Here's how the contested Congressional primary elections shook out in Virginia
Tens of millions of dollars were raised and spent in Congressional primary races across the commonwealth, outside of the U.S. Senate and hotly contested Fifth District.
All of Virginia's 11 U.S. House of Representatives seats, along with Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine - who occupies one of two U.S. Senate seats in the commonwealth - will be up for election in November.
With the U.S. Senate primary and Fifth District races decided, here’s how the other contested primary elections shook out on Tuesday.
U.S. House District 1
Leslie Mehta beat Herbert Jones in the Democratic primary for the chance to take on the incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in November. Wittman represents the solidly Republican district located in the northeastern portion of the commonwealth, north of the James River, south of the Potomac River and west of the Chesapeake Bay.
Mehta is a litigator and civil rights attorney. She was named the Legal Director of the ACLU of Virginia. She was appointed to former Governor Ralph Northam’s Commission to Examine Racial and Economic Inequity and has served on Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Rare Disease Council. She raised $188,035 during the primary and will go into the General Election with $65,383 cash on hand.
U.S. House District 2
Missy Cotter Smasal beat Jeremiah "Jake" Denton in the Democratic primary and will take on incumbent Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in November. Kiggans represents the district, which “leans Republican” according to the Cook Political Report. Democrats are hoping to flip the district in November, which makes up the south and eastern part of the commonwealth, south and west of Norfolk, and the Eastern Shore.
Smasal is a U.S. Navy veteran who deployed aboard the U.S.S. Trenton during Operation Enduring Freedom. She currently serves as the Virginia Citizen representative on the Chesapeake Bay Commission. She an adjunct professor at Old Dominion University and is the Executive Director for Valor Run, a local non-profit that produces running events to honor the U.S. military women veterans. She raised $771,411 during the primary and will go into the General Election with $367,660 cash on hand.
U.S. House District 7
Derrick Anderson beat five opponents in the Republican primary race, and Eugene Vindman beat six opponents in the Democratic primary race for the chance to go head-to-head in November to represent Virginia’s open Seventh Congressional District seat.
More than a dozen candidates jumped into the race to represent the Seventh District after Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced her plan to run for governor of the commonwealth in 2025 instead of seeking re-election to Congress. A northern part of the commonwealth that includes Dale City, Fredericksburg, Culpeper and Bowling Green, the district has been deemed "leans Democrat" but Republicans are hoping to flip the seat.
A former U.S. Army combat veteran and attorney, Anderson threw his hat in the ring for the 2022 election but lost the Republican primary to Yesli Vega. He has been featured repeatedly on Fox News where he has criticized President Joe Biden’s foreign policy in the Middle East. He raised $1.1 million during the primary and will go into the General Election with $421,885 cash on hand.
Famous for the role he and his twin brother played as whistleblowers in the 2019 Trump impeachment inquiry, retired Army Colonel Vindman has appeared on MSNBC to announce his campaign for Congress and is not to be confused with his twin brother, Alexander, who appeared on a season 11 episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. He raised $5 million during the primary and will go into the General Election with $876,052 cash on hand.
U.S. House District 10
Mike Clancy beat three opponents in the Republican primary race, and Suhas Subramanyam beat eleven opponents in the Democratic primary race for the chance to go head-to-head in November to represent Virginia’s open Tenth Congressional District seat.
More than a dozen candidates jumped into the race to represent the Tenth District after Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton announced she would not seek re-election due to health reasons. A northern part of the commonwealth that includes Purcellville, Manassas and Marshall, the district has been deemed "solidly Democrat" but Republicans are hoping to flip the seat.
Clancy began his legal career as an attorney with the Department of the Navy’s Office of the General Counsel. He is currently a senior executive and lawyer with a global tech company. He has appeared on NewsMax. He raised $379,472 during the primary and will go into the General Election with $110,727 cash on hand.
Subramanyam was elected to the Virginia General Assembly in 2019 and currently serves as a state senator in the 32nd District. He previously served as a White House technology policy advisor to President Obama. He passed legislation to lower drug costs and increase transparency in drug prices. He built a coalition across party lines that focused on energy costs which resulted in over $300 million in refunds to Virginians. He raised $1 million during the primary and will go into the General Election with $285,806 cash on hand.
U.S. House District 11
Incumbent Democratic Rep. Gerry Connolly beat his primary opponent, Ahsan Nasar, on Tuesday. Connolly is expected to win reelection the solidly Democratic Eleventh Congressional District, which lies to the west of Washington D.C. and includes Reston, Fairfax and Springfield. Connelly raised $1.8 million to Nasar’s $96,950 during the primary.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: The stage is set for November in Virginia's Congressional races
