Saturday night, at Loudoun County’s Republican Jamboree and Straw Poll, Congresswoman Barbara Comstock showed herself to be the highfalutin Washington insider that so many in her own party have accused her of being.
Comstock, the sitting representative of Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, made such a brief appearance at the event that many in attendance had no idea she’d even showed up. Hovering close to her campaign booth and surrounded by staffers, Comstock exchanged pleasantries with a select few before hitting the road, walking right past the long line of voters waiting their turn to enter Purcellville’s Bush Tabernacle. A table full of pamphlets and stickers to be handed out by staffers as they attempted to explain away their boss’ quick departure, and a cake, emblazoned with the Comstock for Congress logo, were all that remained of her brief appearance. Comstock’s message to the voters was clear: ‘LET THEM EAT CAKE!’
The Jamboree was advertised to voters as a chance to meet the candidates, to hear them speak, and to vote in a straw poll for the Republican nominations in both the 10th Congressional District, and the United States Senate. In addition to Comstock, two other candidates attended the event; Shak Hill, her challenger for their party’s Congressional nomination, and EW Jackson, a candidate for Senate. Both Hill and Jackson made rounds through the crowd, shaking the hand of each attendee and allowing them to voice their concerns face to face. Later in the evening, they both took to the stage to address the crowd and ask for their vote, Comstock didn’t bother, she had already left.
Despite her hasty exit, Comstock still managed to win the straw poll with 56% of the vote, a dramatically lower margin than in years prior, and well below her campaign’s expectations of a 90-10 blowout. Receiving a total of 152 votes, her opponent, Shak Hill, proved himself a force to be reckoned with in the primary election. The vote tally however, was not without controversy, as attendees have taken to social media describing the dozens of Comstock supporters arriving in vehicles with Washington, D.C. license plates, a sudden announcement that the poll would remain open later than planned, and the coming and going of additional straw poll voters just before the ballot box was set to close at 8:15 PM.
In a statement posted to his campaign’s Facebook page, Shak Hill addressed both his performance and the concerns of his supporters as he said ‘We were told #BeltwayBarbara was going to “swamp” the poll with people from Washington DC. We counted 17 license plates from DC during our quick check of the parking lot. DC staffers were driving up to vote-and-run. Interns, lobbyists, and other members of the swamp turned out in record numbers all the way from DC and Maryland.’ Hill continued by thanking his supporters for turning out in record numbers, and delivering such a large blow to Comstock’s big money campaign. ‘If Barbara cannot win Loudoun decisively, she will lose the election. Frederick County, Clarke County, and Prince William County have already abandoned her. And now Loudoun is coming on the #ShakPack.’
Congresswoman Comstock has made it quite obvious that she is unhappy with the way things went in Loudoun County. Despite the outpouring of interest and support the Republican Party received, she has posted nothing about the event on her Facebook page, instead leaving it to her staffers and supporters to take to the internet and defend her actions to unhappy voters. Her silence is deafening, and it appears that once again, Comstock is saying: ‘LET THEM EAT CAKE!’
