As election day draws near, student campaign volunteers are pouring into the suburbs of Northern Virginia, where voters in a local congressional race will choose between two candidates with Georgetown backgrounds.

Judy Feder, dean of Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute, is challenging Rep. Frank Wolf (LAW ’65), a 13-term Republican incumbent, in the 10th district, which encompasses several suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Feder, a Democrat, said that her years teaching at Georgetown have informed her foray into elective politics.

“As I taught students over the years, I have been critical of some policies that administrations pursued,” Feder said. “The only way to change Washington is to change the people who go there. I need to listen to things that I tell my students.”

Wolf, who also spoke highly of his time at Georgetown, cited his work in Congress on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, an issue of particular interest to Georgetown students, who in 2004 started a nation-wide campus movement, Students Taking Action Now: Darfur.

“I have been very active with Darfur,” he said, referencing a resolution measure that Congress passed recently on the presidential appointment of Georgetown professor Andrew Natsios (CAS ’71) as a special envoy to Darfur.

Wolf said that he has maintained a strong relationship with the Law Center as an alumnus. He said that a measure he helped pass last year maintained funding for the Children’s Research Initiative, which has a center located at Georgetown that studies the effects of media on children.

Georgetown students on both sides of the contest have mobilized in recent weeks behind the candidates.

The GU College Democrats campaigned for Feder several weeks ago, knocking on doors around the district, asking residents about their voting preferences and handing out booklets and pamphlets about Feder.

Katie Huddleston (COL ’08), campaign coordinator for the GU College Democrats, said that the election of a Georgetown faculty member in Congress could be beneficial to the university.

“That’s going to be a great asset,” she said.

But Samir Kapadia (COL ’09), who is a resident of the district and a campaign intern for Wolf, said that he strongly supports the congressman.

“He is the man of the community,” he said. “It’s not about electing a politician. It’s like electing a member of a community.”

But Kapadia added that as a Georgetown student he feels proud that both candidates are connected to Georgetown.

“I do think that it really comes to the type of people that come out of a school like Georgetown,” Kapadia said. “It does give me some sense of pride that Georgetown would be represented in the Congress.”

Feder began her career in government working on health care policy. In 1988 she served as the staff director of the Pepper Commission for health care reform. Under the Clinton administration, Feder worked on the administration’s health care policy at the Department of Health and Human Services.

After the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Feder worked with the Department of Defense to create a leadership program for soldiers returning from service.

Wolf has represented the 10th district for nearly three decades, and has built support within the district. Suzanne Volpe, first vice chair of the Loudon County Republican Party, said that support for Wolf has always been strong and stable.

“He is very well liked, well respected,” Volpe said. “Congressman Wolf has been an awesome representative. . He will be reelected. That’s just given. There would be no problem at all.”

Despite the area’s traditionally strong support for Republicans, Feder’s campaign hopes to benefit from what analysts predict will be a strong year for Democrats fueled by years of Republican incumbency and President Bush’s low approval ratings.

Eileen Manning, vice chair of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee, said that Feder has a strong message and financial support to be an effective challenger.

“Judy is the best chance we ever had,” Manning said. “She is running the strongest campaign against Frank Wolf.”

Manning stressed that Feder’s appeal extends beyond party lines.

“The independents are certainly leaning towards her,” she said. “She is articulating a strong policy.”

On election day, though, the contest is likely to be decided by issues resonating throughout the country. Feder has been a strong critic of the war in Iraq, stating that the war is a major concern to the district’s residents. She said that as a professor who taught many students going into the armed forces, she sees the war as a critical issue.

“It horrifies me that this nation sent these young people into battle with inadequate support and inadequate armor and no plan to win and no plan to bring them home,” Feder said. “We need to find a way to get troops home and bring stability to Middle East.”

Wolf said that Congress is working hard to find a solution to the Iraq war, and is making a bipartisan effort to bring a more effective policy to the issue.

Wolf said that he has also been involved with resolving overseas human rights issues and has traveled to several countries, including Lebanon and Algeria. He has traveled to Sudan five times.