This year is going to see a Congressional landslide for Democrats, which means that primaries are particularly important. Blue Majority has endorsed progressive Leslie Byrne, the first Virginia politico to endorse Jim Webb in 2006. She's facing Gerald Connolly, a pro-developer business-y type running in the district as an antiwar liberal.
In his bid for Congress from Northern Virginia's 11th District, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly recently mailed a campaign flier demonstrating his opposition to U.S. involvement in Iraq. Among other things, the piece accuses the "Bush-Cheney Defense Department" of secretly awarding billions in no-bid contracts to war "profiteers."
Depending on who's talking, however, that last description could include Connolly's employer: Science Applications International Corp., a defense and intelligence contractor that has come under scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of several Iraq-related projects.
Distinguishing between genuine progressives and people likely to flip when the wind blows is something we need to work on in the remaining primaries that are left. VA-11 is a good place to start.
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