Republican Stands Alone in Congressional Race

"Congressman!" said Thomas McGorry, the head pediatrician, leaping from his seat. He grasped Wolf's hand warmly, like an old friend. "I voted for you when you still had brown hair," he said with a laugh -- perhaps because his own snowy hair reflected the change in Wolf's.

Supporters say Wolf has little to fear this year. Although his district includes Loudoun and parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties, it also includes a good chunk of the northern Shenandoah Valley, an area that has remained firmly in Republican control. Independent political analysts such as the Cook and Rothenberger reports favor Wolf this fall.

People in this district "don't want this abrasive partisanship, and that's mainly what [Feder] provides," said James E. Rich, chairman of Virginia's 10th Congressional District Republican Committee. "It really looks like a fish out of water in the western portion of the district. She wouldn't know one end of a cow from the other."

Feder's supporters, however, say Wolf can no longer count on the longtime residents that once made up his base. Since 2002, about 168,000 new voters have been added to the rolls in the district, according to Feder's campaign, which is banking that many of the transplants are leaning Democratic. They say Feder brings a jolt of energy to a region that is craving it.

"Judy is a can of Red Bull, and Frank is a bottle of Ambien pills," said Paul Begala, a national Democratic strategist and McLean resident who is supporting Feder. "I have never seen people more hungry for change. And when you think of change, you don't think of [an elderly] guy who has been in Washington for 28 years."

Two years ago, Wolf beat Feder with about 57 percent of the vote -- a decisive victory, but by a smaller margin than in previous elections.

Feder's campaign says she has many reasons to be more confident this year, including better name recognition, an earlier start and more than $1 million in campaign contributions. She also expects to benefit from Obama's sophisticated campaign machine and the enthusiasm surrounding his and Mark Warner's campaigns.

This year, a key issue has been health care, which she said has been the focus of much of her career. She was an adviser to President Bill Clinton on health-care policy and helped craft his administration's universal health-care plan, which ultimately failed. She has penned a new proposal to reform the nation's health-care system -- one that she says offers more choices than the failed 1993 plan.

She has criticized Wolf for his ties to Bush and has accused him of failing to take steps to jump-start the economy, make health care more affordable and bring mass transit to the area. Her campaign has sought to dispel the idea that Wolf is a moderate.

Wolf's supporters have lashed back, calling Feder, who is often described by her backers as "progressive," as too liberal for the district. They have criticized her fundraising, noting that much of her money comes from outside the district. They also have accused her of being too negative in her attacks. Experts predict that the race will get acrimonious as fall approaches.