Hours after the two Republicans vying to replace him finished debating in Lake Ridge on Saturday, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-11th) took the podium that same night in Dale City to keynote the Prince William County Democratic Committee's 31st annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner.

Connolly's 2008 opponent Keith Fimian (R) declared earlier that Connolly was not "competent" enough to serve due to his votes on spending, and he also said Connolly is "part of the problem" in Washington.

Fairfax County supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield) referenced his former Board of Supervisors colleague less often than Fimian but Herrity did call for the repeal of the Democrats' signature legislative achievement, the health care reform law passed and signed this year.

The freshman congressman said previously in Haymarket that he will not address criticisms from his GOP opponents until after their June 8 primary. However, that did not stop Connolly from taking a few shots at Republican Congress members in general.

Speaking in front of a receptive audience of fellow Democrats, Connolly said to laughs, "One of the messes we inherited in this economic mess was the federal deficit. Now there's a lot on the other side, when you hear them talk, apparently they just stumbled upon the US deficit and they're shocked, shocked."

Connolly cited a jobs creation bill he voted against last year as an example of his own fiscal restraint. Calling the bill a "good bill" with "good things," he explained that "it wasn't paid for.

"We're looking at a budget this year that has a bottom line that I cannot support. A negative figure of $1.6 trillion. We can and must do better," he added.

He mentioned one other upcoming Democratic-sponsored bill that extends tax credits and "provides more Medicaid money for states" while better reimbursing doctors for Medicare services they provide.

"But it's not paid for," said Connolly. "And at some point, we Democrats have to stop declaring bills like that emergency bills that are exempt from pay-go and enforce pay-go. That's when we win back the trust of our fellow citizens."

Unlike the GOP debate where a moderator from the Prince William County Tea Party asked questions, Connolly controlled his own speech and could talk about whatever he wanted. That meant transportation received much more attention during his speech than the debate.

"Prince William County really is filled with people who are making a difference, but it also is hit hard by a very long commute," said Connolly, later mentioning how Bristow commuters have the "longest single commute" in the nation.

"And so working with our local leaders on transportation issues is very important, whether that be transit, whether that be road improvements. I've got to tell you, it made my heart good after being the only Prince William County representative who voted for the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, to watch the funds from that act widen the Prince William County Parkway right in front of the government building," said Connolly.

Taking a shot at the Prince William Board of County Supervisors Republican chairman who opposed the stimulus bill on fiscal grounds, Connolly added, "You're welcome, Corey Stewart."

The bills "saved 314 teachers from being fired in Prince William County," said Connolly. That figure checks out in regards to single-year spending but ignores the current reality that the budget presented by PWC schools superintendent Steven Walts, over 200 teachers and other staffers may receive pink slips in the upcoming year so the county can help close a $79 million budget gap. The layoff total is still lower, however, than Walts' initial projection of more than 700.

Regarding spending, Connolly said that one of the reasons Northern Virginia has an unemployment rate lower than most of the country is because of the "presence of government. Government spending, government employment, government outsourcing is what has created the economy in Northern Virginia," he said. "And so, we can be grateful, in that sense, for that presence and those investments that have really helped finance and create the quality of life that we enjoy and the jobs that we enjoy."

As for future spending, Connolly said he had to "call" Democrats "to fiscal discipline and I'm going to practice that fiscal discipline as your member of Congress. But I'm also proud of the fact that we passed health care reform."

In particular, he cited added consumer protections in the market place such as keeping kids on their parents insurance roles and preventing insurance companies from denying someone coverage based on pre-existing medical conditions.

10th district

Two other candidates running for Congress this year addressed the crowd after Connolly and, unlike Connolly, both are significant underdogs against entrenched incumbents that won in 2008 by double digit margins.

Air Force veteran Jeff Barnett (D) is the de facto Democratic nominee challenging Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) as Barnett's primary opponents dropped out. Included in the 10th district are the Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park and some of the northern most parts of western Prince William County.

Barnett scolded Wolf for being "a card carrying member of the party of no," specifically naming Wolf's votes again "equal pay" and the health care reform law.

He defended the latter and President Barack Obama for signing it.

"When I see those ObamaCare stickers, I want top run out there with a Sharpie and write an 's' at the end of it. Obama cares."

1st district

The most southern precincts in the county are part of the district represented by Rep. Rob Wittman (R-01). His opponent Krystal Ball (D), a 29-year-old recent mother and software designer, chastised him and other Republicans for their opposition to the health care reform law.

"We don't care what your buddies in the health insurance lobby want. We're not going backward," said Ball.

She said that while talking with constituents in the district, Republicans and Democrats "are concerned about the future," including jobs, the environment, the national debt and the deficit.

Ball referenced a quote by the late former president Lyndon Johnson's when he declared after the Civil Rights Act passed that the Democratic party had lost the south electorally for a generation,

"But I've got some bad news for Rob Wittman," she said. "I'm not from that generation."