Virginia state Del. Barbara Comstock, the former Republican opposition researcher and ex-chairwoman of Scooter Libby’s defense fund, is taking her next step in politics: she’s running for Congress.
Comstock announced Tuesday that she’s running to succeed outgoing Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA). Comstock is the first Republican to officially jump into the race for Wolf’s seat since he announced his retirement, according to Roll Call.
Prior to jumping into political office Comstock conducted opposition research for the Republican National Committee. She also chaired the defense fund for I. Scooter Libby and served as the lead investigator for the House Government Reform committee in the 1990s when it was chaired by Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN).
Comstock, first elected to Virginia’s House of Delegates in 2010, is running for a competitive district. Democrats see Wolf’s seat as an excellent pickup opportunity and its Cook Partisan Voting Index has it leaning very slightly Republican. The district went narrowly for Mitt Romney in 2012 and also narrowly for President Barack Obama in 2008.
