Wolf vs. Feder Becomes Race to Watch

Wolf said he did not oppose the tunnel. But he was instrumental in persuading Kaine to kill it last month because the added cost of the tunnel could have put the project at risk of failing to meet federal "cost effectiveness" guidelines, jeopardizing hundreds of millions in federal dollars.

"If that had happened, the whole thing would have gone away," Wolf said. "We need rail. Without rail, there is no hope."

Wolf said he is not always partisan on Capitol Hill and not in lock step with Bush. He has pushed for the bipartisan commission that is studying the administration's policies in Iraq.

"There was a failure," he said. The Iraq Study Group, he added, "will get to the bottom of this and come up with new ideas."

Wolf is a friend of such anti-sprawl groups as the Piedmont Environmental Council. Like Feder, he opposes a proposal by Dominion Virginia Power, which could need federal approval, to erect a new power line through pristine countryside in six 10th District counties, including Loudoun and Prince William.

Wolf, who lives in Vienna, also has used his authority as chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee to encourage telecommuting for employees of the departments of Justice, Commerce and State. He demanded an investigation into possible price gouging by oil companies in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, and he has voted to increase federal investment in alternative energy sources.

One of Wolf's passions has been calling attention to human rights abuses worldwide. He has traveled abroad dozens of times, to such strife-torn regions as Tibet, Congo, Sierra Leone, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan. Usually mild-mannered, Wolf's slight stoop and white hair lend him a grandfatherly air (he has 12 grandchildren). But he becomes animated, pounding the table as he speaks of suffering abroad.

"I have met people, held people, women who have been raped," Wolf said, his voice trailing off. "I have one person in my office who does nothing but human rights and religious freedom" issues.

Wolf's amiable disposition, longevity and views on such issues as transit and preservation have made him popular across a broad swath of the 10th District's electorate -- including left-leaning conservationists who might otherwise oppose an ally of Bush this year.

Cate Magennis Wyatt is such a voter. A resident of the Loudoun County village of Waterford and a former secretary of commerce and trade for Democratic governor L. Douglas Wilder, Wyatt now leads an effort to establish a National Heritage Area along a 175-mile corridor from Gettysburg to Monticello. In Congress, Wolf is the lead supporter of the project, Called the Journey Through Hallowed Ground.

"Mr. Wolf is listening to his constituents," Wyatt said. "Mr. Wolf is really leading the charge on conservation and ensuring our history is here for generations to come."

Such support could protect Wolf against the onslaught of anti-Republican sentiment sweeping the nation. The Web page CQPolitics.com recently reclassified the 10th District race from "safe Republican" to "Republican favored." And, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has called the 10th an "emerging" race.

A recent poll conducted by the independent R.T. Strategies of Alexandria puts Feder just 5 points behind Wolf. The poll's margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Feder said, "People all over the nation are desperate for change and accountability in Washington."

But Holsworth, the VCU professor, said, "It still would be a huge surprise if Frank Wolf could be beaten."