Fairfax County

Virginia 10th District: Barbara Comstock Declares Victory

Republican Barbara Comstock claimed victory in the race for Virginia's 10th Congressional District -- and took an immediate swing at her opponent.

"I guess I am finally going to get a real job," Comstock said as she claimed victory in the race. It was a not-subtle reference to ads her campaign ran that quoted her opponent, Democrat John Foust, as saying Comstock, a former Congressional aide, lobbyist and mom, never had a "real job."

Comstock and Foust (D) had battled to succeed Rep. Frank Wolf, who is retiring from Congress. Comstock thanked Wolf and said she would serve in his "great tradition."

“I am so honored to follow in his footsteps," she said.

Comstock, a Fairfax County delegate, has also served as co-chair of Mitt Romney's Virginia presidential campaign. Foust has been a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors since 2007, having won a re-election in 2011.

The Issues That Moved This Race

The hotly contested race was marred with negative advertisements from both candidates.

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Comstock campaigned as Wolf’s natural successor and promised to bring a bipartisan approach to the job.

RAW VIDEO: Barbara Comstock speaks to her supporters after her victory in Virginia’s 10th Congressional district, one of the Commonwealth’s most contested races.

Foust attacked her political history and called her a hyper-partisan who made her name in Washington as an opposition researcher digging up dirt on Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Foust spent weeks defending himself following that "real job" ad from Comstock's camp, which branded the Democrat a "sexist" for remarks he says were taken out of context.

Comstock was forced to confront her own controversy more recently after an ad reported that she served as a paid spokesperson for an anti-union group while sponsoring legislation the group supported. She has maintained that there were no secrets, adding the bill has saved Virginians money.

The onslaught of ads and other campaign tactics has made the race for the 10th Congressional District one of the most expensive in the Washington media market.

And while Northern Virginia has become increasingly blue, the 10th District, which stretches from inside the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia west to the Shenandoah Valley, has supported both Republicans and Democrats in presidential and gubernatorial races.

Wolf, a Republican, had held the seat since 1981.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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