Minorities, Falling Economy Cited in Obama Win in Loudoun

Obama's win adds to a string of recent Democratic triumphs in Loudoun. The county voted for Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) in 2005 and Sen. James Webb (D) in 2006. And in last year's Board of Supervisors race, Democrats running on a slow-growth platform ousted Republican incumbents.

Analysts said Loudoun Republicans must regroup and refine their message if they hope to prevent Loudoun from becoming any bluer.

Loudoun had been a reliably red county, and "I think a lot of Republicans believed it and got a little lazy," Rozell said. "One criticism I hear is that they took things for granted for a long time and now they are in the catch-up phase."

Their only victory in Loudoun came in the 10th District, as Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R) received 58.4 percent of the county's vote, beating Democratic challenger Judy Feder.

Analysts said Wolf was reelected because of his long track record and crossover appeal. "If anything, his party affiliation worked against him," Rozell said. "It was an individual victory."

Caroline said his party needs to focus on emphasizing its main principles: national defense, support of small businesses and lower taxes. "I think what we need to do is get back to better explaining who we are at the core," he said.

Bucholz said Democrats hope to build on their recent victories in Loudoun but can't assume future contests will break in their favor. "Every election we have to go out and earn those votes," he said.

Rozell agreed Loudoun still can't be considered a Democratic county. "It's not strictly blue. It's purple with some definite shades of blue," he said.