The Eye

Lewis' release didn't directly mention Wolf, a senior member of the influential Appropriations Committee. Wolf was first elected in 1980 to represent the 10th District, which then included some inner-suburban areas that have trended Democratic over the past few decades. But the current 10th District is more on the fringes of metropolitan Washington and was designed to provide him with a more secure Republican voting base.

Accustomed to lopsided election victories -- Wolf won at least 60 percent of the vote in every election from 1984 to 2004 -- the congressman in 2006 was targeted for a serious challenge by Democratic officials, in part because of demographic changes even in his part of northern Virginia that have favored Democrats.

But Wolf that year easily turned aside a big-spending challenge from Democrat Judy Feder, a health care policy expert and former dean at Georgetown University. Wolf defeated Feder even more decisively in a 2008 rematch, even as Virginia's 10th backed Democrat Barack Obama with 53 percent of its votes in the presidential balloting.

Wolf is one of 34 current House Republicans who represent districts that also voted for Obama in 2008, according to calculations performed by CQ Politics early this year.

CQ Politics presently rates the Virginia 10 as Safe Republican, mainly because of Wolf's election history, but will watch for developments to determine if a rating change is warranted.

To follow the 2010 House races, check out the CQ Politics election map.