Dems: Feder good bet for House flip

By Garren Shipley -- Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Democratic 10th District challenger Judy Feder represents one of the party's best chances to flip a U.S. House seat from "red to blue," according to congressional Democrats.

Feder, a former dean of Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute and two-time challenger of incumbent Rep. Frank Wolf, was designated a "red to blue" candidate Friday by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

"Red to blue" candidates get additional financial support from national Democrats and organizational help from outside their home districts — about $404,000 per candidate in 2006.

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"Judy Feder continued to show significant support on the fundraising front. She's raised more this cycle than she did in the last cycle," Van Hollen said, speaking to reporters on a conference call.

Virginia's "past few elections engender optimism," he said, pointing to the successes of Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in 2005, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb in 2006 and the Democratic takeover of the Virginia Senate in 2007.

"Also, we think that there's going to be an increase in both the youth vote and the African-American vote," he said — two constituencies that trend Democratic.

A strong showing on the top of the ticket — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., for president and former Gov. Mark R. Warner for U.S. Senate — will likely give Feder enough of a push to make the race very close, he added.

Northern Virginia areas, including much of the 10th District, are "a big focus from the Senate race as well as the Obama [campaign] in these Northern Virginia districts," Van Hollen said.

"Those are obviously key battleground areas," he said. "What we see is a lot of energy and activity on the ground."

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"Given the fact that the Obama campaign is investing the time, energy and resources in Virginia ... we think we're poised to have big opportunities in Virginia," he said. Democratic congressional candidates need to be "in a position to take advantage of those opportunities."

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Election Day is Nov. 4.

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