On the eve of the 8th District GOP primary tomorrow, the two candidates vying for the GOP nomination to contest Rep. Jim Moran in November were at each other’s throats on-line today, and their reference point was the News-Press article on the primary in its June 3 edition. Patrick Murray pinned the labels of “liberal” and “progressive” on his opponent, Matthew Berry, based on Berry’s quote in the News-Press article that Arlington County “is where you will find probably the most moderate and progressive Republicans in the whole country.”

Berry lashed back later in the day with a statement on his website saying, “Unfortunately my opponent, having fallen behind in the race…has sent out a mailing and e-mails repeatedly lying about his mis-characterizing my positions on the issues.” Berry reiterated that he is pro-life, dedicated to restoring fiscal responsibility, has a transportation plan for Northern Virginia, believes that gay marriage is “a state issue and that each state should determine its own marriage laws,” opposes any repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the military prior to a military review, and is a committed conservative.”

Berry concluded by saying that “any suggestion to the contrary” of his conservative credentials, “based on an inaccurate quote from an extremely liberal newspaper, is completely false.”