The race is set for two Virginia House seats Democrats will be defending in November after the incumbents announced they would not run for reelection.
Voters from both parties have chosen their candidates for the seats representing Virginia’s 7th and 10th Congressional Districts, two seats that will be open for the first time in six years after Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) announced their retirement from Congress.
Both Spanberger and Wexton were first elected in the 2018 midterm elections during a Democratic blue wave, flipping both seats in their party’s favor and being reelected each cycle since. The seat of Spanberger, who is running for governor of Virginia, is viewed as a top pickup opportunity for Republicans, while Wexton’s is rated “solid Democrat” by the Cook Political Report.
Eugene Vindman won the Democratic primary to replace Spanberger in Virginia’s 7th District after the Associated Press called the race in his favor at 8:06 p.m.
Vindman is best known for his experience as an aide on the White House National Security Council, where in 2018, he and his twin brother sounded the alarm about a phone call between former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During that call, Trump pressed Zelensky to announce an investigation into Hunter Biden’s business dealings as his father, Joe Biden, considered running for president in 2020.
It was that phone call and the Vindman brothers’ report that led to Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. Vindman leaned on that experience throughout his campaign, framing his dismissal from the White House in 2020 as retaliation.
“I sacrificed my military career to expose Trump’s corruption,” Vindman said in one of his campaign ads.
Vindman will face Republican Derrick Anderson, a former Green Beret, who won his party’s primary with more than 40% of the vote. The race is considered to favor the Democratic candidate slightly as a D+1 district, but Republicans view it as a prime opportunity to flip back to red.
Meanwhile, Suhas Subramanyam won the Democratic primary to replace Wexton, bringing to an end one of the most contentious primary elections of the 2024 cycle.
Wexton’s absence in the race attracted a crowded field of 12 Democrats looking to succeed her, making it difficult for any one candidate to emerge as the clear front-runner. However, Subramanyam was endorsed by Wexton herself, setting him apart from the competition.
Multiple candidates in the race attracted controversy heading into the primary. Subramanyam faced claims he improperly listed employees on his state Senate staff on his campaign payroll, allegations he denied.
Runner-up Dan Helmer also came under fire after he was accused last week of sexual harassment by an anonymous Democratic staffer, claims he vehemently denies.
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The allegations began to attract more widespread attention after four current and former members of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee published a press release last week that accused Helmer of behavior that prompted the local party to implement a sexual harassment policy.
Subramanyam will go on to face Republican candidate Mike Clancy, who won his party’s nomination during the primaries on Tuesday. Clancy emerged from a field of four candidates with more than 60% of the vote.
