The Battle for the U.S. House: Virginia - One Shining Seat

The Old Dominion State of Virginia only has one congressional race standing out among its 11 districts. But this one race stands out as one of the hottest in the country and so expect the Democratic and Republican campaign committees to pour resources into them like wildfire.

Virginia 1st - East: parts of Newport News and Hampton, Fredericksburg
Thanks to a strong Republican district and a large military population, Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R) should be heavily favored to win re-election against author, Shawn O'Donnell (D).

Virginia 2nd - Southeast: Virginia Beach, parts of Norfolk and Hampton
This is a hot race where Rep. Thelma Drake (R) is facing a strong challenge from Phil Kellam (D), a popular Virginia Beach Commissioner of the Revenue. Virginia Beach makes up much of the district and it has a large military population with a Republican lean. But Mr. Kellam is a familiar name in the area due to his current office and the fact that his family has been involved in Virginia Beach politics for decades. And even though Rep. Drake has a lead in terms of cash on hand with just over $708,000 to Mr. Kellam's $517,000, expect Mr. Kellam to make a strong effort towards the end with help from the DCCC.

Virginia 3rd - Southeast: parts of Richmond, Norfolk, and Newport News, Portsmouth
This is the most Democratic and only African-American majority district in Virginia, and so Rep. Bobby Scott (D) is virtually assured of winning re-election. It also helps that he has no Republican challenger this year.

Virginia 4th - Southeast: Chesapeake
Rep. Randy Forbes (R) is virtually assured of winning re-election as well since he has no Democratic challenger. The district is based in Chesapeake and it has a Republican lean to it.

Virginia 5th - South Central: Danville, Charlottesville
Republican Rep. Virgil Goode may face a tough re-election race since he shares ties with the Cunningham scandal. The two candidates competing for the Democratic nomination are Bern Ewert, a former City Manager of Roanoke and Al Weed, a winegrower and the 2004 nominee.

Virginia 6th - Northwest: Roanoke, Lynchburg
Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte should be a lock for re-election against write-in Democratic candidate Aaron Lyles.

Virginia 7th - Central: part of Richmond and suburbs
Republican Rep. Eric Cantor is going to win his re-election race because there is no Democratic challenger.

Virginia 8th - Washington suburbs: Arlington, Alexandria, part of Fairfax County
This is one of the few districts in Virginia that lean Democratic and so Democratic Rep. Jim Moran should have no trouble holding on to this seat.

Virginia 9th - Southwest: Blacksburg, Bristol
This district leans Republican but surprisingly it's represented by Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher. Since he's been in office for awhile now the congressman has been re-elected by comfortable margins. This year should be another comfortable win as he faces off against Republican C.W. "Bill" Carrico, a State Delegate and retired police officer.

Virginia 10th - North: part of Fairfax County, Loudoun County
Republican Rep. Frank Wolf is almost a sure bet in his re-election race against Democrat Judy Feder, a Georgetown Public Policy Institute Dean and former congressional aide.

Virginia 11th - Washington suburbs: parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties
If you take a look at the presidential vote of this district you would think it would be a swing district, but Republican Rep. Tom Davis has solidified his position in this seat. Northern Virginia has been growing more Democratic in recent years so it will be interesting to see if the Democratic candidate can make any headway this year. The two Dems competing for the nomination are Andy Hurst, an attorney, and Ken Longmyer, a retired foreign service officer and the 2004 nominee.

Works Cited
- Koszczuk, J. & Stern, H.A. (Eds.). (2005). CQ's Politics in America 2006: The 109th Congress. (13th Edition). Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly Inc.