Rep. Gerald Connolly faces a tight race for re-election (Creative Commons)

There are four tight House races in Virginia: in the 5th, 2nd, 9th and 11th districts.

Republican Eric Cantor, who is facing likely reelection, according to most polls, said Tuesday that victories in those four competitive districts would be “an early indicator of how big the win is going to be.”

The focus leading up to elections has been the fate of Democrat Tom Perriello, current 5th district Representative. In recent polls, Perriello has trailed Republican State Sen. Robert Hurt, though Perriello has raised more money. Perriello spent Monday making last-minute appearances to try to pick up as many votes as possible. 

In the 2nd district, another Democratic incumbent, Glenn Nye, faces a tight contest with Republican Scott Rigell. A local poll taken about two weeks about should the two candidates virtually tied. The 9th district is the same story. Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher, whose seat many once figured was safe, is now in a dead-heat with Republican Del. H. Morgan Griffith. Polls have gone back and forth, some putting Boucher ahead, some giving Griffith the edge.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trying to help the race in the 11th district, pouring $1 million into Rep. Gerald E. Connolly’s re-election campaign. Connolly is running against Keith S. Fimian, who he beat out for the seat in 2008.

Some say that the way the 11th district race goes will be telling for the rest of the country. The 11th district is Northern Virginia, close enough to D.C. to feel like an extension of the District, and almost always leans Democrat. Fimian, too, is not a particularly charismatic candidate, so analysts say a Republican win would not be about candidate personalities – it would be all about party preference. And that’s a bad sign for Democrats. 

Reach news editor Alexandra Tilsley here. Follow her on Twitter: @atilsley.

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