Background: Cheney is an expert on missile defense and strategic systems, and owns her own small business, PSMA, Inc., a national security government relations firm specializing in missile defense. Her political experience includes working as a member of the Political Advance Team Staff for President George H.W. Bush in 1988, volunteering on the campaigns of Senators George Allen & John Warner, and acting as a volunteer coordinator at both the 1992 and 1996 Republican National Conventions. Cheney is a charter member of the Patriot Republican Women’s Club, and a member of the Alexandria Republican City Committee, the Commonwealth Republican Women’s Club and the National Federation of Republican Women. She has a degree in Political Science from George Washington University and a Masters in Security Statecraft from the Institute for World Politics.

Cheney, a native of Alexandria, has two young children and is very active in her community. She has been a volunteer with a number of organizations including the Special Olympics, YMCA, Easter Seals, and Alexandria Family Services Adopt a Family. Her husband is a Commander in the U.S. Navy and recently completed a tour with the USS Ronald Reagan.

The district: Virginia’s 8th district covers most of suburban Washington, D.C., including the cities of Alexandria and Arlington. The district is very Democratic, but the current incumbent, Representative Jim Moran (a Democrat) is quite unpopular, so the district is considered by some to be competitive. Despite being an incumbent, Moran faced primary opposition and his Democratic challenger received over 41% of the vote. In her primary, Cheney beat her closest opponent by 34 points in a 4-way race. The district has the largest number of federal employees in the nation and the average median income is quite high. Many people work in the defense industry.