2011 Elections: The McLean Campaign Trail

Summer is the season for fundraisers as Democrats and Republicans fill their campaign war chests for the coming Fall battle. Primary is Aug. 23. General election: Nov. 8.

Glimpsing the Governor.

Gov. Bob McDonnell drops by Tysons Corner July 26 to headline a fundraiser for Republican Caren Merrick, a McLean neighbor who is running for the 31st Senate seat. Merrick, along with her husband Phillip Merrick founded webmethods, a business-two-business software company.

A German company bought webmethods in 2005 for $546 million. The company remains in Northern Virginia.

Tickets cost up to $5,000.

More Money Raisers.

• Former U.S. Sen. George Allen and wife Susan are visiting the neighbors up the road in Great Falls Monday night for a pricey fundraiser for Republican Barbara Comstock. Comstock is running for reelection in the 34th House District which stretches from the Arlington County line, through half of McLean up through Great Falls and into Southern Loudoun County.

        Allen is now running for U.S. Senate. That's a 2012 race.Monday night's gathering of the Republican elite is at the home of Mona Charen, a conservative    columnist and her husband Robert Parker. The price of admission can cost as much as $2,500.

• Incumbent Dranesville Supervisor John Foust, a Democrat, is hosting his own fundraiser Wednesday at the home of Beth Chung of McLean Land Conservancy. Foust recently appointed her to the taskforce on Salona. The prices  are as much as $2,000.*

• Dennis Husch, the Republican opposing Foust, held is own fundraiser in Falls Church Saturday.

New Address for Republicans. Republican Virginia General Assembly candidates Barbara Comstock and Caren Merrick welcomed friends and supporters to their new downtown McLean headquarters Saturday morning.

Comstock and Merrick, running to fill the newly reconfigured 31st Virginia Senate seat are sharing space on the third floor on the Cardinal Bank building at 1313 Dolley Madison Blvd.

"We are able to save a lot of money and we have a lot of common supporters," Merrick said.

31st Senate District Dems. Barbara Favola and Jaime Areizaga-Soto who are slugging is out in the Aug. 23 primary are continuing to divide up the party. McLean neighbor Margi Vanderhye endorsed Favola last week.

The winner of the Aug. 23 primary will face Merrick in the Nov. 8 general election.

The General Election: Nov. 8 to elect members to the Virginia Senate, the House of Delegates, Soil and Water commissioners, the Commonwealth's Attorney, the Sheriff, and members of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, and the Fairfax County School Board.

*Correction:  McLean Patch incorrectly reported the price of tickets to the Foust fundraiser when this story was published. The story now contains the correct figure.

We deeply apologize to our readers.