“The more Rep. Barbara Comstock tries to satisfy the furthest fringes of her party, the more she is reminding Northern Virginia families of her extreme positions that are completely out of step with this district. These kinds of tactics shouldn’t surprise anyone, this is who Rep. Barbara Comstock is – a mudslinging partisan who will say or do pretty much anything to win an election.” – Jacob Peters, DCCC spokesperson
Partial Comstock Primary Mailer
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Rep. Comstock goes on offense in GOP primary | Washington Post
June 9, 2018
By Jenna Portnoy
As voters in her Northern Virginia district overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton for president two years ago, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R) withstood that Democratic energy and handily won reelection.
Now in her bid for a third term, Comstock is formidable — she has raised $3.2 million, enjoys wide name recognition and the power of incumbency, and is considered the overwhelming favorite in the GOP primary on Tuesday against Shak Hill, a relative unknown and self-described inspirational speaker.
Still, she is not taking anything for granted.
Comstock’s campaign has rolled out a series of attacks against Hill, a retired Air Force pilot who unsuccessfully ran for the GOP nomination for Senate in 2014.
It produced a website that invites viewers to “Meet Shady Shak. Creepy candidate. Can’t win,” which criticizes his hiring decisions and accuses him of posting lewd material online.
In radio ads reinforcing the message, a menacing-sounding male voice asks “Do you know the real Shak Hill?”
In response, Hill’s campaign said an automated service inadvertently posted lewd articles on his website.
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Nevertheless, since Trump took office, Comstock has voted with her party most of the time, supporting Trump and the GOP’s efforts on deregulation, tax cuts, abortion and other issues.
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She sent voters a four-page mailer that touts her ability to get “conservative results for Virginia,” as well as endorsements from John Bolton, Trump’s national security adviser; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich; and the National Rifle Association.
It also says she is “pro-border wall to stop illegal immigration,” “pro-life,” and “pro-2nd Amendment.”
In the final days of the campaign, Vice President Pence recorded a phone message urging voters to cast ballots for his “friend” Comstock, whom he called “a strong, effective, conservative leader,” according to Comstock’s spokesman Jeff Marschner.
Last week, she trumpeted the support of her longtime friend David Bossie, chairman of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United and Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign manager.
Hours later, Hill’s campaign hosted a “pro-Trump Meet and Greet” with a special guest: Fox News contributor and former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka.
The winner of the GOP primary will face the winner of the six-way Democratic contest, which will also be decided Tuesday.
Then the question becomes whether the Republican can overcome Trump’s unpopularity in the district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, all of Loudoun County and a rural swath to the west.
Three independent analysts consider the race a “toss-up.”