It’s safe to say that Republican Congressional hopeful Keith Fimian and Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Dick Cranwell probably don’t agree on much when it comes to politics.
But in e-mails to supporters sent Thursday, both made pitches for donations by highlighting Virginia’s prominence on the national political stage.
“I know November seems a long ways off, but we are working as hard as ever to get out the Democratic vote across the state,” Cranwell wrote. “We’ve got offices open and staff on the ground and it’s a good thing we do. By all accounts, Virginia is the most targeted state in the country.”
Meanwhile, in an e-mail aptly titled, “Control of the House Hinges on Virginia’s 11th,” Fimian cited recent comments from former Congressman Tom Davis to Politico that if Republicans take Gerry Connolly’s seat, they’ll take control of the House of Representatives.
He also highlighted recent comments from former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe to the Mount Vernon Voice saying that if a candidate like Connolly loses, Democrats will lose the House (though McAuliffe also said he didn’t think Democrats would lose control of the House or Senate).
“We have a tremendous opportunity to defeat Gerry Connolly and begin restoring fiscal sanity to Washington, but it all comes down to this seat,” Fimian wrote.
Virginia is shaping up once again to be a major political battleground. In 2008, it was a key swing state that Barack Obama targeted and carried as be became president, and in 2009, all eyes were on the gubernatorial contest between now-Gov. Bob McDonnell and Democrat Creigh Deeds.
