Virginia special election draws party attention, money

By Candy Crowley
CNN senior political correspondent

PORTSMOUTH, Virginia (CNN) -- In the national political arena, this is not the only game in town. Right now, it's the only game in the country.

The 4th District of Virginia is having a June 19 special election to fill its U.S. House seat. The contest features two politicians with deep roots in the community. Republican state Sen. Randy Forbes is a Virginia-educated lawyer; Democratic state Sen. Louise Lucas is a former ship fitter at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.

The district, much like the nation, is "marginal" -- political code for "could as easily vote Republican as Democrat." The issues -- military matters, Social Security, prescription drugs, education and agriculture -- reflect both district and national priorities.

Outside of the district, some think this race looks a lot like a lab test for President Bush's agenda, so the big boys have come to play.

The airwaves of the district are jammed with ads, many funded by the national Republican and Democratic parties.

"We are very involved. We are doing everything we can to help our candidate," said Howard Wolfson, executive director of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

While the help is welcomed, neither candidate is particularly enamored of the idea of the district as some kind of national Petri dish -- and neither seems bound by party orthodoxy.

"I was one of two Democrats who voted for a moment-of-silence prayer in our schools because that is reflective of this district," Lucas said. "Those are the kind of things that I am about, and I am not one who just goes along with what others are thinking because it is the popular thing to do (or) because that is what the party wants to do."

"I admire President Bush," said Forbes. "I think he's doing a wonderful job, but ultimately, my job is to represent the people of the 4th Congressional District."

Still, the help keeps coming. Beyond money, the national parties are sending manpower. A Republican favorite in Virginia, Sen. George Allen, spent part of his Memorial Day holiday week pushing for Forbes, his old friend. Next week, Vice President Dick Cheney is expected to campaign for Forbes.

"I think people recognize that at least we can pick up the phone and make some phone calls to people who have some very good connections that can help this district," Forbes said.

Lucas also has Washington ties -- potentially more potent. Mark Sisisky is the son of the late Norman Sisisky, the wildly popular center-right Democrat who held the House seat for 19 years until his death early this year. He backs Lucas.

"I know that with Louise in Congress, my father's commitment to taking the values of the 4th District will be taken to Washington and not forgotten," Sisisky said at a recent campaign appearance for Lucas.

The race, Lucas insists, is not about filling a seat in Washington, but about filling Sisisky's shoes in Virginia's 4th District. But with the Republicans holding the majority in the U.S. House by only 12 seats, there is no escaping the legislative implications of the vote.

Still, the national political significance of the race may be largely a matter of post-vote spin. Count on the party with the winner to find a national message here. Count on the party with the loser to dismiss it all as mostly local politics.