Vol. 41, No 11 www.arlingtondemocrats.org November 2016 Poll shows VA vote tightening The presidential election in is tight- ening up, according to the latest statewide poll by Christopher Newport University in Newport News. still leads, but her margin has Just days to go been cut in half over the previous CNU poll two and there are five weeks earlier, emphasizing the need for Democrats to get out the vote so as not to be shocked election items on our to-do night. list for which we In the poll completed Oct. 26, Clinton led Donald Trump with 46 percent to his 39 percent. need volunteers. But that 7-point margin was down from a 12- point lead Clinton held in the previous week’s sur- vey, and she led by 15 points the week before that. Check them out on “True to form for the past several statewide Page 6. elections in Virginia, Republican voters appear to be coming home late, but coming home,” said Dr. Don’t stop just Quentin Kidd, director of the poll. “That’s good See where you can news for Trump, and especially good news for the help out at the last Republican candidates down-ballot.” Libertarian Gary Johnson was at 5 percent, and cause polls close minute. Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Don’t stop and kick off your shoes when the candidate Evan McMullin were at 1 percent apiece. polls close! We’ve got two more events right after The election isn’t Johnson had hit 15 percent in a CNU poll in late that. September. First, we have a Watch Party Election Night to won ‘til they count Nationally, the Huffington Post average of keep track of all the results coming in, both locally the last ballot. polls showed Clinton with a lead of 8.6 percentage and nationally. points as of October 30. And the next day, we will have our annual post- election luncheon to talk over good food about the good points and the bad points of the campaign be- fore anyone forgets them. Get you own nasty t-shirt Both events are in Clarendon, several blocks Stick it to The Donald with a “nasty woman” apart. t-shirt. It was barely dawn the day after Donald Trump Watch Party called Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” before From 7 p.m., when the Virginia polls close, Democrats had t-shirts printed up with the moni- until 1 a.m. the next morning. ker. Sehkraft Brewing You can get your own t-shirt for 30 bucks from 925 North Garfield St. the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA) at https:/ This is a new spot tucked away near where 10th /store.vademocrats.org. Street and Washington Blvd. cross. It’s a bit of a There are two shirts to choose from: “This hike from the Clarendon Metro station. nasty woman votes” and”“Nasty women for Hillary.” They are only available in blue. (Natch.) There Post-Election Lunch is other 2016 election swag available from the same Noon to 2 p.m., the day after the election website. Nam-Viet Restaurant And don’t forget what Hillary was talking 1127 North Hudson St. about went Trump interrupted her to call her a nasty This is where we gather every year on “the day woman. She was relating her plan to protect Social after.” It’s just north of Wilson Blvd. and a very Security. That’s nasty!?!? short walk from the Clarendon Metro Station. ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 2

Report from Chairman Kip Malinosky We’re winning, but . . . We Democrats are poised for our third an 80 percent chance of winning, we are play- members mutinied against their own leader straight presidential election win, the pros- ing Russian roulette with this election. and appear ready to do it again. The Republi- pects in the Senate look good and even the Chances are we survive, but let’s do every- can Congress has shut down the government House may now be in play. There are several thing we can do to diminish the risk. and diminished the full faith and credit of the presidential election prediction models, such And the risk is real. Hillary Clinton is United States by threatening to not pay the as The New York Times, Huffington Post, the the most qualified candidate for the presi- bills. Princeton Election Consortium, and dency in our history and Donald Trump is the Therefore, we must do all that we can to DailyKos. Every one of those gives Hillary most unqualified candidate. He is radically ensure Hillary Clinton takes the White House, Clinton a better than 80 percent chance of dangerous. Trump has said more countries Democrats retake the Senate and we swing winning. History is in the making; for the first should be able to develop nuclear weapons, for the fences in the House. There is much time a woman will likely be our next presi- that Iranian ships should be fired upon and we can do in the next days. Arlington will play dent. The historic policy achievements of that our NATO alliance should be contingent a pivotal role in ensuring Clinton has the mar- President Obama will be sustained and ex- upon payments. These are ideas that could gin to win our battleground state of Virginia. panded. But, of course, the election isn’t here lead to a drastically unstable world in the short In order for this to happen, Arlington Demo- yet for most voters. run. In the long run, Trump’s belief that glo- crats must encourage sporadic voters to vote As good as the election models look, we bal warming is a hoax conjured up by the by knocking on their doors. We must call out must be anything but complacent. These mod- Chinese and his promise to repeal all of the volunteers to make sure those tens of thou- els are only as good as the polls that go into progress Obama has made on fighting climate sands of doors get knocked on. We must greet them and polls have problems. First, it is get- change is just as dangerous. voters both at the polling locations open now ting harder and harder for pollsters to contact Of course, the risk is not just Trump. Let and at Metro stops to let them know that they voters by phone and creating rigorous meth- us not forget the national embarrassment and may be eligible to vote early. odologies for online polls remains elusive. threat that is the Republican Congress. The If we get the work done in Arlington, More significantly, in the last two years the Republican Senate has refused to do its job then we can help our neighbors in Fairfax polling average has been substantially wrong of even holding hearings for Obama’s emi- County defeat Representative Barbara about elections in Greece, Canada, the United nently qualified Supreme Court nominee, Comstock, who has been a key enabler of the Kingdom, Michigan and Virginia. Even with Merrick Garland. The Republican House Republican extremists in Congress. LuAnn Bennett would make an excellent representa- tive and would be a key ally for Hillary Clinton’s progressive agenda. Let’s do our Jerry Botland part Computer Consulting Troubleshoot and resolve computer and The campaign from computer related problems. Perform upgrades, set-up wireless routers and print servers. the donkey’s mouth Transfer old files, address book and emails from an old computer to a new one. at Sat. Breakfast Phone: (703) 933-0558 — [email protected] Brian Zuzenak, the Virginia campaign director of the Clinton-Kaine campaign, will be the featured guest at the November Sec- ond Saturday Breakfast. Zuzenak will be talking Saturday, No- Published monthly by the vember 12, as he depressurizes four days af- Arlington County Democratic Committee ter the election and will be freer to chat about 2001 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite #604, Arlington VA 22202 the state campaign. Mailing address: P.O. Box 7132, Arlington VA 22207 The breakfast will be held, as always, at Tel: (703) 528-8588 the Busboys and Poets in Shirlington, which http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org is at 4251 Campbell Avenue, basically behind Chair: Kip Malinosky — [email protected] the movie theater. Editor-in-Chief: Warren L. Nelson —(703) 243-7867 (h), [email protected] Dining begins at 8:30 a.m. And, this Deputy Editor: Eric Wiener — (703) 524-6899 (h), [email protected] time, there will be no canvassing in the neigh- Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of the ACDC borhoods around Shirlington after the break- unless expressly approved by an appropriate committee resolution fast. But you are once again asked to bring Copyright ©2016, ACDC, All Rights Reserved cash with you to settle up the bill afterward. ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 3

Question: Next Monthly Meeting All Dems Invited Wednesday, November 2, 7 p.m. Have you NRECA Building, 4301 Wilson Blvd Corner of North Taylor and Wilson, just east of Glebe & Wilson voted yet? Free parking under building, enter from Taylor Street Come hear Congressman Don Beyer make the closing So, have you voted yet? Voting before case for the importance of the 2016 elections and learn Election Day is all the rage in Northern Vir- ginia, so join the throng. what you can do in the final days of the campaign to Getting to the polls early hasn’t become nail down a Democratic victory. We will also have some nearly as popular elsewhere in the common- volunteer campaign stations so you can help out that wealth. A tabulation shows the volume of early voters this year is running almost 50 very night. percent ahead of 2012 in , more than double the rise in any other region of the state. That’s a promising note given that Dems dominate in Northern Virginia. In contrast, ning to be absent from the county for some fice, were called out of town or wake up the two most populous localities that went part of Election Day to qualify. And, as Ar- ill. All that’s avoided by voting before Republican in 2012 have seen very modest lington is the smallest of the more than Election Day. rises in early voting—4 percent in Virginia 3,000 counties in the United States, an aw- The technical term in Virginia is “in- Beach and 11 percent in Chesterfield County, ful lot of people routinely leave the person absentee voting,” but it just means a Richmond suburb. county—some to work, some to have lunch voting in the weeks before actual Election Many states allow anyone to vote early in Alexandria, some to shop in DC or see a Day. without giving any reason. But the Republi- physician in Fairfax County. If you are go- The application form takes 30 seconds cans in the Virginia General Assembly re- ing to be outside the county for business, to fill out and then you vote by filling in a jected proposals to do that here. Instead, there that’s 1C, while a trip for personal reasons paper ballot—just like in the olden days of are 19 reasons from which you need to choose is 1D. Don’t get bogged down in the list of the 20th Century—but then inserting the pa- one. The GOP seems to have put aside its 19 reasons, such as sitting in jail or being per ballot into one of the county’s brand-new declared goal of reducing bureaucratic im- pregnant. scanners that count the votes. pediments when it came up with this mind- ACDC urges everyone to cast your bal- The three locations for voting early this numbing system. But then it helps to discour- lot early. It’s not just the long lines that year are: age voters, so…... will greet you on Election Day in a presi- • In the lobby of the County Building at But it’s actually easy for Arlingtonians dential year. Many miss voting on Election Courthouse Plaza, 2100 Clarendon Blvd. to vote early, since you only need to be plan- Day because they have a crunch at the of- • Walter Reed Community Center, 2909 16th Street S. • Madison Community Center, 3829 N. Stafford St. Voting is available at Courthouse Plaza Monday-Thursday this week from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sat- Bumper sticker urday, Nov. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Walter Reed and Madison are open from 1-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 1- of the month 5 p.m. Friday, and then on Saturday, Nov. 5, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Note that there is no voting on the Mon- day before the Tuesday Election Day as the staff will be busy setting up the voting equip- ment in all of Arlington’s precincts. Don’t forget to bring a photo ID. That is now required by Virginia state law. For more detailed information, call 703- 228-3456 or visit vote.arlingtonva.us/absen- tee. ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 4 Celebrate Donkey Ears the life of Listening to the doings Ruth Kanter of Arlington’s Dems as overheard by Join the Kanter family in celebrating the Dan Steen and Mädi Green life of longtime ACDC volunteer Ruth Friedenthal Kanter, who passed away May 11 at the age of 88 after a long illness. Trifecta: Last month’s issue of The Voice got three thumbs down from the Sun The celebration will be held Friday, No- Gazette—and all for just one article! And that was only a three-paragraph vember 18, at the Unitarian Universalist article! The article announced that “Nancy Van Dorn” would be speaking at the Church of Arlington, 4444 Arlington Blvd, at Second Saturday Breakfast, when it should have said Nancy Van Doren. Next the southwest corner of the intersection of North George Mason and Route 50. it failed to identify her as the School Board chairman, and third it referred to As part of the celebration of her life, the her only as a School Board candidate, not as a School Board member. That’s a family invites friends and colleagues to send trifecta of discombobulation. Voice editor Warren Nelson said, remembrances that can be shared with all in “Aaaaggghhh!!! [gulp].” the printed program. Please send them elec- Passages I: Ann Broder, who finished a half-century of political activity in tronically to [email protected]. Arlington as precinct captain in The Jefferson retirement center in Ballston, Donations in Ruth’s honor can be made died September 30 after a battle with lung cancer. She was 87. Ann was the to the Parkinson’s Foundation of the National widow of ’s Pulitzer Prize winning political reporter, Capital Area (http://parkinsonfoundation.org/ David Broder, who died in 2011. The couple moved to Arlington in 1955 and and click donate) or to the Arlington County she soon became a leader of Arlingtonians for a Better County (ABC), the non- Democratic Committee’s Capital Campaign partisan Arlington group to which Democrats who worked for the federal (http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org/ government migrated back when the Hatch Act prevented them from acting as RuthKanterFund) Democrats. In 1973, she was appointed to the first of two four-year terms on ******* the School Board. Born and reared in Indiana, she graduated from the Univer- Catering by Lebanese Taverna & Nam Viet sity of Chicago, where she met her husband. She spent almost every summer at 6:00pm: Begin socializing and eating the family’s vacation home on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan, which can be 6:45pm: Celebration reached only by air or water. Her ashes will be interred on the island. After Celebration: More socializing and fin- Passages II: Long-time Arlington Dems Mike and Gen Timpane lost their son, ish the food 55-year-old Joseph Thomas Timpane, October 18 while he was riding his RSVP and Remembrances beloved Harley near his home in Amissville. Joe was a master carpenter and to: [email protected] his great love was his woodwork. Dad Mike was a School Board member in the 70s and head of the National Institute for Education in the Carter Adminis- tration. J-J name change: Democrats in Warren County (that’s Front Royal at the top of The Valley) have changed the name of their annual banquet from Jefferson- Jackson to Kennedy-King, joining a growing number of name changers. Arlington changed its banquet to the Blue Victory Dinner last year. No one has any idea how many city and county parties have changed, but so far seven states have switched from the historic Jefferson-Jackson name. They are New Hampshire, Connecticut, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Georgia and South Carolina. The Kennedy-King name has long been used in this area by the 8th Congressional District Democratic Committee for its annual dinner. By the numbers: We just came across this interesting stat. At last summer’s Democratic National Convention, 24.8% of the delegates were African- American. At the Republican National Convention, 0.7% of the delegates were African-American. Stumping the commonwealth: Khizr Khan, the Pakistani-American lawyer and Gold Star parent who electrified the Democratic National Convention in July, is stumping the state to get out the vote for Hillary. Last week, he was in Norfolk, where he spoke at a mosque, showed his campaign skills at a local restaurant and dropped by a campaign office to encourage the volunteers. The Khans live RUTH KANTER in Charlottesville. Their son, Humayun, lies buried in Arlington National Cemetery. ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 5 Why do we vote on a business day? In most countries, people vote on a Sat- urday or Sunday (or a Friday in the Islamic world, where Friday is the Sabbath). So why do we Americans vote on a business day, Election Day at which discourages people, especially hourly the county seat workers, from voting. in the 1840s Well, we do it because a Tuesday in No- vember was very convenient in 1845 when Congress passed the law making federal Elec- tion Day the first Tuesday after the first Mon- day in November. It came after harvesting had been com- ten it into their heads that Tuesday is the employers to give their workers two hours of pleted almost everywhere and before winter proper day for voting. For example, in Vir- paid leave on Election Day. snows would be a frequent impediment. ginia, primary day (for offices other than Some firms, mostly small businesses, Before 1845, the states set election days. president) is the second Tuesday in June. In just shut down on Election Day. But their The fact that votes had been counted and pub- almost all states with presidential primaries, numbers are not large. lished in some states weeks before voters went a Tuesday is the chosen day, even though no The real movement in the 21st Century to the polls in other states caused grumbling. one outside Amish country is taking a buggy to break the Tuesday juggernaut has been to th st It was the 19 Century variant of the 21 Cen- to the county seat to vote. In 2016, the only provide for early voting or postal voting. tury grumbling about California voting after violators of the Tuesday rule for presidential Oregon enacted postal voting in 1998, Wash- the results were broadcast from a dozen East primaries were Louisiana, South Carolina and ington state in 2011 and Colorado in 2013. Coast states. Guam, which held their primaries on a Satur- Postal voting is opposed by many out of con- The Constitution says that presidential day, and Puerto Rico which voted on a Sun- cerns that fraud is easier. electors must meet in each state’s capitol on day. Right now, 34 states plus DC provide for the first Wednesday in December to pick the Amazingly, with all the concerns about some kind of early voting without any justifi- president and vice president. In 1792, Con- making it easier to vote, there is no major cation being given, though some states do that gress said the states could hold elections for movement to shift Election Day from Tues- for only a few days while others provide those electors any time in the 34-day period day to the weekend. weeks of early voting—45 days in Vermont before the first Wednesday in December. There have been loud calls to make Elec- and South Dakota versus three days on Okla- In December 1844, Congress debated a tion Day a holiday to promote voter turnout. homa. bill to fix a single date. The bill set the first Some have proposed moving Veterans Day All the other states, including Virginia, Tuesday in November. In many states, the to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in allow some kind of advance voting but re- only polling place was in the county seat. November to respond to complaints that we quire the voter to provide a justification. Vir- Voters had to take their buggies to the county shouldn’t be inventing new holidays and ginia requires the voter to choose from a list seat and that was often a long ride. A Mon- working less. But a holiday law has never of 19 justifications, running the gamut from day election day would require many people gotten far in Congress. being disabled or pregnant to being in jail or to travel on the Sabbath, which ruled out California and New York both require having a religious obligation on Election Day. Monday. Wednesday was market day in many parts of the country, and holding voting just before market day was convenient. But someone noticed that in some years, the first Tuesday in November would fall 35 days before the electors met. Rather than just drop the 34-day requirement from the law (which was being overridden anyhow by the fixed day requirement), Congress came up with the “first Tuesday after the first Mon- day” formulation. All this means is that we never vote on Tuesday, November”1. The earliest vote is Tuesday, November 2 (after the first Monday) and the latest is Tuesday, November 8—like this year. Under that formula, the period between Election Day and the first Wednesday in De- cember is always 29 days—not that it mat- ters one whit. Somehow, Americans seem to have got- ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 6

Volunteers Needed for five last minute campaign tasks There’s just a week to go and lots to do. We have a boatload of volunteers lined up for most of our remaining activities. But we still need folks to sign up for five last minute tasks—being poll greeters on Election Day; poll greeters before Election Day at the early voting sites; flyering at Metro stops; canvassing across Arlington and canvassing for LuAnn Bennett as she strives to win the congressional seat in the adjoining 10th District. We have had an amazing turnout of more than a thousand volunteers—yes, more than a thousand—including many folks from DC and even help from tourists visiting from out-of-the- area who give a hand between visits to museums and monuments. Our task between now and Election Day is to keep the pedal to the metal, seal the deal and drive up the numbers in Arlington to offset the Trump bastions downstate. Here are the remaining places where we are short of volunteers.

Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 8 — Hand out sample ballots at our polling places. These have info on the constitutional amendments and bond issues and help keep the lines moving because voters will know what they will see on the ballot before they get it. Shifts are generally two hours between 5:30 am and 7 pm, but one hour is fine, too. If you can take a shift (or two) contact [email protected] with your name, cell phone and what time of day you are available. If you are willing to work any shift and/or anywhere in Arlington, that would be great!

Early voting poll greeters — We need Poll Greeters to distribute sample ballots at the three In-Person Absentee locations. If you can help, please contact: • 2100 Clarendon Blvd—Jack Kinkaid - [email protected] • Walter Reed Community Center—Maureen Markham - [email protected] • Madison Community Center —Jean Christensen - [email protected]

Metro flyering — If you can distribute In-Person Absentee Flyers at Metro stations and bus stops on weekday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m, contact John Chandler at [email protected]. These flyers encourage voters to vote before Election Day.

Canvassing across Arlington — We will canvass November 5-8 at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day from six staging locations. Check this site for the locations and orga- nizers for each staging location: http://www.arlingtondemocrats.org/2016/10/19/help-us-elect- hillary-clinton-tim-kaine-democratic-ticket/#more-9722.

Canvassing for LuAnn — LuAnn Bennett’s race to topple Rep. Barbara Comstock is rated as a toss-up by all the major campaign watchers. Door-to-door canvassing for LuAnn is coordinated with the Clinton campaign, so canvassing for LuAnn helps Hillary as well. We are supplying volunteers to help in Fairfax and Loudoun counties. To sign up, please contact Matt de Ferranti at [email protected] or 703-732-9326. ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 7 Where have all the yard signs gone? As you drive around this campaign sea- son, you may have noticed the relative pau- city of political signs compared to past years. It’s not just happening in Arlington; it’s true in most parts of the country. Some analysts see a shift from the use of signs to proclaim where we stand to the use of social media to make our political dec- larations. The shift is not necessarily uniform. A very unscientific survey by The Voice’s edi- tor driving around northern Michigan and southern Pennsylvania in recent weeks found Trump yard signs outnumbering Clinton signs 60-to-1 in rural areas, but few signs for any presidential candidates in more built-up ar- eas. That may say something of the nature of the support many see for Trump—a rejection of the changes in society of recent years. But you don’t hear many campaign lead- ers griping about the decline of the sign. POLITICAL FORESTRY — It wasn’t all that long ago that a for- “Yard signs are sort of the bane of a est of yard signs greeted anyone driving down the highway to the campaign’s existence because all the support- the annual Shad Planking. Back in those days, there were more ers want one, but they actually have no real utility,” Geoffrey Skelley, a political analyst signs than shad, which many thought was good. with the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told the Chesterfield Observer, which have been laid a dozen years ago, when former Skelley said, “I’m in Charlottesville, one looked around Chesterfield County outside Vermont Gov. Howard Dean’s 2004 presiden- of the most Democratic, liberal places in the Richmond and couldn’t find many signs. tial campaign was the first to aggressively state, and you don’t see an overwhelming Skelley said,’“People want one so they campaign using social media. That paved the number of Clinton bumper stickers or yard can show off who they’re supporting, but cam- way for President ’s social signs. You do see a lot of Bernie Sanders stuff paigns then have to waste money that they media-savvy 2008 campaign. sitting around. In part, that’s a reflection of would rather spend on things that are more “It was Howard Dean’s campaign that the candidate. But it’s also probably because valuable. I don’t think you will find a single first suggested the idea that maybe yard signs campaigns aren’t giving the stuff away the campaign person that says yard signs are a didn’t matter as much as they used to because way they used to.” good thing.” people were going to be communicating using The Chesterfield County Republican While supporters might enjoy broadcast- different social media platforms,” Kidd says. Committee said the Trump campaign pro- ing their choice of candidate, presidential As fewer people—especially young vided it with only 1,500 yard signs this year. campaigns have realized that people who are people—are putting up campaign signs and In 2012, it received 9,000 signs for Mitt Rom- willing to put a sign in their yard or a sticker bumper stickers, we’ve seen the rise of the ney. on their car bumper are going to vote for the online campaign store, selling all kinds of In Arlington, ACDC bought about 2,000 candidate regardless. election ephemera with the goal of raising signs this year to give to interested volunteers “The reality is that political yard signs campaign funds. Clinton’s website sells 16- and distribute to homeowners for small do- have lost the currency that they once had, inch-by-26-inch campaign signs for $20 each; nations. which was an indication of the level of sup- Trump — who has promoted himself as an Though political yard signs might not port for a candidate, and also an indication of expert on “the art of the deal” — offers the have much of an impact on presidential cam- the organization of a candidate,” says Quentin deal of two 24-inch-by-18-inch signs for $20. paigns, Skelley says they can help get the Kidd, a professor of political science at Chris- His classic red “Make America Great Again” word out about local candidates, as well as topher Newport University. cap is available for $25. off-year and non-November elections. Still, Kidd says, “Most of that stuff has shifted “That’s a phenomenon of the last two or he says time would be better spent getting to social media. You’re going to find people three election cycles,” says Kidd. “One of the candidates in front of local groups and knock- making comments about a candidate on ways you can guarantee somebody’s going to ing on doors. Facebook or one of the other social media vote for you is if they give you money. If “Campaigns realized that it’s silly to give platforms, liking the candidate’s page, putting somebody gives you a dollar, they’re far more this stuff away for free because it costs them a story about the candidate on their news likely to vote for you than if they don’t. If money and it gains them nothing,” Skelley feed.” they buy a yard sign, you’re probably lock- says. “It’s not useful at all in winning an elec- The foundation for the shift appears to ing in a vote.” tion.” ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 8

GOLDEN GALA — Hope you didn’t miss the Golden Gala in October. It was the third of ACDC’s annual social events during the campaign. It featured an array of delectable hors d’oeuvres and desserts (above) prepared by the ACDC Kitchen Crew, led by Kris McLaughlin and Madi Green. And thanks to the generosity of co-host Sally Cooper, attendees were regaled by the smooth jazz of the local band, Brulee (below). ACDC Voice, November 2016, Page 9 Bennett-Comstock race too close to call The race in the next-door 10th Congres- Donald Trump’s unpopularity in the district and Comstock herself has said Trump is un- sional District between incumbent Republi- remains a key factor in the contest. Trump is qualified to serve as president, something that can Barbara Comstock and Democrat LuAnn widely unpopular in the affluent 10th District, could help her with independents but rattle Bennett is now a toss-up, according to three the conservative base. prominent political analyses. A Christopher Newport University poll The Rothenberg and Gonzalez Political found that Trump was trailing Clinton by 37 Report, the Cook Political Report and UVA’s points in Northern Virginia. Sabato’s Crystal Ball have all moved their “Despite her past electoral success, Bar- ratings to “toss-up” in the last two weeks of bara Comstock has never run for office in a October. presidential year,” Bennett Campaign Man- ACDC is trying to help Bennett by fun- ager Adam Zuckerman said. “Recent polling neling canvassers into her district, which be- at the district and presidential level captures gins where the George Washington Parkway her challenges in this environment. Facing a enters Fairfax County and stretches out be- larger, more moderate, and more diverse elec- yond Winchester to the West Virginia line. torate, Barbara Comstock has been defined Officials with the Comstock camp say as an extreme partisan who shares positions they remain confident. They note the Repub- on key issues with Donald Trump.” lican won her first congressional contest in When it comes to the money game, 2014 by a whopping 16 percent margin. But Comstock remains comfortably ahead after that wasn’t a presidential year with many more third quarter filings. people voting—and a giant drag leading the The incumbent raised $1.1 million in the GOP ticket. quarter and had $1.9 million cash on hand. “The congresswoman has won five races For the cycle, she raised nearly $4.5 million. in seven years—– some close, some by a wide Bennett has run through the bulk of her nearly margin,” Susan Falconer, Comstock’s cam- $2 million in campaign funds, recording only paign manager, told the Loudoun Times. $90,000 cash on hand. The Democrat also lent But Republican presidential nominee LUANN BENNETT her campaign $70,000. Don’t forget to vote in the cereal election As happens every year, cereal contributions are less and indigent. falling off as the campaign season heats up. Kim has added a new campaign to keep everyone 400 And this year, Democratic Values in Action (DVA) on their toes. This campaign provides assistance to has an additional drive underway, seeking Christmas Offender Aid Restoration (OAR), a local group that gifts for the kids of folks in jail. helps those getting out of jail to get back into society. DVA has long collected boxes of cereal for the OAR also helps out the kids of offenders at Christmas homeless and indigent. And DVA has long seen a drop time. OAR is looking for gift cards and also for gifts off during campaign season to be made up in the clos- suitable for teens. Last year, OAR simply ran out of ing weeks of the year after the ballots have been counted. gifts and cards before it got to the bottom of Santa’s So far this year, with 80 percent of the calendar list. pages stripped away, DVA has collected just shy of half Cards from places like Target and Amazon are es- of its goal of 400 cereal boxes in 2016. But folks gotta pecially appreciated in denominations of $20 or $25. 195 eat all year long! You can buy the gift card yourself, or provide the funds DVA Chair Kim Klingler is trying to make it easier to Kim who will make the card purchases. for folks to give. In the past, she has asked everyone to As for gifts geared for teens, board games and bring boxes to ACDC events. You can still do that. craft kits go over big. OAR tends to get a large vol- Then Kim added cash jars at those events, because many ume of gifts suitable for the younger set, but not enough people forgot their boxes. You can still drop cash in a suitable for teenagers. jar. Contact Kim at [email protected] to ar- But now Kim has gone 21st Century and the cam- range for gift drop-offs. paign is accepting donations online. Just go to https:// afac.org/campaign/democratic-values-in-action/ and make a financial contribution for cereal boxes that way. The boxes go to the Arlington Food Assistance Democratic Values in Action Center (AFAC), which provides the cereal to the home-