Raising Kaine has done an excellent report on a recent event Senator McEachin co-hosted to benefit Leslie Byrne for Congress. We've culled a few highlights below, or you can read the entire post .

Tonight was the big end-of-quarter fundraiser/reception for Leslie Byrne at the home of Bob and Mary Ann Hovis in Oakton. Eric took a lot of photographs, which I'm sure he'll post later, but for now here are the highlights from what I saw.

• Aside from Sen. Webb, elected officials present included Sen. Donald McEachin, Sen. Chap Petersen, Del. Steve Shannon, Del. Margi Vanderhye. Donald introduced Chap, who introduced Jim Webb, who introduced Leslie.
• Donald noted that without Chap, we wouldn't be at 21 seats in the Senate. Donald also pointed out (joking?) that several Republicans were having problems adjusting to this situation.

Providing a college education for a child who wishes to attend is one of the greatest opportunities our society can provide. Graduating from a college or university not only gives children more choices and greater earning power, but also creates better educated leaders to take our nation and our communities through the next century. Unfortunately, higher education is expensive. Even at our state schools here in Virginia, excellent academic institutions and some of the top bargains in the nation, a four year degree will probably cost well in excess of $50,000 dollars. Not surprisingly, many students and their families need financial aid and want to take advantage of student loan programs.

Furthermore, during the last decade, the cost of tuition has skyrocketed, forcing students to borrow ever larger sums. Unfortunately, over the same period, interest rates have also escalated drastically, compounding the burden on families.