» September 1, 2006 | Democratic candidate Phil Kellam is one of the candidates bolstered by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program. The DCCC’s fundraising efforts seek to help Democratic challengers which the committee believes have a good chance of defeating Republican incumbents -- in this case GOP Rep. Thelma Drake.

Kellam (D) is already running television ads that tout him as an "independent voice" for the district, a contrast to Drake (R), an unapologetic supporter of the war in Iraq whom Kellam paints as walking in lockstep with President Bush. A Kellam poll released recently showed the soundness of that strategy. Just 32 percent of the sample approved of the job Bush was doing, compared with 62 percent who disapproved. Kellam led in the head-to-head question, 45 percent to Drake's 42 percent. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) won this district in 2005 -- a sign that voters in this upper south district are willing to side with a Democrat with the right message.

Unfortunately, it's not clear what Kellam's message is. He supported invading Iraq but has described the current state of affairs as a "mess." The question is which viewpoint will win support in a district that boasts one of the largest military populations in the country.