CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Former Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA Leon Panetta will be the keynote speaker at the annual Jefferson/Jackson Dinner on Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Charleston Civic Center, the West Virginia Democratic Party announced Wednesday.

Party Chairman Larry Puccio said it was important for the Democrats to bring in a “proven leader and statesman” for the party’s annual fundraiser and awards dinner.

Panetta served as Defense Secretary from 2011 to 2013, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2009 to 2011.

“We are thrilled to have Leon Panetta, one of the great statesmen of our time, coming to West Virginia as we enter the homestretch to November,” Puccio said. “Leon Panetta’s accomplishments and contributions to our country speak for themselves — balancing the budget, strengthening our military, bringing Osama Bin Laden to justice, among countless others — and his support for our West Virginia Democrats speaks volumes.”

Panetta served the Central Coast district of California in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1977 to 1993, and from 1989 to 1993 he chaired the House Budget Committee…