Drake to Speak at Republican Convention

U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake of Virginia has been tapped to speak on the first day of the Republican National Convention next week in St. Paul, Minn.

Drake will speak on Monday, a day that will be focused on presidential candidate John McCain's service to his country. President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney will speak that same night.

Drake is locked in an election battle with newcomer Glenn Nye, a Democrat running in the 2nd Congressional District, which includes the Virginia Beach area and part of the Eastern Shore. Drake was targeted for defeat in 2006, but she won reelection with 51 percent of the vote, despite the Democratic tide that year.