One month after announcing his bid to unseat Rep. Eric I. Cantor, R-7th, Richmond businessman Charlie Diradour is bowing out. He cited dedication to his family and to Richmond in a statement released yesterday announcing his withdrawal. Diradour, who doesn’t live in the 7th Congressional District, was seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Cantor in 2010.

Charlie Diradour’s campaign against Rep. Eric Cantor got off to an amusing start when voters learned the Democratic challenger does not live in the 7th Congressional District. Rather, he lives in the 3rd. “I don’t live in the district because they gerrymandered the district 10 years ago,“ he explained. Diradour is correct to cite gerrymandering, but his history seems less than precise. The crucial redistricting occurred after the 1990 Census—almost 20 years ago. The maps reflecting the 2000 Census preserved the previous framework.

Charlie Diradour had a rocky start in his quest to unseat the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives, Eric I. Cantor, R-7th. In the course of his first day on the campaign, the Richmond business owner acknowledged that he doesn’t live in the district—which is not required—and amended details of his criticism about Cantor’s conduct during President Barack Obama’s health-care speech to a joint session of Congress.

Charlie Diradour, the owner of a Richmond-based real estate development firm, is expected to launch a bid today for the Democratic nomination to challenge Rep. Eric I. Cantor, the House Republican whip. Paul Goldman, a former candidate for the Richmond City Council and a policy adviser to then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, confirmed that Diradour will seek the nomination to run against Cantor in 2010. A campaign Web site was live yesterday.

A man approached Charlie Diradour and shook his hand outside The Diamond yesterday. “Keep up the good work, Charlie,“ he said. Replied Diradour: “Thank you very much for coming out.“ Diradour, who arranged the appearance to announce the launching of his revamped Web site, looked as if a politician were the centerpiece. Diradour is not a politician—at least not yet.

Charlie Diradour today held a news conference at The Diamond to encourage unity and reception of the new minor league baseball team headed for Richmond. “We want this to be the most welcoming city that a minor league franchise has ever seen,“ Diradour said. Additionally, he called on the city to contact Opening Day Partners about its plan to transform The Diamond.

Charlie Diradour isn’t afraid to take a stand, especially about issues that concern his hometown. His roots in Richmond date to the 1920s, when his grandfather immigrated from Armenia. As Diradour puts its, he has a passion to be a steward to the city for what it provided him and his family—the chance to make a living. “It’s very important to stand up against what I think is wrong, or stand up for what I think is right,“ said Diradour, who hails from a family of successful real estate investors.

There is a movement afoot in our fair city to place a $388-million office/retail/restaurant/hotel development in Shockoe Bottom. At the very center of this development is a proposed $70-million baseball complex that the master develop ers of the entire project argue will be the answer to the question of growth in Shockoe Bottom. I, and those who have joined a Facebook page entitled, “I support baseball on the Boulevard,“ are politely opposed to this project and to the—seemingly—afterthought of a project that has been proposed by the same developers for the site of The Diamond and the Arthur Ashe Center on the Boulevard.