GOP Candidates for Va. House Split Over Tax Stances

But anti-tax activists said the challenges prove that their movement is very much alive.

They said the intra-party debate is needed and could help anchor the party to its true roots of fiscal conservatism, especially in the Washington suburbs, where a tradition of moderate Republicanism recently has had to compete with a more conservative strain of politics.

"Those tax increases are still a huge issue for a lot of people," said Robin DeJarnette, executive director of the Virginia Conservative Action PAC, an organization that is raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for such challengers as Craddock.

As of March 31, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, Craddock had raised $49,383, including $19,531 from the Virginia Conservative Action PAC.

Reese had raised $33,371 at the same point, including $10,000 from Leadership for Virginia, a group that is backing candidates who voted for the tax package.

"This is a watershed moment for the anti-tax movement," said Larry J. Sabato, a professor of political science at the University of Virginia. "If they can't defeat a substantial amount of Republican delegates who voted for higher taxes in a low-turnout, conservative-based GOP primary, then they have lost the battle. But they will always win the war."

Others pointed out that it is difficult to defeat incumbents of any political bent. "The anti-tax movement really is most successful when they are running in open seats," said Stephen J. Farnsworth, an associate professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.

Anti-tax activists brush off criticism that they might have lost some momentum, saying that many of the incumbents are running on a fiscally conservative message.

"They really are running our message, whether they've always voted that way or not," said James T. Parmelee, president of Republicans United for Tax Relief. He pointed out that delegates -- including Reese -- have trumpeted on campaign literature that they have fought to keep taxes low.

"Tax cuts are the stars of the ball, and everyone wants to dance," Parmelee said.