WASHINGTON — Barbara Comstock was an intern for Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts when she realized she might be a Republican. But Ms. Comstock, a freshman member of the House from Virginia’s 10th District, did not simply switch sides; she eventually became one of the Republican Party’s fiercest partisans.

An aide to her immediate predecessor, Frank Wolf, Ms. Comstock was known in the 1990s for investigating members of the Clinton administration as chief counsel for the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.

Her résumé also includes stints as the top Justice Department spokeswoman and a meticulous opposition researcher. Before her election to Congress, Ms. Comstock, 55, a mother and grandmother, served in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Her interests are decidedly less partisan these days. She talked about the need to encourage technological innovation and empower women in an interview, which has been condensed:

What moved you to run for Congress?

Actually I never intended to run for any office, but Congressman Wolf called me and said, “You need to jump in and do this yourself,” and I couldn’t think of a reason not to. I was just really concerned about the direction of the country; the economy in 2008 was awful. My children were in college or out of school at that point, and I grew really concerned about the world they’re going to be living in.