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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The money keeps flowing into the 11th Congressional District's Democratic primary showdown.

According to disclosure reports to be filed to the Federal Election Commission tomorrow, Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, is leading the pack of four after raising $500,000 during the first quarter of 2008.

As of March 31, Connolly had $424,000 on hand, his campaign reported.

Former state Sen. Joseph V. Gartlan Jr., for 28 years one of the most liberal voices of the General Assembly, has endorsed Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, for the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District.

The endorsement provides a boost for Connolly in an area where he needs it: among liberal party activists, with whom his principal opponent, former state senator Leslie L. Byrne, has strong roots. Such voters will be crucial in the June 10 primary.

Gartlan's endorsement is notable for two reasons: As a liberal, he is ideologically close to Byrne. And that leads to point No. 2, which is that Gartlan had already endorsed Byrne, but he changed his mind after Connolly got in the race.

Endorsements are a chronically overvalued commodity in politics. Remember a few weeks ago when Ted Kennedy's testimonial to Barack Obama at American University was heralded as a ground-changing event?

But that's never stopped campaigns from cranking them out--big names and little ones. Gerry Connolly announced 29 local officials on Wednesday in his campaign for the 11th District Democratic Congressional nomination. Today was House of Delegates day: Del. Kenneth R. Plum (D-Fairfax); Del. James M. Scott (D-Fairfax); Del. David L. Bulova (D-Fairfax); Del. Vivian E. Watts (D-Fairfax); Del. Dave W. Marsden (D-Fairfax); Del. C. Charles Caputo (D-Fairfax), and Del. Paul F. Nichols (D-Prince William).

Former Rep. Leslie L. Byrne has her own long state house list, including Del. Robert D. Hull (D-Fairfax); Del. Margi Vanderhye (D-Fairfax) and Del. Lionell Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake), DNC National Committeeman. Byrne has also brought home the marquee endorsement of the race to date, Sen. James Webb.

Gerald E. Connolly, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors and candidate for the congressional seat of retiring Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), released poll results today giving him a 23-point lead over Democratic rival Leslie L. Byrne.

Sen. James Webb said today he is endorsing Leslie L. Byrne in the race for the Democratic nomination in the 11th congressional district.

"I am convinced that Leslie Byrne is our best candidate," Webb said in a statement. " Leslie shares my values about economic fairness and the need to re-order our national security policies - both in Iraq and throughout the world. In her service as a state legislator and member of Congress, Leslie Byrne has demonstrated time and again that she is tough, fiercely independent and willing to stand up to powerful special interests. I would be proud to serve in Congress with her."

Byrne is running against Fairfax County Board chairman Gerald E. Connolly, retired naval commander Doug Denneny and Lori P. Alexander in the June 10 Democratic primary. Incumbent Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) is retiring.

Andrew Hurst, the 2006 Democratic Congressional nominee in the 11th District, has endorsed Gerald E. Connolly in the party's June 10 primary.

EMILY's List, which is dedicated to helping women win elective office, announced today they are supporting Leslie L. Byrne in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 11th Distirct.

"Leslie Byrne is a strong, proven leader with more than 20 years of service to her community," said Ellen R. Malcolm, president of EMILY's List. "From her early participation with local PTAs and the League of Women Voters, to her position in the Virginia House of Delegates, to her term in the U.S. Congress, Leslie has shown uncommon integrity, leadership and dedication. EMILY's List is proud to support Leslie Byrne in her bid to represent Virginia's 11th District."

Byrne is likely to face three challengers, including Fairfax Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerald E. Connolly, in the June 10 primary.

Gerald E. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, still hasn't moved past the "exploratory" phase of his bid for Congress. But his committee very proudly shared some early fundraising numbers to make the point that Connolly has the ability to run a well-financed campaign.

According to James Walkinshaw, who runs Connolly's exploratory committee, Connolly has raised $161,000 since the beginning of January, when he announced the formation of the committee to pursue a bid in the 11th Congressional District. By contrast, fellow Democrat Leslie L. Byrne will report at the end of the month that she raised $115,000 between the November elections and the new year, she said in an interview yesterday.

"That's in just three and a half weeks," Walkinshaw said.

Get ready to be inundated with a series of potentially competitive elections.

Because of the Democratic resurgence in Virginia, voters are going to be facing more choices at the polls over the next two years than they have in decades.

It all starts Feb. 12, with the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.

After they won control of the state Senate last month, Virginia Democrats were confident about their potential for future success, even in Republican-leaning areas.

But it took only a month for reality to set in. In many parts of Virginia, voters continue to have strong affection for Republicans.

Doug Denneny , retired Naval commander, is getting some high-powered support for his bid for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 11th district.

U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Murphy, an Iraq war veteran and retired WestPoint professor, will headline a fundraiser for Denneny Tuesday in Vienna.

Murphy (D-Pa) is considered a rising star in the Democratic Party after he unseated Republican Mike Fitzpatrick last year. Murphy is the only Iraq war veteran to serve in Congress.

Denneny is also an Iraq war veteran. According to Denneny's biography, he led the first strike of non-stealth aircraft over Baghdad. He also served in Somalia and Afghanistan.

Democrat Leslie L. Byrne, the first woman to represent Virginia in Congress, said today she has filed papers to run for the U.S. House in a seat she held until she was defeated more than a decade ago.

U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R), who recently announced he would not run for U.S. Senate, has not yet said whether he will run for re-election in Virginia's 11th District, which includes parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.

"When I decided to do this, I decided to do this based on what I could bring to the race and to the 11th district,'' she said today.

Byrne, who hopes to work on consumer, budget and environmental issues, won the seat in 1992, but lost to Davis in 1994 in a national Republican landslide. She narrowly lost the race for lieutenant governor two years ago.

Davis' wife, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis (R-Fairfax), lost her re-election bid by 10 percentage points Tuesday.