John Foust (center)
I'm not gonna lie: Democrats are facing a damn tough time holding the Senate this year. But all those "DOOM" emails that are flooding your inbox?
Fuck that.
We're not doomed. In fact, it's time for Democrats to go on offense and make Republicans feel some pain. We may not take back the House this year, but the progressive project has always been a long-term one, and every gain we do make in November brings us one seat closer to putting the speaker's gavel back in Nancy Pelosi's hands.
That's why we're endorsing another excellent candidate for the House who's running in a very winnable, Republican-held district: John Foust in VA-10.
Virginia's 10th is a swingy district that the GOP didn't expect to have to defend this year, but one of their last remaining "moderates" bailed, leaving them with an open seat. So with Rep. Frank Wolf retiring, Republicans have turned to Barbara Comstock to carry them forward, a name that may well be familiar to you. Comstock was the lead thug on the RNC's 2000 hit squad, a group of born liars engaged in manic projection who somehow succeeded in portraying Al Gore as the dishonest one. The Atlantic's Joshua Green called her one of the "the leading lights in the low-lit world of opposition research," a creature "held in about the same regard as spammers and ivory smugglers."
Both at the RNC and later at the Bush Justice Department, Comstock played mentor to the junior members of Karl Rove's smear squad, Tim Griffin (whom Bush appointed U.S. attorney in Arkansas via the PATRIOT Act, bypassing Congress) and Monica Goodling (who set off a firestorm for her role in firing nine U.S. attorneys for purely political reasons—one of which was to open up a slot for Griffin). Comstock's made it her life's business, in other words, not just to mingle with the scum of the earth but to help them flourish in her toxic petri dish.
Since the merciful end of the Bush era, Comstock's been skulking around in Virginia, serving as an extreme conservative in the state House of Delegates. But she barely hung on to her seat last year, and she faces a very serious opponent this year. Foust, a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, has been running a strong campaign, and he just announced raising an impressive $1 million in the last quarter. He's also a bona fide progressive—just check out his answers to our questionnaire: solid down the line.
Unfortunately, Virginia's 10th District is located in the very expensive Washington media market, and Foust will need all the help he can get to introduce himself to voters. A recent Democratic poll had Comstock up just 41-39, while a Republican internal found her ahead 46-34. However, even that GOP poll acknowledged that Comstock is much better-known, meaning that Foust has more room to grow.
So please contribute $3 to help Democrats go on offense and stop a bottom-feeder like Barbara Comstock from worming her way into Congress.