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Obama out-raising McCain in Loudoun
Democrats, invigorated by victories in the fall elections and by a large turnout during the Potomac primaries earlier this year, have something else to hang their political hopes on for the fall: The money that Sen. Barack Obama is raising in traditionally Republican-leaning Loudoun County.This election cycle, Obama's campaign garnered nearly $230,000 in donations in Loudoun by the end of April, compared to fellow Democrat Sen. Hillary Clinton's $170,000 and Republican Sen. John McCain's $143,000, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Obama fared best in the Dulles area of Loudoun, where he collected $38,600 in the 20189 ZIP Code. Meanwhile, Clinton's strongest showing was in Leesburg's 20176 ZIP Code with $22,770, and McCain's best was in Middleburg's 20118 ZIP Code with $38,950.
Loudoun Obama campaign organizer Marcia Carlyn, of Leesburg, said a core group of about 50 Obama supporters has been calling and canvassing homes throughout the county since early 2007, while also raising money online.
"We are so enthusiastic, and our volunteers will not give up," she said.
She pointed to both fundraising amounts and the elections last fall, where Democrats captured five seats on the Board of Supervisors, as evidence that Loudoun, which a Democratic presidential candidate hasn't captured in more than four decades, may be turning at least slightly blue.
"Loudoun has been a stronghold for Republicans for so long," she said. "But people in Loudoun are now ready for a change. ... They are tired of the usual."
In 2001, Democrat Mark Warner, a candidate for the U.S. Senate who has visited the county at least three times since last fall, lost Loudoun in his race for governor to Republican Mark Early, but he still found hope in the 8-percent gap.
"At the time that was the best a Democrat had done in Loudoun," he said.
In 2005, Gov. Tim Kaine (D) won Loudoun by 5 percentage points.
Warner said he can win the county in November because of its well-documented growth spurt since then, which he thinks has drastically altered its voting demographics, trending it now toward the Democrats.
Democrat and U.S. House candidate Mike Turner, of Waterford, is also confident that Loudoun is now winnable for Democrats. He said Democratic U.S. Sen. Jim Webb's victory in Loudoun in 2006 laid the groundwork for the party on what type of candidate can win here.
"He gave us the template of what we need to do to win in the 10th [House] District: a moderate Democrat who is fiscally responsible," he said.
Regarding the presidential election, even prominent Loudoun Republican Dick Black acknowledged the county will be a tough win for the GOP in 2008 since "Obama has certainly captured the imagination of a lot of people."
Nationwide, Black, a former member of Virginia's House of Delegates, is picking McCain over Obama because of McCain's ability to relate better "with blue collar workers." But, because of Loudoun's high average income level, he thinks the county's demographics play more into Obama's hands.
"I think McCain has his work cut out for him in Loudoun," he said.
Tim Buchholz, chairman of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee, agreed.
Buchholz, who said Lyndon Johnson in 1964 was the last Democrat to win Loudoun in a presidential election, said February's primary, where Democrats' turnout was about twice that of Republicans, was "a good indication" of where Loudoun now stands politically.
He also said because of "dissatisfaction" with President Bush, local Democrats are starting to win over more independents and some moderate Republicans -- a trend that bodes well for his party in November, he said.
"I really do feel good about this year," he said. "There is a feeling across the country and the county that people want change, and the Democratic party is the one party to bring that change."
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com
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