Republicans Prepare for Internal Fight

"There is a cultural divide," leading moderate Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) said. (Melina Mara - Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)

"Virginia is a Southern state, but Northern Virginia is a northern suburb," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report. "The northern suburbs have become a problem for Republicans."

As they prepare for the party's annual meeting and the 2007 legislative session, Virginia's conservatives are fighting back. As they did after Kilgore's loss, they blame Allen's defeat on a reluctance by mainstream Republicans to stick to conservative principles.

They argue that excessive spending under the Republican-controlled Congress turned off conservative voters this year. And in Virginia, they say the decisions by some moderate Republicans in the General Assembly to back tax increases in 2004 and 2005 have weakened the party's conservative brand.

"Those votes are easily gettable by going back to what we actually believe in," Parmelee said.

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) said the Virginia Republican Party needs to find a way to convert its conservative philosophy into solutions for problems that Northern Virginia residents care about, such as traffic and underperforming schools.

"These last couple election results should be a call to arms," Bolling said. "I think it is important for the Republican Party to remain committed to conservative values, lower taxes, less government, individual rights and responsibilities. We are the party that believes values still matter to Virginians, but at the same time it is important to talk about how our values relate to issues."

On Wednesday, Bolling sent an e-mail to supporters titled, "Where does the GOP go from here?" He said he will form two commissions, one of party activists and the other of business and civic leaders, which will be charged with crafting "100 ideas for the future of Virginia" on education, public safety, transportation, health care and the environment.

"The people of Virginia want leaders who will offer a positive vision for the future, and that is what we must do if we want to remain the majority party," Bolling said in his e-mail.

Rothenberg said the challenge for Republicans is to find candidates who can appeal to suburban voters on taxes and quality of life issues while avoiding hot-button cultural and social issues.

"Some of the Republican message sells wonderfully there, but some of it doesn't," Rothenberg said. "Republicans have got to find candidates that talk that lingo."