Forbes wasn’t all that effective. Nor was he all that conservative. The courts did us dirty by forcing the redrawing of the 4th, but by failing to stand for his seat, Forbes lost the election for our side. He had a chance in the 4th, but the carpetbagger thing did him in when he tried to run in the 2nd.
Obama got 60% in the new 4th district. I doubt very much that Forbes would have stood a chance there, and even though the GOP has a decent candidate in his place, Mike Wade, the Sheriff of Henrico County, I doubt he has much of a chance either, his campaign coffers are empty to boot.