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Political Heat in VA's 10th District

The hottest race on the ballot this year is likely to be in Northern Virginia, where freshman Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock is facing Democratic challenger LuAnn Bennett. 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is targeting Virginia’s 10th Congressional District as one of the 15 districts across the county where they are going to focus their time, attention and money this year. That’s because many people view Congresswoman Barbara Comstock as vulnerable. 

“I think the 10th District is the most competitive district in Virginia right now."

That’s Quentin Kidd at Christopher Newport University.“The 10th, I think, is still competitive and I think it is becoming more competitive as the population of Northern Virginia shifts out to the exurbs."

Census records show Loudoun County added eight thousand people to its population last year. That’s the fastest growing county in Virginia by far. And all those new voters are not necessarily falling in line with the rest of the state. Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says that’s why the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has a digital campaign aimed at independent women and Republican women. 

“When the Republican Party is represented by a presidential candidate named Donald Trump, every day a Republican candidate will have to answer questions about Donald Trump whether they endorse that nominee or not."

Comstock has yet to endorse Trump, and a look at voting patterns could explain why. Republican voters in the 10th Congressional District chose Marco Rubio over Trump on Super Tuesday.