First of the two candidates’ profiles.

According to her friends and colleagues, Kathleen Murphy is dedication and compassion personified.

The cancer survivor and former military child is turning her experiences into action by running for a second time for the state House of Delegates 34th district - this time with more wisdom.

“She’s a voice for common sense,” said Director of Federal Regulations for the American Council on Education Steven Bloom.

Murphy’s background in politics goes as far back as her childhood, with her grandmother, Emma, door-to-door campaigning for politicians and watching conventions on the black and white television.

The next most impactful event leading to her interest in becoming a politician was seeing how her delegate - U.S. Congresswoman-elect Del. Barbara Comstock - voted while the General Assembly was in session.

“What energized me was that we had a delegate who talked to us one way and voted against us in Richmond,” said Murphy.

During the time in between those two experiences that sparked her interest in politics, she had the opportunity to work on the Hill, both as a Congressman’s wife and a U.S. Department of Commerce senior adviser. She also served as an aide to Congressman Charlie Wilson.

Murphy said her views on gun laws are influenced by her brother, whose life was taken during a robbery. She said her experience in life has helped her gain supporters while knocking on doors.

“There was a woman who lost her husband last year,” she said. “I knocked on her door again this year.”

Murphy said that her experience with losing her brother helped the woman go about her daily life again, moving on from the tragedy.

“That was a really special moment,” she said.

HER EXPERIENCE from her last election, where she knocked on 10,000 doors to get support, lead to a close race where she lost only by several hundred votes.

“I think the first thing I learned is that your opponent won’t always tell the truth,” she said.

Murphy also spent a lot of time volunteering in committees representing McLean.

“Kathleen is very strongly and deeply rooted in McLean and the eastern Loudoun County area,” said Del. Scott Surovell, who has known Murphy for three years. “She has put a lot of time into the community.”

He noted that her background in policy will give her an advantage if elected.

“Kathleen is someone who isn’t shy or scared to fight,” he said.

He is not the only person who stated that. Both Supervisor John Foust and neighbor Pamela Danner echoed those sentiments. Danner once ran for the same seat Murphy is running for today.

“What I like is that she would stand out,” she said. “She couldn’t just sit in the back row.”

Danner said Murphy’s community experience is what Northern Virginia needs as its voice to Richmond.

Foust also noted that “she is extremely conscientious and responsible. If she says she is going to do it, then she is going to do it.”

He has seen her work in various county committees, including the health care task force.

Combining her background in policy and her friendliness is what the area needs, according to Bloom.

“She combines both a deep sense of commitment to public service as well as her volunteer service and great compassion. “She has the ability to understand how complex policy affects personal lives.”

ANOTHER ISSUE she hopes to fight for as a delegate is helping the area get its “fair share” of education funding. As a mother of six children who are the product of Fairfax County Public Schools, she wants every child to have the best education they can get.

“Kathleen shares many of the same values that I have,” said Greg Brandon, chairman of the Dranesville District Democratic Committee. “ With respect to pre-K through plus-16 public education, not only does she support it, but she will go the necessary step forward by actually advocating for restoring higher levels of state funding for all levels of public education. Unfortunately for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Republicans in the General Assembly have painted themselves into a fiscal corner that is resulting in a downward spiral of state expenditures for education.”

He has both written letters to the editors of various newspapers and contributed money to her campaign, because he believes in what she stands for.

“The Republicans are seemingly hellbent on removing the ‘Common’ from Commonwealth and keeping the ‘wealth’ to themselves and their cronies,” he said.

For more information on Murphy, visit her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KathleenMurphyforDelegate.

The special election between Murphy and Republican candidate Craig Parisot is from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Jan. 6. For up-to-the-minute information on voting, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/elections/upcoming.htm.