RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Prosecutor Shannon Taylor advanced Tuesday from a crowded primary contest, securing the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District.
She will go on to face longtime Republican incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman in the general election. The 1st District, with a population center in the Richmond suburbs, has generally tilted Republican. But Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger
won it in 2025.Democrats see it as a target
to flip in the fall, when they will be aiming to retake control of the House of Representatives.
Taylor was the establishment pick in the seven-way primary, endorsed by the House Democrats’ campaign arm and a wide array of Democratic Virginia officeholders, including Spanberger. She emphasized her record on public safety and promoted an agenda she said would help fight corruption in Washington, including a ban on stock trading and a lifetime federal lobbying ban for members of Congress.
A prosecutor who has served as the elected commonwealth’s attorney in suburban Richmond’s Henrico County for 14 years, Taylor far outraised her opponents.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) —
Virginia voters picked their nominees Tuesday for this year’s congressional midterm elections, capping a primary season marked by upheaval thanks to Democrats’ failed redistricting initiative.
The commonwealth typically holds its primaries in June but this year moved them to August to accommodate a push approved by voters — but squashed by the courts — to draw congressional districts more favorable to Democrats, part of a nationwide redistricting battle. Polls closed Tuesday after a day of heavy downpours that caused flash flooding in parts of the state.
The state Supreme Court struck down the Democrats’ redrawn map, which would have given their candidates a shot at winning 10 of the state’s 11 congressional seats, but not before candidates launched campaigns in those presumed districts. When it became clear in May that voters would be casting ballots in congressional districts that have been in place since 2021, many candidates ended their bids. Others scrambled to move their campaign to another district, while some opted to carry on in much less favorable races.
The upheaval created challenges for the candidates, who had to stay in the primary season longer than usual and in some cases take their messages to different communities, Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger recently told reporters. But Spanberger, a former member of Congress who represented swing districts, said she remained “bullish” on her party's chances in the general election and hopeful that as many as four seats could flip in Virginia.
“The biggest point of consternation that I have is I think that along the way, people … incorrectly took the message that we couldn’t win without redistricting. We can win. I believe we will win,” she said.
Virginia is currently represented in the U.S. House by six Democrats and five Republicans, all of whom are seeking reelection this year. Democrats who are less optimistic than Spanberger hope to flip at least two seats, contributing to their party’s effort to take control of the House for the second half of Trump’s term.
There are crowded Democratic primaries in two of the most competitive seats, where Republican incumbents Jen Kiggans and Rob Wittman avoided intraparty challenges but will be on defense in the fall. Both received Trump's endorsement.
Elsewhere, two incumbents, Democratic Rep. Don Beyer and Republican Rep. John McGuire, defeated their opponents.
Republicans also were picking their nominee for what will be an uphill challenge against U.S. Sen. Mark Warner.
The coastal 2nd District, with its population center in Virginia Beach, is a must-win for the party. The slightly more Republican-leaning 1st District has about half its population in the Richmond suburbs and the other half in more rural counties stretching north and west.
Former two-term congresswoman Elaine Luria won the Democratic nomination Tuesday in Virginia’s battleground 2nd District, setting up what will be a closely watched general election rematch with Kiggans.
Luria flipped the district in 2018 and served for two terms before Kiggans defeated her in 2022. She was a member of the the Jan. 6 committee, which investigated the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Luria emerged from a four-way Democratic primary. She had been the establishment favorite, with backing from the House Democrats’ campaign arm and a wide array of Democratic leaders including Spanberger.
The 1st District features a seven-way primary, but most observers see a front-runner in Shannon Taylor, who has served as the elected prosecutor in suburban Richmond’s Henrico County for 14 years.
The primary is one of many across the country featuring the internal Democratic Party split between establishment and progressive candidates. Taylor has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and a massive fundraising advantage but has faced sharp criticism from her opponents, including Salaam Bhatti, a more progressive candidate.
Voter Devin Garcia, 30, cast a ballot Tuesday in suburban Richmond for Bhatti, a public interest lawyer.
Garcia backed him over more centrist candidates, wanting someone “gung-ho” about expanding access to affordable healthcare, supporting diversity initiatives and protecting abortion rights.
“I do think that we need more bold people that are going to take a real stand,” Garcia said. “The Trump administration isn’t fighting fair, and I think caught the Democrats on the back foot.”
The race also includes several military veterans — Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs, Jason Knapp and Mel Tull — along with environmental advocate Tim Cywinski and attorney Ericka Kopp.
In central Virginia’s 5th District, Trump-endorsed McGuire, a former Navy SEAL and state lawmaker, defeated veteran Melanie Lucero.
In Northern Virginia’s overwhelmingly blue 8th District surrounding Washington, incumbent Rep. Don Beyer will be expected to cruise to reelection in November.
“I am throwing myself into that fight, working to elect Democrats across the country starting right here in Virginia, and doing all we can to restore sanity and decency,” he said in a statement.
He campaigned as a tested leader, touting his efforts to protect federal workers, promote clean energy and regulate artificial intelligence. He had the support of Virginia’s Democratic political establishment and Democratic-aligned interest groups, while facing opponents who pitched themselves as anti-establishment, generational change agents.
Tom Perriello, a former congressman seeking the chance at a comeback, led fundraising in a three-way race for the Democratic nomination in the 5th District, which he represented for one term beginning in 2009. Some Democrats, including Spanberger, are hopeful about the party's chances of flipping the 5th District, though it leans solidly Republican.
McGuire will have the edge in the fall in the central Virginia district. He won the general election with more than 57% of the vote two years ago, though Republicans view Perriello as an especially strong competitor.
Voters will also be settling a three-way statewide contest to pick the Republican nominee to challenge Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, a well-known former governor who was first elected to the Senate in 2008 and currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the chamber’s Intelligence Committee.
Defeating Warner, who did not have a primary challenger, is expected to be a difficult task. The race is not among those seen as a battleground that will determine control of the Senate.
The GOP contenders are: Kim Farington, an accountant who has touted her work over decades in the federal government; Bert Mizusawa, a decorated retired Army major general; and David Williams, a Marine Corps reservist.
In suburban Richmond, Republican voter Chris Weymouth, 85, voted for Mizusawa because she believed he would put America first, support the Constitution and protect America’s freedoms. She said Democrats have moved so far left she would “never” consider voting for one.
