Oops. This afternoon, what was billed as a press call to slam former congressman Tom Davis (R) for allegedly anti-rural remarks turned into an all-too-candid strategy session, courtesy of David "Mudcat" Saunders.

The longtime Democratic operative apparently wasn't told by party officials or the campaign of gubernatorial candidate R. Creigh Deeds (D) that it was in fact a press call, rather than an internal chat about strategy. So for several minutes, Saunders spoke rather colorfully and indelicately about his indignation over Davis' recent comments and about how they could be leveraged to help Deeds.

He noted that the remarks might better be spun as anti-working-person, rather than anti-rural, because "From what I've seen up in Northern Virginia, they don't give a damn if people talk s*** about us." And in trying to explain that the comments might also be offensive to those with rural roots who live in Northern Virginia, he said there are "more rednecks on Route 1 in Alexandria than the sixth district of Virginia."

More than 500 enthusiastic supporters turned out in Annandale today to cheer on Republican Robert F. McDonnell as he officially began his campaign for governor.

U.S. Rep. Frank R. Wolf and former congressman Tom Davis greeted McDonnell, his wife, Maureen, a former Washington Redskins cheerleader, and all of his five children at a fire station. Eldest daughter Jeanine, 28, a former Army lieutenant who served in Iraq, introduced him.

McDonnell began his six-day "New Jobs, More Opportunities" tour of the state with a mostly positive speech outlining broad policy goals that focus on creating jobs and boosting the economy, partly by cutting bureaucratic red tape to allow Virginians to open a business in 48 hours. He mentioned jobs 19 times.

"To every Virginian who has lost their job, to every small-business owner trying to make payroll, to every retiree afraid to look at their retirement account, to every homeowner struggling to make the next mortgage payment, to every parent worried about writing that next tuition and book check: This campaign is for you," he said to cheers.

Even by Virginia Republican standards, the battle over whether Del. Jeffrey M. Frederick (Prince William) should be replaced as state party chairman is divisive and brutal, and the wounds it creates could have far-reaching consequences for the GOP in an election year.

Both sides in the dispute have crafted a strategy that revolves around the phrase "grass roots." Unfortunately for Virginia Republicans, there appears to be a huge disconnect over who makes up the grass roots.

And if a party doesn't know who its most loyal supporters are, can it really rebound from a string of election defeats? Or is this a case in which most party leaders know full well who their most loyal supporters are, but they don't like what they see?

Virginia's congressional delegation was sharply divided on a $700 billion financial bailout defeated by the U.S. House Monday afternoon.

Six of Virginia's members of Congress voted against the package and five voted in favor.

Five of eight Republican members voted against the bailout as did one Democrat, Rep. Bobby Scott of Hampton Roads.

Use the post.com congressional votes database to find out how your representative voted.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Virginia delegates and other guests from the state gathered last night to play pool, air hockey and other games at the delegation's "Arcade Night" welcome party at the Minneapolis hotel where they are staying this week for the Republican National Convention.

The atmosphere was festive despite news that most of Monday's convention activities would be canceled due to concern about Hurricane Gustav hitting the Gulf Coast.

Among those in the crowd were Pat Boone, the 1950s singer turned conservative commentator; John H. Hager, former lieutenant governor and father-in-law to Jenna Bush; and U.S. Reps. Tom Davis and Thelma Drake.

Drake, who is in a tough re-election battle in Hampton Roads, was the only elected official from Virginia scheduled to speak during the convention until her speech on Monday was postponed, perhaps canceled, because of Gustav. Drake, who had planned on flying back to Virginia Tuesday, said she was disappointed she would probably not speak after all.

"Everyone understands the impact of the storm,'' she said.

MINNEAPOLIS --The 123 members of Virginia's delegation to the Republican National Convention started to arrive in the Twin Cities Saturday.

A Radisson hotel near the University of Minnesota will be home to both the Virginia and U.S. Virgin Islands delegations for the next week. Huge banners erected on the front of the hotel greeted both groups.

The Republican of Virginia is providing each delegation member with a goodie bag -- courtesy of corporate sponsors CSPAN, Capitol One and others -- that includes Virginia peanuts, hand sanitizer, an alarm clock, a red-and-blue stress ball in the shape of an elephant, a small towel and a pin with the American and Virginia flags.

The Republican National Committee also supplies each delegate from across the nation with its own gift -- a bag that includes a copy of Sen. John McCain's book Faith of My Fathers, a pocket guide to the U.S. Constitution, a pedometer, a water bottle, popcorn and macaroni and cheese.

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."

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.

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.

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.

Arizona Sen. John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, will be in Tysons Corner Monday for a high-dollar fundraiser for his campaign and the Republican Party.

The event, which will be held at the Ritz-Carlton, is being hosted by a cross-section of Virginia Republicans and business leaders, including Sen. John W. Warner, former senator George Allen, U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, Del. Christopher B. Saxman (Staunton), Ted Georgelas and Til Hazel, both developers, and P. Wesley Foster Jr., chairman of Long & Foster Companies.

People who raise or contribute $25,000 will be able to get their picture taken with McCain. Tickets for the reception range from $1,000 to $5,000, according to an invitation on McCain's website.

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.

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

Doug Denneny, a Democratic candidate for Congress in the 11th congressional district, has joined nearly 40 other party leaders in urging Virginia's superdelegates to endorse Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).

"I voted for Senator Obama because I believe he has the experience and judgment to lead our country," said Denneny, a retired Naval Flight Officer. "With a resounding voice, Virginia Democrats chose Senator Obama to be our party's presidential nominee, party elites should not overrule the will of the people."

Is Del. Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax) rethinking his decision not to run for Congress in the 11th congressional district?

Earlier this month, Hugo said he decided not to seek the GOP nomination to replace Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va), who announced yesterday he is retiring after 13 years in the House. With Davis now out of the race, Hugo may be reconsidering.

"I've had a lot of calls," said Hugo, who some Republicans believe would be their strongest candidate. "I need to talk to my wife. We'll see."

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.

The suspense continues to build about whether U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.) will seek an eighth term representing Northern Virginia this year. Davis has said for months that he would announce a decision by the end of January. And here we are.

Despite media reports that Davis has decided to retire, he told WTOP this morning that he has not yet made a decision. Most observers believe retirement is the likelier of the two possibilities, but as a source close to Davis not authorized to speak for the congressman said today: "Anyone who says they know what Tom is doing knows more than Tom, because he hasn't made a decision yet."

A Davis retirement has all kinds of implications for the region. Most immediate is the likelihood that Gerald E. Connolly (D), chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, would upgrade his "exploratory campaign" to a full-fledged candidacy, facing off against fellow Democrats Leslie L. Byrne and Doug Denneny in what is sure to be an exciting and competitive primary contest.

Then there's the prospect of losing Davis's seniority in the House, where he is ranking minority member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and has taken a lead role pushing for D.C. voting rights.

Stay tuned. An announcement is nigh.

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.

After state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis lost her election and after U.S. Rep. Tom Davis decided against running for U.S. Senate, the couple took three much-needed vacations.

The most recent one was a trip to New York City, where they visited with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.

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.

The annual Virginia Republican Party Advance is the ultimate venue for schmoozing, jockeying for attention and laying the groundwork for future bids for office. So here's my take on the winners and losers of this weekend's event, which drew about 650 party activists and leaders to the Hyatt Regency at Crystal City.

Advance Winners -

Attorney General Bob McDonnell - The attorney general hosted a party for GOP activists on Friday and Saturday nights. Both were well attended, and there were plenty of people throughout the weekend wearing "Bob McDonnell" stickers. There also was a strong sentiment from GOP activists that McDonnell should run for governor in 2009, even if former governor and senator George Allen enters the race.

George Allen - While Allen wasn't nearly as visible as McDonnell was, the former governor and senator gave what many considered to be a strong, inspiring speech in support of Fred Thompson's presidential bid.

An occasional list of people in the news who came out on top. Or not.
This Week's Winners
George Allen - The former governor and senator reemerged onto the political stage this week with an op-ed in the Richmond Times Dispatch and a press conference announcing his support for Fred Thompson's bid for the GOP nomination for president. In both settings, Allen began to reassert his influence into the Virginia Republican Party. At the press conference, Allen was affable, humble, folksy and talkative.

Planned Parenthood - After Democrats' success in the Nov. 6 legislative elections, the women's rights organization feels emboldened to crow about its renewed influence in state politics. The organization sent out a press release Monday noting that Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) wants to cut off state funding for abstinence-only sex education programs. Planned Parenthood says the election results proves Virginia voters back Kaine's approach because they are "tired of ideology."

Doug Denneny, a retired Naval commander, has kicked off his campaign for the Democratic nomination for Congress in the 11th District.

In a series of events this week, Denneny stressed his background and stance on the issues makes him best candidate to replace Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va), who has yet to announce whether he plans to seek reelection.

Denneny is calling for an immediate end to the war in Iraq, universal access to health care and additional federal help for Northern Virginia's traffic problems.

RICHMOND- Here are the answers to the election questions asked in the Oct. 25 Virginia Notebook after Democrats won the four seats needed to reclaim control of the state Senate and also make inroads in the House of Delegates.

Q Can a Republican still win inside the Beltway?

A Maybe. With Democrat Margaret G. Vanderhye's victory over Republican David M. Hunt for the seat of retiring Del. Vincent F. Callahan Jr. (R-Fairfax), there will be no elected Republican state official next year representing an inside-the-Beltway district. Hunt lost by just 540 votes, however. In Alexandria, Del. David L. Englin (D) beat Republican challenger Mark S. Allen by nearly 2 to 1. Even so, I wouldn't write off a Republican candidate's chance to someday prevail in Arlington, Alexandria or Fairfax.

When Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va) announced in September he was retiring at the end of his term, some Virginia Republicans were hoping he would send some of his campaign cash to GOP candidates for the state House and Senate.

According to the Federal Election Commission, John Warner's campaign committee reported having $724,000 in the bank as of Sept. 30. But Warner hasn't donated any of his money to Virginia Republicans this year, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, which tracks money in state politics.

Winners:
Mark Tate- All campaign finance fraud charges were dismissed against the former GOP Senate candidate from Loudoun County after the prosecutor said the case had been tainted by allegations of improprieties in the investigation.

Tim Kaine Two different polls came out during the past week showing Kaine's approval ratings remain strong, despite the summer-long controversy over abuser fees and illegal immigration. Kaine has also proved he's a prolific fundraiser. Kaine's political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward, has $1 million in the bank to spend in the campaign's final days. With three weeks to go until the election, Kaine is popular and rich. What more could a politician ask for?

Jim Gilmore: The former governor scores a big victory by convincing the Republican State Central Committee to hold a convention over a primary to select its nominee in next year's U.S. Senate race. Gilmore also appears hungry to get back into the game. He showed up at the central committee meeting and was personally lobbying members right up to the vote. His chief rival, Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), was campaigning for his wife, Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis.

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R) is hinting that he is unlikely to be a candidate in next year's U.S. Senate race.

As reported this morning by The Hill newspaper, Davis spoke to a breakfast gathering at the National Press Club yesterday. At the event, Davis said he may be inclined to challenge Sen. James Webb in 2012 instead of taking on Democrat Mark R. Warner in 2008 for the seat of retiring Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va).

"There are other races; this isn't the only shot," said Davis, according to The Hill. "You've got a very vulnerable guy sitting there in the other Senate seat right now who may or may not run in four years. And you know what? If you don't go to the Senate, so what? I've been a committee chairman in the House. I've got my portrait hanging on a wall. I've been pretty productive legislatively."

A new poll shows former governor Mark R. Warner (D) with a nearly 2 to 1 lead in next year's U.S. Senate race over either one of his potential GOP challengers.

The poll by Christopher Newport University shows Warner beating either former governor James P. Gilmore III or Rep. Thomas M. Davis III by a margin of 24 points. If the election were held today, 51 percent of voters would support Warner while 27 percent said they would favor either Gilmore or Davis.

The Christopher Newport University survey also found that voters have a negative view of the Republican-controlled General Assembly, but they support Democratic Gov. Timothy M. Kaine.

Jon Cohen, the Washington Post polling director, and polling analyst Jennifer Agiesta, conducted an online chat today on the paper's recent Virginia poll. The poll found that Democrat Mark R. Warner has a big lead in next year's U.S. Senate race. The paper also reported that a majority of voters want the Democrats to take control of the General Assembly.

You can find Jon and Jennifer's chat here.

As Virginia Republican leaders gather this weekend to decide whether to hold a convention or primary to select their nominee for the U.S. Senate, no one will be following the outcome more closely than U.S. Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.).

If Republicans acted like Democrats, they wouldn't be priming for a clash next year over who their party's nominee will be for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by John W. Warner (R-Va.).

With former governor Mark R. Warner (D) now a Senate candidate, Republicans are bracing for a nasty primary or convention battle between Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Fairfax) and former governor James S. Gilmore

Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, a possible Republican Senate candidate in 2008, is requesting a inquiry into whether the New York Times allowed Moveon.org to run its controversial "General Betray Us" ad at a discounted rate.

In a letter to Henry A. Waxman (D-Ca), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Davis said the "committee should hold a hearing to examine whether the advertising rates and practices of media companies conceal unlawful campaign contributions."

Davis is the ranking member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. In his letter, Davis cites a published report that said Moveon paid $65,000 for the ad. Davis said the New York Times admitted that the open rate for such an ad is $181,000.