Primary finances turn lopsided

WINCHESTER - Financially speaking, the Republican and Democratic primaries in Virginia's 10th Congressional District are shaping up to be rather lopsided affairs.

Both incumbent Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, and Democrat Judy Feder have raked in more than $1 million in contributions and have significant six-digit war chests going into the June 10 primaries.

Their opponents, Republican Vern McKinley and Democrat Mike Turner, had less than $10,000 each on hand at the end of the May 21 reporting period.

Wolf, who is seeking his 15th consecutive term in Congress, cracked the $1 million mark in contributions for the two-year election cycle in the 21 days since the last report, building a total of about $1.2 million in contributions (including carryover from 2006) on donations of more than $157,000.

On the Democratic side of the ballot, Feder is raising money at a close, but slightly slower, pace than Wolf, but faster than her last outing.

The professor and former dean of Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute ran an aggressive campaign against Wolf in 2006, but lost 57 percent to 41 percent in the same election that saw Democrats take control of Congress and Democrat Jim Webb knock out Republican incumbent U.S. Sen. George Allen.

Their opponents weren't even in the same financial ZIP code as of the end of the last reporting period.

McKinley, a policy analyst who has done work in the past for groups like the Cato Institute, reported more than $14,000 raised, but a little under $5,000 left in the bank going forward. Turner, a retired Air Force colonel, is in similar shape with a tick under $8,000 left in the campaign war chest.

Feder and Wolf to date have run their campaigns as an extension of the 2006 scrum, with little notice paid to their inter-party challengers - Wolf promoting his record of service, and Feder attacking him for being "not engaged" on the issues or in lockstep with the Bush administration.

Turner and McKinley, though, haven't been shy at all about attacking their more campaign-seasoned opponents.

Turner has accused Feder of being unable to win the election and soft on providing universal health coverage, while McKinley accuses Wolf of being a Republican whose conservatism has gone soft after decades of Washington influence.

Direct engagements thus far have been limited. Turner and Feder have debated on a number of occasions, while Wolf has thus far not taken the stage with his challenger - a fact pointed out zealously by the McKinley campaign.

While the two challengers may not have raised as much money as their more experienced opponents, they have been willing to put their own money on the line to win the nomination.

McKinley loaned his campaign $10,000, while Turner has ponied up $27,000 of his own cash.

The 10th District stretches from McLean in the east to the city of Winchester, and Frederick, Warren and Clarke counties in the west.

* Contact Garren Shipley at gshipley@nvdaily.com