{"id":2638564,"date":"2026-08-01T07:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T11:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/races-to-watch-in-virginia-in-states-first-election-since-redistricting-battle\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T07:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T11:29:07","slug":"races-to-watch-in-virginia-in-states-first-election-since-redistricting-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/races-to-watch-in-virginia-in-states-first-election-since-redistricting-battle\/","title":{"rendered":"Races to watch in Virginia in state\u2019s first election since redistricting battle"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fraces-to-watch-in-virginia-in-states-first-election-since-redistricting-battle%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2638564&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Virginia voters will participate in the 2026 primary elections on August 4, after Democrats&#8217; redistricting plans were rejected by the state&#8217;s Supreme court, causing a setback in the election schedule. The elections will mainly focus on congressional races, including a U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Mark Warner, who is running unopposed. Primary races in Virginia&#8217;s 1st and 2nd districts feature multiple Democratic candidates vying to challenge Republican incumbents Rob Wittman and Jen Kiggans, respectively.notably, in the 1st District, Shannon Taylor leads a competitive Democratic primary against other candidates seeking to unseat Wittman, while in the 2nd District, Elaine Luria and her challengers are vying for a chance to face Kiggans. The GOP primary for the 7th district includes candidates Philip Harding, Doug Ollivant, and Ricky Smithers, all competing for the chance to challenge incumbent Democrat Eugene Vindman in November. Meanwhile, on the Republican side for the Senate, candidates Bert Mizusawa, Kim Farrington, and David Williams are vying to face Warner. Several Democratic and Republican incumbents face intra-party challenges, with some districts heavily favored to remain under the dominance of their respective parties. the Virginia elections are expected to be influenced heavily by recent redistricting disputes,candidate fundraising,and political endorsements,shaping the upcoming November ballot.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"96\">Virginians<\/a> will head to the ballot boxes on Tuesday to make their voices heard in the Old Dominion\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/2026-election\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11675\">2026 primary elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The state\u2019s election schedule was upended by Democrats\u2019 proposed\u00a0redistricting\u00a0measure, which pushed back primaries from mid-June to Aug. 4, but the new map ultimately failed to take effect.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4668736\/races-to-watch-virginia-first-election-since-redistricting-battle\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Races to watch in Virginia in state\u2019s first election since redistricting battle<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4671682\/el-sayed-widens-lead-stevens-michigan-senate-race\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>El Sayed widens lead against establishment-backed Stevens in Michigan Senate race<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4671147\/left-wing-candidates-flock-allies-campaign-trail-maximize-collective-influence\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Birds of a feather: Left-wing candidates flock to allies on campaign trail<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the state Supreme Court struck down Virginia\u2019s redistricting referendum, dozens of candidates who had campaigned in the gerrymandered districts had to course correct, as the state returned to its initial congressional map for the 2026 election cycle.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a state with an off-year major state election cycle, Virginia\u2019s 2026 elections have been heavily dominated by congressional races. One of Virginia\u2019s U.S. Senate seats is also on the ballot, with three Republicans vying to unseat incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mark-warner\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1352\">Mark Warner<\/a> (D-VA).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s which primary races to pay the most attention to on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Which states are trying to enact new maps for the midterms\" aria-label=\"Choropleth map\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-gyDC7\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/gyDC7\/6\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"493\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.addEventListener(\"message\",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}});<\/script>    <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-democratic-primaries-to-determine-challengers-to-gop-s-wittman-and-kiggans\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Democratic primaries to determine challengers to GOP\u2019s Wittman and Kiggans<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Virginia\u2019s 1st and 2nd congressional districts are holding multi-candidate Democratic primaries on Tuesday, as several Democrats seek to challenge incumbent Reps. Rob Wittman (R-VA) and Jen Kiggans (R-VA). Wittman and Kiggans are each endorsed by President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"4\">Donald Trump<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4589610\/virginia-redistricting-democrats-eye-pair-republican-house-seats\/\"><strong>DESPITE VIRGINIA REDISTRICTING FIASCO, DEMS EYE PAIR OF GOP-HELD HOUSE SEATS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the 1st District, situated near the center of the state, surrounding Richmond, seven Democrats are competing to advance to the general election against nine-term incumbent <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/robwittman.com\/issues\/\">Wittman<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/shannontaylorva.com\/\">Shannon Taylor<\/a>, the Commonwealth\u2019s Attorney for Henrico County, boasts the cash advantage and establishment backing in the race. Taylor has notched endorsements from Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and each of the Democratic members of Virginia\u2019s sitting U.S. Senate and House delegations. She is running on an anti-corruption, political reform agenda.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taylor recently lost the 2025 Democratic Attorney General primary to current state Attorney General Jay Jones by 2.2 percentage points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But each of Taylor\u2019s Democratic opponents has taken issue with the state Democratic Party\u2019s claim that it remains neutral in the primary. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/virginiamercury.com\/2026\/07\/21\/va-01-democrats-escalate-dispute-with-state-party-over-primary-neutrality\/\">Reporting<\/a> from the <em>Virginia Mercury<\/em> suggests the party is running into conflict-of-interest issues, which the party denies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Also in the field with Taylor are Army veteran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.elizabethforvirginia.com\/\">Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs<\/a>, public-interest attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/salaamforva.com\/\">Salaam Bhatti<\/a>, Navy veteran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jasonknappforcongress.com\/\">Jason Knapp<\/a>, political organizer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.votetimva.com\/\">Tim Cywinski<\/a>, healthcare lawyer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/erickakopp.com\/\">Ericka Kopp<\/a>, and veteran business lawyer <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/meltullforcongress.com\/\">Mel Tull<\/a>. All are running on the more anti-establishment wave of the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Virginia\u2019s 2nd District, a general election match-up between <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/jenforcongress.com\/\">Kiggans<\/a> and former Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4356470\/mod-squad-elaine-luria-hope-spanberger-sherrill-slotkin-successes\/\">Elaine Luria<\/a> (D-VA), who used to hold Kiggans\u2019s seat before the decade-turn redistricting, is likely to tee up again if Luria can pull out a primary win.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/elaineforcongress.com\/elaines-plan\/\">Luria<\/a> boasts significant name recognition in southeastern Virginia from her time in the lower chamber, plus a massive cash advantage over her Democratic primary opponents. Former USAID worker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patrickmosolf.com\/\">Patrick Mosolf<\/a>, physician <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/niladevanath.com\/\">Nila Devanath<\/a>, and conservationist <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.billflemingforcongress.com\/\">Bill Fleming<\/a> are running against Luria to take on Kiggans in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kiggan\u2019s district is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cookpolitical.com\/ratings\/house-race-ratings\">deemed<\/a> a toss-up by <em>Cook Political Report<\/em>, while Wittman\u2019s leans Republican.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4460164\/trump-endorsement-tracker-gop-2026-election-primaries\/\">TRUMP ENDORSEMENT TRACKER: HERE\u2019S WHO THE PRESIDENT HAS PICKED IN GOP MIDTERM ELECTION PRIMARIES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-gop-primary-to-determine-challenger-to-vindman\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">GOP primary to determine challenger to Vindman<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three Republicans are competing to take on incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-VA) in November: entrepreneur <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4529490\/philip-harding-virginia-seventh-district-republican-abigail-spanberger-seat\/\">Philip Harding<\/a>, Army veteran and consultant Doug Ollivant, and pastor Ricky Smithers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Harding leads the GOP pack in fundraising, with over $87,000 in cash on hand, while Ollivant boasts the second-most, with over $65,000. Their funds are both still far from incumbent Vindman\u2019s war chest, which sits at over $6.57 million.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While each candidate is running on affordability topics like expanding jobs and housing in the district, Harding is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4533130\/philip-harding-republican-entrepreneur-virginia-7th-district\/\">prioritizing<\/a> business-focused and debt-reduction <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.philiphardingforcongress.com\/issues\">issues<\/a>. Smithers has discussed how his background as a pastor informed his choice to run on the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ricksmithersforcongress.com\/\">basis<\/a> that \u201cVirginia deserves leadership built on faith in God, honesty, and real hard work.\u201d Ollivant has prioritized <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dougforvirginia.com\/issues\/\">issues<\/a> like advancing affordable energy, a strong agricultural system, and a \u201cpro-family, pro-business, pro-worker\u201d community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4665419\/virginia-republican-philip-harding-campaign-album\/\"><strong>VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN PHILIP HARDING HOPES CAMPAIGN ALBUM STRIKES A CHORD WITH VOTERS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outcome of the Republican primary could have a key impact on the GOP\u2019s chance of success in November against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/vindmanforcongress.com\/issues\/\">Vindman<\/a>, who took over the district in 2024 when then-Rep. Spanberger decided to run for governor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The race currently sits in the \u201cLikely Democrat\u201d forecasted category and was carried by Spanberger in the 2025 gubernatorial election by over 14 percentage points. However, Vindman had a close contest against his 2024 general election challenger, GOP Army veteran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.war.gov\/About\/Biographies\/Biography\/Article\/4374757\/derrick-m-anderson\/\">Derrick Anderson<\/a>, besting the now-Pentagon official by just 2.7 percentage points.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-republican-race-to-determine-challenger-to-warner\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Republican race to determine challenger to Warner<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Warner, a three-term senator, cruised through the primary season with no Democratic challengers this year, marking the fourth U.S. Senate election in which the Virginia political titan has run <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.markwarnerva.com\/\">unopposed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are three Republicans competing in the GOP primary to see who will face off against Warner on the November ballot. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Retired Major Army General Bert Mizusawa has the most amount of cash on hand of the three GOP candidates, clocking in with nearly $53,000 in cash on hand at the end of the second quarter, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/elections\/senate\/VA\/2026\/\">per<\/a> the FEC. His main priorities highlighted in his\u00a0platform\u00a0include reigning in national spending, simplifying the tax code, defending the military and Second Amendment, promoting nuclear energy, and securing the border.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim Farrington, an accountant who has\u00a0touted\u00a0her work reforming federal spending to save taxpayer dollars, highlights tackling the national debt and rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse as her top priority. She <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/kimforvirginia.com\/issues\/\">lists<\/a> defending the Second Amendment and helping grow small businesses as her second and third priorities if elected.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lieutenant Colonel of the Marine Corps Reserves, Iraq combat veteran, and former CIA case officer David Williams is also running for the Republican nomination. Williams\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.davidwilliamsforva.com\/\">platform<\/a> is based on restoring law and order, school choice, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-agency-heads-push-back-on-musks-demand-for-justification-of-their-jobs-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Federal agency heads push back on Musk...s demand for justification of their jobs - Washington Examiner\">cutting wasteful government spending<\/a>, and expanding the American dream.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Farrington and Williams each have just over $16,000 and $7,000 in cash on hand, respectively, according to FEC filings.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each of the GOP candidates has a lot of ground to make up if they want to compete fundraising-wise with Warner, who has over $16 million in the bank.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Cook Political Report<\/em> lists the general election race as a solid Democratic seat, citing Spanberger\u2019s double-digit win statewide last year. Warner won his last election in 2020 by a 12.1-percentage-point margin.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-intra-party-challengers-to-reps-beyer-and-mcguire\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Intra-party challengers to Reps. Beyer and McGuire<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Six-term Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) is facing four Democratic primary challengers, which is the highest number of candidates he has faced in a primary election since he first ran for his Northern Virginia seat in 2014.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Taking on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.friendsofdonbeyer.com\/\">Beyer<\/a> in the 8th Congressional District primary is former State Department official <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.duffin4va.com\/\">Michael Duffin<\/a>, former federal attorney <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/moforcongress.com\/\">Mo Seifeldein<\/a>, former CIA case officer and Marine Veteran <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.adam4congress.com\/about\">Adam Dunigan<\/a>, and Democratic activist <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lorenabrunerforcongress.com\/\">Lorena Bruner<\/a>. Duffin, Seifeldein, and Dunigan were all either laid off or resigned from their federal government careers under the Trump administration, and they are fighting for federal workforce protections as part of their campaigns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dunigan and Seifeldein each have over $23,000 and $17,000 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fec.gov\/data\/elections\/house\/VA\/08\/2026\/\">in the bank<\/a>, respectively, leading the primary challengers, while incumbent Beyer has the overall cash advantage with over $838,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/4653520\/abigail-spanberger-six-month-approval-rating\/\">ABIGAIL SPANBERGER DEFENDS RECORD AT SIX-MONTH MARK WITH APPROVAL RATING UNDERWATER<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyer\u2019s district is deep-blue, meaning whoever wins the Democratic primary is likely a shoo-in to defeat GOP nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/sabioforcongress.com\/\">Tony Sabio<\/a> in November.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Virginia\u2019s 5th Congressional District, incumbent, Trump-endorsed Rep. John McGuire (R-VA) is being challenged by real estate agent Melanie Lucero. McGuire ousted the red district\u2019s previous incumbent, former Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), in 2024 with the backing of Trump that year as well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virginia voters head to polls Tuesday for 2026 primaries after redistricting delays<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2638565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-qm5aqz1ah-1785381515429.jpg?1785427622&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33017,83534,83535,60905,33188],"class_list":["post-2638564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-political-analysis","tag-redistricting-battle","tag-upcoming-races","tag-virginia-elections","tag-voter-engagement"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-collage-qm5aqz1ah-1785381515429.jpg?1785427622&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2638564"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2638573,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2638564\/revisions\/2638573"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2638565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2638564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2638564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2638564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}