There are twelve congressional races in Virginia in 2006. We are still waiting for a Democratic challenger to declare his or her candidacy against Junior Senator and right-wing conservative, George Allen, but we have important congressional races that you can get involved with right now!
Virginia has three Democrats currently representing us:
District 3: Robert C. 'Bobby' Scott
District 8: James P. Moran
District 9: Frederick C. 'Rick' Boucher
Virginia currently has eight Republicans, representing the failed policies of President Bush:
District 1: Jo Ann S. Davis
District 2: Thelma D. Drake
District 4: James Randy Forbes
District 5: Virgil H. Goode
District 6: Robert W. 'Bob' Goodlatte
District 7: Eric I. Cantor
District 10: Frank Rudolph Wolf
District 11: Thomas M. 'Tom' Davis
Several of the Republicans could be vulnerable this year. To keep track of these races and the candidates involved, you can periodically check with these three sites, which cover congressional races in all 50 states:
*Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
*Politics1
*Barry Welsh
I encourage you to look at the names on these lists, and to call the campaigns of Democratic candidates in your district. Although it may seem early in the campaign season, it's actually a great time to get involved before the campaigns get too crazy. One advantage of getting involved now is that you will have more "face time" with the candidates themselves - a chance to learn about the candidates, meet them at events in your area, and spread the word about them. In addition, if you get involved now, you can help your candidate build a strong, grassroots "ground game" for defeating his or her Republican opponent down the line. That's how we're going to win here in Virginia during 2006 - with people like you getting involved now!
Some Democrats will face primaries, of course. Although this may seem less than ideal, it is actually a good thing, because a primary gives candidates a chance to hone their messages and to introduce themselves to the voters in their districts. Also, the more people hear about these candidates, the more likely they are to consider them serious challengers. When Republicans hear they have a challenger, they usually aren?t very happy about it, even if they're not particularly worried about it. Our job is to make sure that they ARE worried, and that they do face significant challenges.
It's far from hopeless, even in this "red state" of ours. In fact, Tim Kaine won four of the Republican-held districts this past November:
-In District #2 (Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore), Kaine won 49.8% to 46.8%.
-In District #5 (South-central Virginia from Charlottesville to Danville) Kaine won 49.6% to 48.4%.
-In District #10 (much of Northern Virginia including all of Northwest Virginia from McLean to Front Royal to Winchester), Kaine won 50.3% to 46.4%.
-In District #11 (Fairfax City, outer Fairfax County, and parts of Prince William County), Kaine won 55.7% to 42.4%.
In other words, we can win all these districts and take them away from Republican incumbents. But we need your help. So what are you waiting for? Make a connection right now in your area, and start supporting Democratic candidates. Together we can turn Virginia Blue!
*For more information on the election results by district, please see my previous article on this subject: We Must Challenge All Republicans in Virginia!
I have met people who literally begged me for a chance to vote for a Democrat instead of some lame protest candidate. One race where I think a historic upset might be possible is in Eric Cantor's 7th. As DeLay enters his death spin, he could easily drag Eric Cantor, one of his closest allies in the House, with him. But if we don't have a candidate in the 7th, it's all for nothing. With DeLay gone, Cantor can rehabilitate his reputation and re-entrench himself in the 7th.
For the 7th it's now or never: 2006 is the year for someone to make their move.