Muslim seen as long shot

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The state Senate race in Virginia's heavily Democratic 31st District pits that party's caucus chairman against a Republican immigration lawyer who recently achieved notoriety for sticking up for an accused financier of al Qaeda and other terrorist groups.

Republican nominee Kamal M. Nawash, who hopes to become the first Muslim member of the General Assembly, is a senior partner with the law firm representing Abdul Rahman al-Amoudi. Mr. al-Amoudi was arraigned yesterday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on charges of smuggling cash from Libya into the United States to fund terrorists.

Mr. al-Amoudi also is a chief architect of the Pentagon's Muslim cleric-training program who selected for service Army Capt. James Yee, a suspected al Qaeda spy currently detained in a military brig.

Political handicappers and even the Virginia Republican Party say the high-profile case has done little to better the odds of Mr. Nawash's long-shot challenge against Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple, a Democrat first elected in 1996 and chairwoman of the Senate Democratic Caucus since 1999. Elections will be held Tuesday.

"This is a very Democratic district and it would be surprising if it changed and voted for a Republican nominee," said Mrs. Whipple, a Presbyterian originally from Watseka, Ill. But she credited Mr. Nawash with campaigning aggressively and raising a significant amount of money.

Mr. Nawash has raised $116,067 to Mrs. Whipple's $70,637, according to the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Mr. Nawash said Mr. al-Amoudi donated $10,000 to his campaign.

Mr. Nawash returned Mr. al-Amoudi's donation. President Bush and Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, returned similar donations, though critics say Mr. Nawash was in a better position to recognize the source of the funds when first accepting them.

Despite Mr. Nawash's lead in fund raising, Virginia Republican Party spokesman Shawn M. Smith said, "This is certainly going to be an uphill battle."