Freshman Perriello will face Hurt in Virginia 5th

Freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-Va.) will face Republican Robert Hurt in November after the state senator clinched his party's nomination Tuesday.

Hurt bested a four-man field with 48 percent of the vote.

The Associated Press has declared him the winner with 278 of 287 precincts reporting. 

Perriello voted for major pieces of the Democrats' legislative platform, including the healthcare reform bill.

He's a top target for the GOP, who congratulated their nominee on his win.

"I know that Robert will be an excellent Congressman, and will represent the 5th District well in the coming years," sad Pat Mullins, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. "But I also want to thank the other six candidates for their efforts."

The Democrats didn’t wait to hit Hurt.

"Long ago, Robert Hurt decided it was more important to get elected than to tell the truth," said Fred Hudson, chairman of the 5th district Democratic committee. "He's changed positions on whether he supported tax increases so many times that even he's probably lost count."