This Tuesday all standard polling places in the 8th Congressional District of Northern Virginia will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a Democratic primary election pitting seven-term incumbent Rep. Jim Moran against Alexandria attorney Andy Rosenberg, seeking office for the first time.
Facing his first primary since being elected to Congress in 1990, Rep. Moran has been campaigning aggressively despite the lack of experience of his opponent. Rosenberg's campaign has enjoyed an infusion of financial support from Moran opponents and that has already translated into a series of slick, color pamphlets mailed to homes in the district that are focused solely on attacking Moran.
A concern for the Moran camp, according to one campaign official, is the impact of Republican interference in the primary. As a member of the powerful House Budget and Appropriations Committees, Moran is a particular thorn in the side to GOP lawmakers who have been frustrated in the past by their inability to gain any significant electoral foothold against him in his home district.
Although a Democratic primary Tuesday's election is, under Virginia law, technically open to anyone who shows up to vote, regardless of political loyalties. Therefore, the Moran camp fears that many Republicans may come to the polls in hopes of weakening if not defeating him next week.
Therefore, Democrats in support of Moran have been focused on fighting complacency among his supporters, since in the past most of his elections have been lopsided wins against GOP challengers.
Moran has gained the formal endorsement of a number of labor organizations, the Virginia Partisans Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. Humane Society and the Falls Church News-Press (see editorial on Page 2 of this edition).
A letter due to be sent this week to City of Falls Church Democrats by nine prominent citizens focused on Moran's achievements for the region and the City in the last two years. "For the City of Falls Church, Jim got $500,000 for affordable housing for Winter Hill, $50,000 to help buy land for the Tinner Hill Foundation Museum, $1 million for the George bus service and parking facility, $500,000 for 800 MHz radio for the police department and $6 million for the Library of Congress' `American Memory' project to bring on-line the library's rich holdings of American history documents and photographs, with a special provision to finance training for Falls Church and Alexandria school teachers and librarians to access those materials for classroom use."
The letter is signed by Falls Church Democratic Committee chair Edna Frady, former City Councilman Ed Strait, City Treasurer Bob Morrison, Sheriff Steve Bittle, Commissioner of the Revenue Tom Clinton, City Council member Lindy Hockenberry, Chamber of Commerce president Steve Rogers, News-Press owner/editor Nick Benton and Joan Huber. The letter was authorized and paid for by the Falls Church Committee to Reelect Congressman Jim Moran.
By contrast, a mailer from Andy Rosenberg for Congress, Inc., to many Falls Church and 8th District addresses had no reference to Rosenberg's record or goals, nor names of supporters. It was solely an attack on Moran, reading, "Had it up to here with stories about Jim Moran? We deserve better," and cites 13 newspaper headlines critical of Moran, eight of which were from the Washington Post and three more from notoriously pro-Republican news organizations.