have to get past Fairfax County supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) in the Republican primary. He said what is different between him and politicians like Connolly and Herrity is that they "just want to get reelected" which means sacrificing "what is most important, which is the future of our country."

To Fimian, all the so-called "career politicians … care about is their self preservation."

Connolly "said he would oppose wasteful spending and he hasn't," said Fimian, even though Connolly routinely argues that he fought for deficit control. "He's voted on several bills to increase taxes and increase spending…. I think he's vulnerable because of the policies he's voted for."

He called out Herrity for being overly ambitious because "his father was an elected official" and he has run "three races in 3.5 years."

Herrity won his supervisor seat in 2007 and lost a special election for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors chairman in 2009 to fill the seat vacated by Connolly’s election.

Fimian’s approach to government is that he wants it to "create conditions where businesses can start and flourish and thrive," which largely revolves around deregulation.

"Well I think an entire review needs to be done to determine what we're spending our money on," said Fimian, adding that in order to create the best business atmosphere, "you've got to make sure regulations don't stiffen innovation."

When asked what federal regulations he would change, Fimian replied, "There's nothing specific I could refer to now. My point is simply that government has to create these conditions for guys like me to start business."

Fimian concentrated heavily on the federal government allowing "capital" to be made available in some form. In order for that to happen, he said spending items like the federal health care bills being debated and the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) should be nixed.

"I mean, these things, it would be far better for the government to cut payroll taxes so that they have access to that money," said Fimian, referring to companies.

He also has a problem with the federal stimulus plan, as he "would have temporarily reduced payroll taxes so that" the companies paying those taxes and the recipients of the breaks would have "had access to that capital and put it to use in the way they best (saw) fit."

However, 42 percent of the federal stimulus plan was, in fact, based around tax cuts. When asked to respond to that, he said, "I'm not sure the impact each of (the cuts) had on the economy directly."

One of his problems with the federal stimulus bill is that "the government taxing and spending taxing and borrowing money that goes into the stimulus bill will not grow our economy or grow jobs anywhere close to what private companies applying capital to their business and growing their business would. It's vitally important that businesses have access to capital, but when government borrows the money, it squeezes out the money available for small businesses to borrow and it increases the interest rates form small businesses to borrow."

Unlike many conservative Republicans, Fimian favors allowing more immigration for foreign nationals arriving with H1B visas with the idea that allowing foreign entrepreneurs to set up shop state-side "would be far wiser" than having them create jobs in other countries

Locally, Fimian said that the emergency lanes on Interstate 66 "could be viable lanes for use not just for rush hour, but day and night." He mentioned how in Los Angeles, commuters "use all the space left to right. There’s no emergency lanes and that’s an easy way to add lane space to western Prince William.

He supports adding green arrows and red X signals above all lanes instead "so that you could see if there's an accident ahead.

"Time spent in traffic is just awful when you don’t want to spend time in traffic," said Fimian.