Dems to select nominee in Davis’s Va. district

Virginia Democrats will pick a nominee to contest retiring GOP Rep. Tom Davis’s open seat Tuesday when former Rep. Leslie Byrne and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Gerry Connolly square off in the 11th congressional district.

The seat went vacant when Davis announced he would not seek reelection after seven terms. Davis has held the seat with relative ease, but Northern Virginia has swung Democratic in recent years, and Davis’s district went for President Bush by only about 2,000 votes in 2004.

{mosads}Polling from the Byrne and Connolly campaigns has shown each candidate leading the race. The winner of the Democratic primary will face businessman Keith Fimian, a political unknown who is unopposed on the Republican side.

Fimian has outraised both Democrats and had more than $750,000 cash on hand as of May 21.

Also in Northern Virginia, Georgetown University Professor Judy Feder is expected to win the Democratic primary and set up a second straight match-up with Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.). Wolf beat Feder 57-41 in 2006, but Feder has already raised more than $1 million this cycle.

North Dakota and South Carolina are also holding primaries Tuesday. In the Palmetto State, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) is expected to withstand a primary challenge from former Republican National Committeeman Buddy Witherspoon.