Below The Beltway

Today’s Washington Post takes a look at the race in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District:
In Northern Virginia’s 11th Congressional District race, Democrats are aiming to extend recent gains while Republicans hope a wealthy businessman who is already advertising on television can help the party hang on to a seat held for seven terms by retiring Rep. [...]

The WaPo’s Chris Cillizza ranks Virginia’s 11th District as one of the Congressional seats most likely to change parties this year:
2. Virginia’s 11th (Open seat, R): In the days leading up to the June 10 Democratic primary between Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly and former Rep. Leslie Byrne, there was a real sense [...]

In a primary election marked by incredibly low turnout, it’s usually the candidate with the most committed supported and best organized get-out-the-vote effort that’s going to come out on top, and it looks like that’s what happened in Northern Virginia’s Congressional Districts yesterday.
In the Democratic race in the 11th District, for example, Fairfax BOCS Chairman [...]

The Washington Post is reporting that turnout is very low in the primary elections in Virginia’s three Congressional District’s today:
After morning and lunch-hour rushes that looked more like a trickle, Northern Virginia election officials predicted historically low turnout in today’s congressional primaries despite a fiercely competitive Democratic contest for an open seat in the 11th [...]

It’s primary day in Virginia but if you’re in the 11th Congressional District and you don’t care who wins the Democratic Primary, you may as well stay home.
On some level, I suppose I’d rather see Gerry Connolly win simply because I know that whoever wins this primary is probably going to win in November [...]

Too Conservative compiles an interesting list of winners and losers from last weekend’s Republican convention in Richmond.
Here are a few of the more interesting ones, starting with a winner:
Democrats
Particularly Mark Warner. It’s not like Warner really needed a split GOP in order to cruise to victory, but his opponent winning with only 50.2% of the [...]

Details over at Virginia Virtucon of the plans.
In short, cross the aisle and vote for Leslie Byrne in the Democratic primary in the 11th District.
Frankly, I don’t think it’s such a great idea. It’s one thing to play around with the Democratic Presidential race when there’s a chance of a Republican victory in November. Given [...]

Governor Tim Kaine has taken sides in the Democratic race in the 11th District:
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has endorsed Democratic congressional candidate Gerald E. Connolly in Northern Virginia’s 11th District, an increasingly blue-leaning territory where Democrats are betting heavily on gaining a seat now that Republican Rep. Tom Davis is retiring.
In a statement released yesterday, [...]

The first-quarter fundraising numbers are out for the 11th District, and Gerry Connolly appears to be doing very well:
According to disclosure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission tomorrow, Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is leading the pack of four after raising $500,000 during the first quarter [...]

Fairfax BOCS Chairman released another internal poll showing him with a huge lead over Leslie Byrne:
New polling by Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly continues to show him with a significant lead over Leslie L. Byrne in the race for the 11th District Democratic Congressional nomination.
The poll of likely Democratic primary voters, first reported [...]