2nd Congressional District Democratic candidate Phil Kellam is the subject of an article in The New Republic Online (registration required). From the article:
Since winning reelection, Bush has steadily lost ground in places like Virginia Beach, just like he has across most of the country. But, unlike in more moderate areas, Bush’s problem here isn’t so much any ideological issue or policy aim–a significant number of voters here still share his goals–as it is a more fundamental question about his ability to do the job. This is a wrinkle not lost on national Democrats, who have, in turn, dispatched a complement of nonideological candidates into reliably conservative districts, armed with a message of quiet competence. “A lot of voters believe … competence is an argument about why [Republicans] need oversight,” says Rahm Emanuel, head of the Democrats’ House campaign committee. And few Democrats epitomize the promise of this strategy better than Phil Kellam.
Senior editor Noam Scheiber spent some time with Kellam, and takes us thru the story of the Kellam machine in Virginia Beach. For those who are unfamiliar, this article gives great background information. Also included is just how the formerly Democratic city of Virginia Beach became reliably Republican: a combination of white flight from Norfolk plus the influx of military retirees.
Kellam, as shown in the Majority Watch poll, appeals to some of these Republicans. Scheiber writes:
Kellam has also presented the Drake campaign with a dilemma. Under normal circumstances, the GOP playbook would call for painting him as too liberal for the district. But the already-moderate Kellam has avoided pretty much anything that could be construed as a position, much less an ideological pronouncement.
[…]
If Drake can’t make Kellam out to be a stealth liberal, plan B is apparently to energize her conservative base.
The Kellam/Drake race has shaped up to be one of the most competitive races in the country. The TV ad wars are going on daily, with the DCCC and the NRCC airing ads on behalf of each candidate, each having allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the race. Will this race be a referendum on the Bush administration? We’ll know soon.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 