Virginia Republicans are stepping up their efforts to tie U.S. Senate candidate Mark R. Warner to the national Democratic party and Sen. Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president.

The strategy of linking Warner to liberals in Washington has long been a part of the GOP playbook. But Warner, apparently confident of his big lead in the polls, gave the GOP new ammunition by agreeing to be the keynote speaker at the Democratic National Convention next week.

Privately, some GOP insiders have been frustrated that Warner's GOP opponent, former governor James S. Gilmore III, has appeared curiously silent as it relates to Warner's speech next week.

Unwilling to wait for Gilmore to make the attack on his own, the Virginia Republican Party is taking the lead in trying to link Warner to national Democrats.

In a lengthy memo sent out Tuesday night to GOP supporters and reporters, Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, the chairman of the state party, noted that National Journal ranked Obama as the most liberal senator in 2007. (Obama and some independent analysts strongly dispute that ranking).

"This means that Obama is more liberal than an avowed socialist, Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont," Frederick wrote. "Yet this is the man who Mark Warner chooses to honor in the form of giving his keynote address. For years the Democrats in Virginia said they were different from their national counterparts who were on the left. ...But the convention in Denver will once and for all dispel any myth to the contrary."

The Republican Party of Virginia received a big check recently from John M Templeton Jr., who has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into Republican and conservative causes over the years.

The son of the late finance guru Sir John Templeton, John M. Templeton Jr. of Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania gave the Virginia Republican Party $80,000 on July 30, according to the State Board of Elections.

He appears to have made the largest contribution from an individual to the Virgnia Republican Party since 2000, according to information from the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks money in state politics.

John M. Templeton Jr. is one of the founding members of Freedom's Watch, an organization that seeks to be the conservative version of Moveon.org. Freedom's Watch has aired millions of dollars in television ads in support of the war of Iraq. The group also plans to spend tens of millions of dollars this fall on ads targeting Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Democratic congressional candidates.

According to the New York Times, Templeton's father was one of the world's richest men when he died last month. His son, John M. Templeton Jr., the donor to the Virginia GOP and Freedom's Watch, now heads up the John Templeton Foundation. The foundation has a $1.5 billion endowment.

A month after the Democratic candidate dropped out of the race to challenge U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R), the party has found someone else to run in Virginia's 1st Congressional District, which includes part of Prince William County.

Bill Day, a mental health counselor from Warrenton who lost to Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, (R-Prince William) in 2007, will run for the seat in November.

"With Bill Day responding to the call to service, we now have a Democratic candidate who can join with Barack Obama and Mark Warner to bring change to our district, to our Commonwealth and to our country,'' said Suzette Matthews, chairwoman of the First Congressional District.

National Democrats announced today that they will provide assistance to two more congressional races in Virginia this November. That brings the number in the state to four.

Judy Feder, who is running against Rep. Frank Wolf in Northern Virginia, and Rep. Tom Perriello, who is runninng against Virgil Goode in the southern part of the state, were placed in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program, which directs assistance to Democratic challengers across the nation.

They were chosen because they surpassed fundraising goals and showed "voters that they stand for change and will represent new priorities when elected to Congress."

"The candidates for change being named to the DCCC Red to Blue program are running solid campaigns and are committed to making things easier for middle class families in their districts," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen, DCCC chairman. "With less than 100 days to make their case for change to voters in their districts, the Red to Blue program will give these candidates the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November."

The ACLU of Virginia sent letters today to housing authorities across the state, warning them not to prevent political campaigners from going door to door to distribute literature, talk with residents or register people to vote.

The letters, sent to administrators at all 28 housing authorities in the state, were prompted by the actions of the Bristol Redevelopment and Housing Authority, which blocked political campaigners from going door to door at its housing projects.

ACLU of Virginia Executive Director Kent Willis said the First Amendment protects both the right of campaigners to go door to door in public housing projects and the right of tenants to receive information about registering to vote and political campaigns.

"Just because people live in public housing does not mean they can be cut off from political debate," Willis said. "Public housing tenants have exactly the same rights as everyone else to be involved in our democracy, and housing authority officials violate the First Amendment when they block political campaigning and registration efforts at their doorsteps."

The letter, which cites a U. S. Supreme Court case affirming the First Amendment right to canvass, says the ACLU will consider a lawsuit on behalf of canvassers or tenants if need be.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) slammed Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick, the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, this morning for saying on Monday that groups trying to register new voters are engaged in "a coordinated and widespread effort to commit voter fraud."

In an interview on WTOP radio, Kaine called Frederick's (Prince William) assertion "ridiculous."

"I think that is slandering the reputation of hardworking Virginians who care about elections and who want people to care about this process," Kaine said. "You know, I don't like to see folks doing things in the heat of a tough election to suggest they are trying to winnow down turnout and that is what I view (Frederick's) effort as."

Gerry Scimeca, a spokesman for the Virginia Republican Party, responded in an interview by rhetorically asking Kaine if he is "against people breaking the law," referring to the arrests last week of three canvassers in Hampton Roads charged with submitting false names on voter registration forms.

Virginia Democrats are demanding that Keith Fimian, the Republican nominee for Congress in the 11th District, clarify his recent remarks that social issues are not a relevant to voters in Northern Virginia.

In a conference call organized by the state party, three women from Fairfax and Prince William counties called on Fimian to publicly state his views on abortion-rights, stem-cell research and contraception.

Jane Blechman of Fairfax Station, Zoe Vitter of Woodbridge and Penny Gross (D), the Mason District supervisor in Fairfax County, also sent Fimian a letter. They were responding to statements Fimian made in the Washington Examiner this week.

"As women who live in Northern Virginia and are concerned about these issues that affect our lives, we would appreciate answers," the letter stated.

Zack Condry, Fimian's campaign manager, said the candidate stands by his remarks to The Examiner.

The Virginia Democratic Party's decision to add Jim Wilson, a longtime Republican operative, to the payroll of its coordinated campaign may be a sign that Democratic efforts this year may not be so coordinated after all.

The coordinated Democratic campaign has been established to boost U.S. Senate candidate Mark R. Warner, congressional candidates and Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the party's presumptive nominee for president.

Although he is a Republican, Wilson supports Warner and travels the state putting up campaign signs for him.

But at Saturday's U.S. Senate debate between Warner and Republican Jim Gilmore, Wilson was seen with a sign in his truck that included Warner's name and that of Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive GOP nominee for president.

The Virginia Democratic Party continues to have a crushing advantage over the Virginia Republican Party when it comes to money that can be spent on the presidential, U.S. Senate and congressional races this year.

In campaign finance reports filed this week with the Federal Election Commission, the state Democratic Party had about $729,000 in its federal account, about $120,000 less than it had a month ago.

The Republican Party of Virginia reported it has $101,000 in its federal account. But over the past month, the party has generated $91,000 in unpaid debt, according to its July FEC report.

Former governor James S. Gilmore III, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, is trying to undercut Democratic candidate Mark R. Warner's credibility as the two prepare to face off at their first debate Saturday at The Homestead resort.

Gilmore sent out a statement today reminding reporters that Warner, also a former governor, pledged during his 2001 gubernatorial debate with Republican Mark L. Earley that he would not raise taxes.

Warner, who faced a budget shortfall after he took office in 2002 that he says he inherited from Gilmore, ended up pushing for a $1.4 billion tax increase in 2004. Gilmore, who denies he left Warner a shortfall, sent out video today of Warner's promise not to raise taxes.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, the Democratic nominee in the 11th congressional district, claims he has a 31-point lead over his Republican opponent, Keith Fimian.

Connolly's campaign released an internal poll that his pollster, Lake Research Partners, conducted from July 10 to July 14. According to the survey, Connolly receives 52 percent of the vote to Fimian's 21 percent. Independent Green Party candidate Joe Oddo receives 2 percent. The candidates are vying to replace Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), who is retiring.

"This is a real pick-up opportunity for Democrats as they seek to expand their governing majority," pollsters Celinda Lake and Joshua Ulibarri wrote in a memo. "Connolly is well-positioned to win."

But the memo reads somewhat like a fundraising appeal.

With Virginia shaping up as a battleground in the presidential contest between Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.),a few counties and cities will be key in deciding whether the state goes blue this year for the first time since 1964.

Just as the national map can be sliced into blue, red and purple states, so, too, can Virginia's 134 counties and cities.

In Northern Virginia, political analysts say, Obama will probably win in Alexandria and Arlington and Fairfax counties, given recent voting patterns. Democrats also usually rack up big wins in Richmond, Norfolk and Charlottesville. McCain will probably have a strong advantage in rural counties in western and southern Virginia.

What follows is a list of 10 Virginia locations that could be up for grabs.

Today is the deadline for both state and federal campaign finance reports. As the tallies for elected officials, parties and campaign committees are released, we will post them here.

Former governor James S. Gilmore III, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, raised $250,000 between May 21 and June 31. Gilmore has about $117,000 in the bank. Since he launched his campaign last fall, Gilmore has raised about $1.2 million.

Former governor Mark R. Warner, a Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate, reports raising $2.9 million from April 1 to June 30. Warner has about $5.1 million in the bank. Warner has raised $9.3 million since he got into the race in September.

Attorney General Robert F. McDonnell, the likely Republican nominee for governor in 2009, will report he raised $878,000 so far this year. McDonnell has about $1.2 million in the bank.

Del. Brian J. Moran (D-Alexandria), who seeking the Democratic nomination for governor next year, says he raised about $1.4 million during the first six months of the year, although some of the money had been transferred from an old political account. Moran has $924,000 in the bank.

Sen. R. Creigh Deeds (D-Bath), a Democratic candidate for governor next year, reports he raised $783,000 so far this year. Deeds has $650,000 on hand.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has reserved $1.3 million of airtime to run ads this fall in Northern Virginia's increasingly Democratic 11th congressional district, according to party officials.

Democrat Gerald E. Connolly, the chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is running against Republican Keith Fimian to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.).

National Democrats are optimistic they can pick up Davis's seat, but President Bush won the 11th District by 2,000 votes in 2004, which could indicate a competitive congressional race this fall.

In all, the DCCC has reserved airtime in 31 districts nationwide, according to a report on Politico's website. The DCCC does not appear to be reserving airtime for any other Virginia race, despite suggestions from some Democrats that GOP Reps. Thelma D. Drake, Virgil Goode and Frank R. Wolf could also be in for tough races this year. But a DCCC official notes those races could be added to future television buys.

Keith Fimian, the Republican candidate in the 11th Congressional District, announced today he has over $1 million in the bank for his race against Democratic nominee Gerald E. Connolly, the chairman of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors.

Fimian, a businessman, says he has so far taken in about $1.3 million for his effort, including the $325,000 he loaned his campaign shortly after he entered the race. Fimian said his fundraising proves he will have the resources to stay competitive with Connolly, even though the 11th district has an increasingly Democratic tilt.

"With the money I am raising I will be able to deliver my message of bringing accountability to government to citizens across the district and win in November," Fimian said.

Connolly, who secured his party's nomination last month, has not yet released his quarterly fundraising report. But a source close to Connolly said he has about $300,000 in the bank following his costly primary battle against former U.S. Rep. Leslie L. Byrne.

Democrat Keith Hummel is abandoning his challenge of U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman (R) in Virginia's 1st Congressional District, which includes part of Prince William County.

Today, Hummel announced that he was suspending his campaign, citing past financial difficulties and lamenting "the politics of personal attack and destruction."

"Unfortunately, our elections today revolve around narrow and simplistic assessments of viability,'' he said in a statement. "Under such circumstances, it is little wonder that the politics of personal attack and destruction turn the mistakes of the past into harbingers of the future with little understanding that the brutal lessons learned through our life's struggles are valuable ingredients for successful leaders."

Shortly after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) called a special session to try to tackle transportation funding issues, the governor gave a blunt assessment of what he hoped to accomplish by advocating a tax increase even though he didn't have the support of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates.

"It will be very productive to either try to find a solution or make it plain to people who are standing in the way," Kaine said in an interview with The Washington Post in May. "We are going to make something happen or let the public see who is obstructing, and frankly, that is one of the reasons why Democrats have won elections in Virginia."

But 10 days into the special session on transportation -- legislators have been on vacation for six of those days -- it remains uncertain whether any solution will be found or whether the governor will score any of those political points.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) now has another $100,000 donor to his political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward.

John O. Wynne, retired president and chief executive officer of Landmark Communications, which owns The Weather Channel and several newspapers, including the Virginian Pilot and Roanoke Times, gave Moving Virginia Forward $25,000 on June 20. Since Kaine took office in 2006, Wynne has contributed $125,000 to Moving Virginia Forward.

There are now six individuals or organizations that have contributed at least $100,000 to Kaine's political committee, which he uses to try to bolster the Virginia Democratic Party, including the governor's successful efforts last year in winning control of the state Senate, according to the Virginia Board of Elections and the Virginia Public Access Project.

Former governor Mark R. Warner and his wife, Lisa Collis, kicked in a lot of cash to get the Virginia Democratic Party's campaign efforts off the ground.

Some of Warner's biggest supporters aided in the effort, donating to a new Virginia Democratic fundraising committee after they gave all they legally can to Warner's Senate campaign.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is launching radio ads this week against U.S. Reps. Thelma D. Drake and Virgil Goode, both Republicans who represent Virginia districts that could be up for grabs in the fall.

In the 60 second ad, an impersonator of President Bush accuses Drake or Goode of siding with "Big Oil."

The ad that will run in Virginia Beach, which Drake represents, begins when the Bush impersonator gets an answering machine message at Drake's office.

"Drakey, W here," the impersonator states. "Wanted to thank you for continuing to support the Big Oil Energy agenda. 'Preciate you voting to keep giving billions in tax breaks to big oil companies. Sure, gasoline is over four bucks a gallon and the oil companies are making record profits, but what's good for Big Oil is good for America, right? I guess that's why they call us the Grand Oil Party. Heh, heh, heh."

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) is urging Democrats not to take Republican Senate James S. Gilmore III for granted. In an email, Kaine urges people to donate to Democratic candidate Mark R. Warner because Gilmore will be formidable.

"Mark Warner is facing one of the fiercest, most aggressive campaigners in our state's history," said Kaine, who is asking people to donate $5 to Warner. "Before you know it, the polls will tighten, negative attacks will hit the airwaves, and Mark will need the resources to fire back and get his message out."

Ana Gamonal, a Gilmore spokesman, said she doesn't have a problem with Kaine calling her boss "fierce".

"They realize this race is not over as some folks have said," Gamonal said. "We absolutely believe as we move forward into the debates and we start talking substance and policy issues, and Mark Warner is forced to take positions, that Jim Gilmore will win the November election."

Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (Prince William), the chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, announced today that Allison Coccia will be the new executive director of the party.

Coccia is the former executive director of the New York Republican State Committee and has also been the political director of Republican Party of Pennsylvania. In both jobs, her task was complicated by an electorate that had soured on the GOP brand.

"After a thorough search that entailed interviewing several outstanding candidates, I concluded that Allison offers us a proven record at improving fundraising, communications, and building the grassroots," Frederick said.

Washingtonpost.com's Chris Cillizza ranks the seat of retiring Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) as the second most likely congressional district in the country to flip from one party to the other in this year's elections.

Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, who secured the Democratic nomination 10 days ago, is running against Republican businessman Keith Fimian in Virginia's 11th District.

No other Virginia district makes Cillizza's top 20 list this week, but some Democrats believe Rep. Thelma Drake, a Republican who represents Virginia Beach, is vulnerable. Virginia Democrats are also hopeful they can give GOP Reps. Frank R. Wolf in Northern Virginia and Virgil Goode in Southside tough races, even though they represent Republican-leaning districts.

Here's more evidence that national Democrats are looking to pick up a congressional seat in Virginia's Hampton Roads this November.

Glenn Nye, the Democratic candidate running against U.S. Rep. Thelma Drake, was placed in the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's "Red to Blue" program, which directs assistance to Democratic challengers across the nation.

"As a part of the Red to Blue program, we look forward to the growth of support from individuals in the district and around the country," Nye said. "Being on the Red to Blue presents our campaign with a great opportunity to get out our message of real results and independent leadership to the people of Virginia."

U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD.) chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, will host a reception Tuesday in support of Judy Feder, the Democratic candidate running against Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.).

The fundraiser will be held at the Potomac Maryland home of Nancy and Ira Shapiro, a lawyer who served as a trade negotiator during the Clinton administration.

The wealthy Maryland suburbs have been a steady stream of cash for Feder, who also served in the Clinton administration.

The Virginia Organizing Project, a group dedicated to combating racial and economic injustice, is engaged in a big effort this year to spread its political message and register new voters.

The Charlottesville-based group has 10 paid field organizers and 50 interns fanned out across the state knocking on doors each day. On an average night, they can hit as many as 4,000 households, according to Joe Szakos, the executive director.

By the end of July, Szakos said the staffers and interns and other volunteers will have distributed about 300,000 voting guides, which contain information about state and federal issues and details on how and where to go to register to vote.

As the 2008 Virginia Democratic Party convention draws to a close, here are eight observations about the weekend's events at the Hampton Roads Convention Center in Hampton.

1) If the Democrats' goal was to leave the convention united behind Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), they still have a lot of work to do. Surprisingly, numerous supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY.) said they weren't sure if they would vote for Obama in the fall.

The Hill Newspaper reported last night that U.S. Reps. Virgil Goode and Randy Forbes, both of Virginia, are among 14 GOP members of who Congress who "have refused to endorse or publicly support" presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, an Arizona senator.

The article gave no explanation as to why Forbes or Goode haven't rallied behind McCain, or whether they ever plan to. A spokesperson for Forbes was not immediately available to comment today. Linwood Duncan, Goode's spokesman, said, "Virgil has not made any endorsements in any races this year." Duncan wasn't sure if Goode planned to make any endorsements later in the year.

Democrat Gerald E. Connolly of Fairfax County, the top elected official of the region's largest jurisdiction, won a decisive primary victory yesterday in Northern Virginia's 11th Congressional District against former representative Leslie L. Byrne.

But with less than 6 percent of registered voters participating in the election, the results don't say a whole lot about what could happen come November.

Connolly beat Byrne with nearly 58 percent of the vote to her 33 percent. In raw numbers, however, he won by just over 6,000 votes -- little more than 1 percent of the 11th Congressional District's 446,000 active registered voters.

9:25 p.m.
Here's what Gerald E. Connolly had to say minutes after winning.

"We come out of this landslide win going into November in a very strong position," he told my colleague Amy Gardner, referring to his next opponent, Republican newcomer Keith S. Fimian, a local businessman, who is well-financed for the fall campaign.

"This is going to be one of the most targeted races in the country. It's a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats."

9:15 p.m.
Mark W. Elmore has won the 8th District GOP race. He held a 10 point lead over Amit K. Singh, with more than 90 percent of precincts reporting.

9:10 p.m.
Leslie L. Byrne just conceded.

9:05 p.m.

Gerald E. Connolly has won the hotly contested Democratic primary. He beat out three competitors, fighting off a tough challenge from former representative Leslie L. Byrne.

Bob commented about the primary today and said, "I voted today--at 7:50 AM. I noticed I was the 6th person to vote...sad. I figure if candidates can put in the time, effort and energy it takes to run--plus the willingness to put themselves "out there" in the public eye-- we as the public should at least respect their efforts, show up at the polls and cast a vote."

We want to hear from you. Take the poll and tell us about your voting experience in the comment section below.

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 District, where Republican Tom Davis is retiring.

At Sleepy Hollow Elementary School, Democratic candidate Leslie Byrne greets a prospective voter and his son at the polls. (By Emma Patti -- washingtonpost.com)

Through much of the afternoon, precincts across the region looked like ghost towns. At the Fair Oaks precinct of central Fairfax County, just 15 ballots had been cast at 2 p.m., officials said.

"Turnout is, I don't want to say anemic, but turnout is very, very, very, very light," said Rokey Suleman, Fairfax County's general registrar, who predicted that turnout was unlikely to exceed 5 percent by the time polls close at 7 p.m. -- a dismal contrast to the one-third of registered voters who participated in February's presidential contest statewide. Turnout in the 2006 Democratic primary for U.S. Senate was 5.8 percent in Fairfax County.

In Fairfax City, general registrar Jeremiah Vangen reported just 605 ballots cast by 2 p.m. out of more than 14,000 registered voters. Polls close at 7 p.m.

At the Mantua polling place, Democratic candidate Gerry Connolly greets Mantua precinct captain Patty Parker before voting. (By Emma Patti -- washingtonpost.com)

"The presidential campaign has overshadowed this campaign," said Sally Ormsby, a precinct captain at the Price precinct in central Fairfax County. "People weren't focused on this, even though it's a huge competition."

In the hotly contested 11th District, which encompasses central and southern Fairfax County and a swath of Prince William County, low turnout adds a measure of uncertainty in a four-way primary battle between Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, former representative Leslie L. Byrne, former Navy pilot Doug Denneny and physical therapist Lori P. Alexander.

Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (Prince William), the newly elected chairman of the Virginia Republican Party, continues to shake up the leadership of the state party.

Since defeating former lieutenant governor John H. Hager for the chairman's job last weekend, many of the state party's senior staffers have resigned or been dismissed.

Frederick plans to announce today that Walter M. Curt, owner of Power Motors Inc, a Harrisonburg-based technology firm, will be the party's new finance chairman. Curt replaces Fred Malek, who resigned from his finance role at the state party last week. Malek still serves as the deputy national finance chairman for Arizona Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign.

Sen. John W. Warner (R), who is retiring, announced today he has contributed $2,000 to former Republican governor James S. Gilmore III's campaign to succeed him in the Senate.

Warner's announcement comes on the heels of a report in The Hill newspaper that speculated the state's senior senator may not support Gilmore, who secured the GOP nomination last weekend. Warner apparently made the donation to Gilmore sometime this week.

In a statement, Warner said he has also donated $2,000 each this month to GOP Reps. Frank R. Wolf, Thelma Drake, Eric I. Cantor, Randy Forbes and Robert Goodlatte, all of whom are seeking reelection.

U.S. Rep. Robert C. Scott (D-Va.) said today he has endorsed Leslie L. Byrne in the hotly contested Democratic primary in the 11th Congressional District, while the Mid-Atlantic Laborers Union has backed Byrne rival Gerald E. Connolly.

Scott, who lives in Newport News and represents Virginia's only majority-African-American district, worked alongside Byrne both in the General Assembly and in Congress during her one term in the early 1990s. Like Byrne, he is viewed as one of Virginia's most prominent liberal Democrats.

Here are the answers to the election questions asked in last week's Virginia Notebook.

On Friday and Saturday, Republicans gathered at a Richmond convention center to select their nominee to fill the seat of retiring Sen. John W. Warner (R). They also elected a party chairman and delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis-St. Paul.

Democrat Sam Rasoul has figured out a way to generate interest in his underdog campaign against U.S. Rep. Robert W. Goodlatte (R-Va.).

On Wednesday, starting at 4 p.m., Rasoul's campaign staff will be pumping discounted gas at the Texaco Food Mart on South High Street in Harrisonburg. For 40 minutes, motorists will be able to get up to 10 gallons of gas for $1-a-gallon less than retail price.

Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick's election today as the new chairman of Virginia Republican Party will likely lead to some big changes at GOP headquarters, including possibly a new executive director, according to party officials.

Under former lieutenant governor John H. Hager, who Frederick unseated today in the chairman's race, Charles E. Judd served as executive director.

"You will probably be hearing some news about that next week," said Frederick, who lives in Prince William County. "I ran to make changes, so we will be making some changes." He declined further comment.

It's unclear how national Republicans in Washington will react to Frederick's efforts to shake up the party in the middle of a presidential race.

In the heated race for the Democratic nomination in the 11th congressional district, former congresswoman Leslie L. Byrne out-raised Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly over the past two months.

Byrne and Connolly, widely regarded as the two front-runners for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Rep Tom Davis (R-Va.), now both have roughly the same amount of money to spend during the final two weeks leading up to June 10 primary.

According to campaign finance reports, Byrne raised $182,000 between April 1 and May 21, and has $286,000 in the bank. Connolly, who had a significant cash-on-hand advantage over Byrne just two months ago, reported he raised $152,000 during the same time period. Connolly has $280,000 in the bank.

Thousands of party activists will converge on the Greater Richmond Convention Center this weekend for the state Republican convention.

Republicans will select their nominee for the race to fill the seat of retiring Sen. John W. Warner (R). They will also elect a party chairman and delegates to the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis.

The convention will offer insight into the future direction of the party and clues into upcoming state and federal elections. Here are 15 questions the convention might help to answer. You can check back next week to find out the answers

Judy Feder, a Democratic candidate in the 10th congressional district, will announce today she has raised more than $1 million for her campaign, her campaign staff said last night.

Feder, one of the best funded challengers in the country, faces Mike Turner in the June 10th Democratic primary. The winner will take on U.S. Rep Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.).

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) has raised more than $370,000 from 15 contributors since mid March, a clear sign he plans to remain active in the political process even though he cannot seek reelection.

Kaine's fundraising for his political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward, includes a $100,000 donation on April 10 from Radford billionaire R.J. Kirk. Since Kaine took office in 2006, Kirk has donated $550,000 to Kaine's political committee, according to the State Board of Elections.

Kaine has received another $35,000 in donations since mid April from Shelia Johnston, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television. Johnston has contributed a total of $185,000 to Kaine since 2006.

The congressional campaign of Leslie L. Byrne has released details from an internal poll showing her in a statistical dead heat with fellow Democrat Gerald E. Connolly.

The two are competing in the June 10 primary along with two others, Doug Denneny and Lori P. Alexander, for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District, where incumbent Tom Davis is retiring. The winner will face Republican newcomer Keith Fimian in the fall in an increasingly blue-leaning district that includes much of central Fairfax County and a part of Prince William County.

According to an internal memo issued by the campaign, Connolly is ahead of Byrne 37 percent to 34 percent among likely Democratic primary voters -- a statistical dead heat given the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

Vice-President Dick Cheney will be the keynote speaker at a fundraising gala at the Virginia Republican Party state convention next weekend in Richmond, party officials said today.

Cheney's appearance will almost certainly become fodder for Virginia Democrats, who are trying to link the GOP and its presumptive presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, to the Bush administration.

But the event will be a big money maker for the state GOP, which has been working to keep pace with Virginia Democrats in fundraising.

Arizona Senator John McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, is getting a head start on the Democrats when it comes to opening a state headquarters in Virginia.

The McCain campaign, which is partnering with the Virginia Republican Party, is opening an office in the 1200 block of South Clark Street in Arlington. Rick Davis, McCain's campaign manager, and state party chairman John H. Hager plan to hold a grand opening event at the office on Monday.

The office will serve as "the nerve center" for party officials helping McCain as well as GOP candidates running for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, according to a news release from the state party.

Glenn Nye, a Democrat running in the 2nd Congressional District, released an internal poll today that shows he's well positioned to unseat incumbent Thelma Drake (R-Va) this year, especially if Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) is his party's nominee for president.

In the survey by the firm of Bennett, Petts & Normington, only 40 percent of voters say they want to reelect Drake. In a head to head match up, Nye gets 32 percent of the vote, compared to Drake's 48 percent. But the polling memo notes that only 9 percent of voters can currently recognize Nye's name.