Democrats Hope to Gain House Seats With Crowded Pack of Contenders

Virginia Democrats, emboldened by rising support for their party in statewide and local elections, say the crowded field of Democratic contenders in Tuesday's congressional primaries suggests that they have a deep bench of good candidates that could help them pick up seats in the House of Representatives.

"The amount of energy and interest and activism in the Democratic Party is off the charts right now," said Scott Surovell, chairman of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee.

But Republicans say they are confident that they will keep their seats in the House. "I think the Republicans are going to run a lot stronger than people think they are," said Dan Scandling, a spokesman for the campaign of Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), who faces a primary challenge on the GOP side Tuesday.

Thousands of voters are expected to head to the polls to choose GOP and Democratic nominees for three House seats in Northern Virginia. Two are held by Republicans, but Rep. Tom Davis (R) is retiring from one of them, the 11th District's, leaving a rare vacant seat.

Democrats, buoyed by last week's visit to the region by presidential hopeful Barack Obama and the popularity of former governor Mark R. Warner in his U.S. Senate race, are working hard to wrest those two seats away. But Republican activists, particularly in the 10th District where Wolf is seeking his 15th term, are striving to keep from losing more ground.

Four Democrats are seeking their party's nomination in the 11th District, which has been leaning blue in recent years and is one of several seats the national party has targeted to pick up. The two front-runners are Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly and former representative Leslie Byrne, who have been locked in a bitter, negative campaign battle.

The 11th District has received most of the attention in the primary season. Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has endorsed Connolly, and Sen. James Webb has endorsed Byrne. Both camps and outside supporters have spent tens of thousands of dollars.

Challengers Douglas J. Denneny, a former Navy pilot, and Lori P. Alexander, a physical therapist, have promoted themselves as the campaign's non-establishment alternatives. The winner will go up against Keith S. Fimian (R), a businessman and relative unknown -- but someone who has raised more than $600,000.

Farther west, Wolf is fending off challenges from two Democrats and a fellow Republican in the 10th District, which includes Manassas and parts of Loudoun, Prince William and Fairfax counties.

Among his potential opponents in the fall is Georgetown University professor Judy M. Feder (D), who lost to Wolf two years ago. Feder has raised about $1 million.

But she is facing a tenacious challenger in Mike R. Turner, a retired Air Force colonel who in recent weeks has picked up endorsements from leaders in Loudoun.

"We have a very high level of expectation that we will pull off the upset of the decade," said Turner, who has less name recognition and got a later start in the campaign. He has raised less than one-tenth of what Feder has amassed.

Both have criticized Wolf's support of the Iraq war. Feder, a health-policy expert, advised the Clinton administration on the issue and has made affordable health care a top priority in her run this year. Turner has accused Feder of lacking specific plans on health care and the war and has said he is more electable.

For the first time since 1980, Wolf also is facing a challenge from within the GOP, from financial consultant Vern P. McKinley. McKinley said his experience working for U.S. and foreign governments and free-market think tanks qualifies him for office. He has accused Wolf of being a "big-government Republican" who has abandoned his conservative roots during his long time in office.

Wolf, Virginia's longest-serving member of Congress, enjoys wide support from Republicans across the district, where he has prevailed over the years despite high-profile wins by nearby Democrats. And he has outraised Feder, whom he beat in 2006 with 57 percent of the vote. He is known for his anti-sprawl and mass-transit efforts and his support for international human rights.

However, because the primary is expected to have very low turnout, perhaps as low as 1 or 2 percent, small groups of voters could have an outsize impact, and even the most popular candidates are vulnerable.

"Turnout is the key to this election," said Scandling, Wolf's spokesman. "It's critical that Mr. Wolf win this primary and win in November to continue to represent this district the way it's been represented for 28 years."

In the 8th District, which covers Alexandria, Falls Church, Arlington County and part of Fairfax, two Republicans are vying for the seat held by nine-term Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D), who is also facing a challenger from within his party.

Democrat Matthew T. Famiglietti, a lawyer, has painted himself as the more progressive candidate, devoted to equal rights and changing the culture of Washington.

But he has been vastly outraised by Moran, a well-established local figure and member of the House Appropriations Committee. His early opposition to the Iraq war was well received in his solidly blue district. At a candidates forum last week in Falls Church, Moran said the country would be better off sending more Democrats to Washington.

"The Democratic Party has led America," he said. "The reason why America is a great nation is because of the Democratic Party. It's because of our principles. And it's time for us to come back to show the kind of leadership that this nation is desperately in need of."

There are two Republicans competing for the nomination in that race. Amit K. Singh, who owns a small engineering firm, said he is courting independents and Republicans frustrated with government spending and the curbing of civil liberties. He said he would be a more energetic opponent against Moran than his primary foe, banking executive Mark W. Ellmore.

Ellmore, who said he is both fiscally and socially conservative, called Singh a "Ron Paul libertarian" and accused Moran of spending too much money and failing to bring infrastructure quickly enough to Northern Virginia.