The Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest is compiled by David Nir and Jeff Singer, with additional contributions from David Jarman, Steve Singiser, Daniel Donner, James Lambert, and Stephen Wolf.
● VA-02 : Perhaps no district better symbolizes the Democratic Party’s near-impossible task of retaking the House this year than Virginia’s 2nd. That’s because, even though the 2nd is an open seat that Mitt Romney carried by just two points, Democrats don’t have a single candidate here, not even a sausage. The one serious option who had been considering, state Sen. Lynwood Lewis, just begged off, and the only name in circulation is that of Shaun Brown, a perennial candidate.
Making matters graver is the fact that the filing deadline is Thursday, though Democrats might try to buy some time by switching from a primary to a convention, which would allow potential candidates to come forward at a later date. Still, the cupboard is looking awfully bare, and if Donald Trump turns the GOP ticket into a dumpster fire the size of Mar-a-Lago, it would be a shandeh to leave this seat uncontested.
That’s especially so since Republicans have a nasty primary of their own, between Rep. Randy Forbes, who’s carpetbagging over from the 4th District (which became unwinnably blue after a recent round of court-ordered redistricting), and state Del. Scott Taylor, who’s been attacking Forbes as, well, a carpetbagger. With presidential-year turnout, Democrats won’t have a better opportunity to pick up this seat for many a year to come, but right now, it’s looking like any hope will slip through their fingers.
● VA-04 : State Sen. Donald McEachin doesn’t face much of a contest in the Democratic primary, and his latest round of endorsements ought to seal the deal. All five of Virginia’s statewide elected officials, including Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, have now given McEachin their endorsement. The 4th District is now a comfortably blue open seat, thanks to a recent court-imposed redistricting plan than prompted GOP Rep. Randy Forbes to seek re-election in the 2nd District instead, though Henrico County Sheriff Mike Ward is giving it the old college try for Republicans.
