Barbara Comstock is an ace Republican political consultant. I met her, thanks to my daughter, at a dinner for Mitt Romney for whom Comstock served as a consultant and for whom my daughter's employer did polling.

Breaking away from my image, at least, of the political consultant, Comstock decided to run for "low office" this year, namely the Virginia House of Delegates. The seat in question is in Fairfax County, including the wealthy Washington, DC suburb of McLean. The Republicans had held the seat basically forever until 2007, when Democrat Margaret Vanderhye snatched it.

On Tuesday, Comstock defeated Margaret Vanderhye by about 500 votes. I understand that the seat encompasses some neighborhoods inside Washington DC's beltway. I've also read that these neighborhoods will become the only ones inside the beltway to be represented by a Republican, at least in Virginia. I'd be surprised if there are any such neighborhoods in Maryland either.

We congratuate Barbara Comstock.

Given the closeness of her election, we also wonder whether the White House's deci