Voters in Virginia have finished voting in the primary election, which could contribute to a huge shift in the balance of power in Congress.
Visit WTOP’s Election 2024 page for our comprehensive coverage.
Eugene Vindman came out on top in the Democratic primary in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District on Tuesday night, running for a seat that became vacant following Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s decision to step down to run for governor next year.
Vindman will face former Army Green Beret Derrick Anderson, who won on the Republican side.
Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton is leaving her job in Virginia's 10th Congressional District due to health problems. There, state Sen. Suhas Subramaniam topped a crowded field and will be the favorite to replace Wexton in the heavily blue district in November.
In the Republican Senate primary, Hung Cao scored the first win in Virginia's primary elections on Tuesday night, defeating four other candidates and securing a chance to challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November.
The contests decided by Virginia voters on Tuesday could drastically alter the balance of power in Congress in the autumn.
Voting for these crucial elections, as well as local contests across the state, closed at 7 p.m.
You need to know:
Vindman won the Democratic Party's 7th seat in Virginia, now he will face Anderson of the Republican Party
Virginia's 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Prince William, Stafford, Spotsylvania and Culpeper counties, is up for election following Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger's decision to leave the seat to run for governor next year. The district is considered blue-leaning, but Republicans believe they have a chance to win the seat.
There were seven Democrats running for the nomination Tuesday, none of whom Spanberger endorsed. As far as fundraising goes, career military officer Eugene Vindman led the way, raising more than $5 million for his campaign, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. No other candidate raised more than $400,000. The Associated Press called the race for Vindman just after 8 p.m., with 51.5% of the vote at the time of the call.
According to political analyst Chaz Nuttycombe, Vindman’s main opponents in the primary were state Del. Briana Sewell and former state Del. Elizabeth Guzman.
Other Democratic candidates included Prince William County Supervisor Andrea Bailey, attorney and Army veteran Carl Bedell, Prince William County Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin, and Army veteran and former U.S. State Department official Cliff Heinzer.
On the Republican side, Nuttycombe said former Army Green Beret Derrick Anderson was the favorite among six candidates. The Associated Press called the polls in Anderson’s favor at about 9 p.m., when he had 46.1% of the vote, while Navy SEAL veteran and Homeland Security official Cameron Hamilton had 36.6%.
The field also included ordained minister and White House appointee Terese Todd, entrepreneur John Prabhudas, retired Marine Jonathan Paul Myers, and entrepreneur and author Maria Martin.
Hung Cao wins landslide victory in Republican Senate primary
Republicans in the Commonwealth also face a crucial choice over which candidate will challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November.
Virginia has not elected a Republican U.S. senator since 2002, but with Youngkin's win in 2021, Republicans have recently had success in statewide elections.
Five Republican candidates contested to challenge Kaine, with Navy veteran Hung Kao winning in a landslide. The Associated Press declared the election in Kao's favor less than 30 minutes after polls closed Tuesday.
When the election results were announced, Cao had received 65.6% of the vote. Army veteran Eddie Garcia had received 10.8%.
Other candidates included former DeSantis congressional staffer Scott Parkinson, attorney Jonathan Emord, and Marine veteran and attorney Chuck Smith.
Subramaniam wins Democratic nomination in crowded District 10 field
Change is also coming to Virginia’s 10th Congressional District, which includes Fauquier and Loudoun counties, parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
There, Democratic Representative Jennifer Wexton announced she was leaving her job due to health problems. The district is solidly blue, but a competitive and deep field of 12 Democrats has formed to replace Wexton:
- Jennifer Boysko – Virginia State Senator
- Marion DeVoe Sr. – former Chief Operating Officer of the White House Executive Office
- Eileen Filler-Corn – former Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates
- Dan Helmer, Virginia Representative
- Krystal Kaul – Educator and former senior defense official
- Mark Leighton – Librarian and Administrative Faculty at the George Mason Law Library
- Michelle Maldonado – Virginia Representative
- Travis Nembhard – attorney and former assistant attorney general
- Atif Karni – Marine Corps veteran and former Virginia Secretary of Education
- David Reed – Virginia Representative
- Suhas Subramaniam – Virginia State Senator
- Adrian Pokhrel – Retired Army Captain and former NSA and CIA Intelligence Officer
The Associated Press declared the election in Subramaniam's favor at 9:15 p.m., with him receiving 30.3% of the vote, while Helmer received 26.6%. Qarni was the second-closest candidate with 10.7% of the vote.
Republicans in Virginia's 10th District had the option to choose between four candidates — government contractor Manga Anantatmula, retired Army officer Alex Isaac, attorney and business executive Mike Clancy, and Marine Corps veteran and Governor Glenn Youngkin administration official Alicia Andrews.
The Associated Press called the results of the GOP District 10 election at 7:41 p.m., in favor of Clancy, who had 61.4% of the vote at that time.
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
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