Tomorrow is an important election day for Republicans in two congressional districts
A reminder of who is running in VA-02 and VA-07
This is a daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.
Election day in Virginia is tomorrow
Tomorrow is primary day in Virginia with two districts that will be highly competitive in November choosing their Republican nominees. Democratic Reps. Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and Elaine Luria (VA-02) are facing tough reelection prospects due to strong national headwinds and redistricting.
Republicans seeking the nomination in VA-07:
Yesli Vega
Crystal Vanuch
Bryce Reeves
Derrick Anderson
David Ross.
Gina Ciarcia
Republicans seeking the nomination in VA-02
Jen Kiggans
Jarome Bell
Tommy Altman
Andy Baan
Republican nominees in these districts will likely moderate their campaigns similar to the way Glenn Youngkin did in 2021 after winning the nomination — but to earn the nomination again this year, Republicans have had to discuss issues that could dissuade middle-of-the-road voters that are necessary for them to win in November.
The Democratic Party of Virginia attacked several of the key Republicans in VA-07 for their comments about the Jan. 6 insurrection last month.
The moderator at the event asked the candidates if Jan. 6 was an insurrection or a “protest for redress of grievances?”
Here is how the candidates each answered:
State Sen. Bryce Reeves: “So my personal belief was it wasn’t an insurrection.”
Yesli Vega: “It was actually a group of Americans exercising their 1st amendment rights and as a result of doing that they’ve been persecuted, shamed, forced out of their jobs, forced to retire, and listen, the double standard is sickening.”
Also in a fundraising email that she sent to her supporters, Vega blamed the NY Times and mainstream media for Donald Trump losing the 2020 presidential election.
Derrick Anderson: “No, it was not an insurrection.”
Gina Ciarcia: “I resent it being called an insurrection because it was not, and I also think Ted Cruz saying that it was a ‘violent act of terrorism’ was also completely inaccurate, and he should never should have said that at all.”
David Ross: “So, January 6th was not an insurrection, I think January 6th was an attempt for redress of grievances. And again, the left doesn’t play fair, do they? I mean you’ve seen leaks from the January 6th committee from the Dems that are victimizing and making a target out of a Supreme Court Justice’s wife …”
Spanberger has the better odds at being reelection compared to Luria in Va-02, but her new district still voted for Youngkin by five points according to analysis from VPAP.
There is no clear frontrunner but Reeves and Vega have put forth the strongest campaigns in the field. US Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) will be with Vega Monday afternoon and she also received an endorsement from Congressman Bob Good (R-VA05).
Reeves has been representing part of the district in the state Senate and has raised the most money for this race.
Meanwhile, in VA-02, Jarome Bell was on stage with Trump at an event recently as he is seeking the nomination by running to the right of the frontrunner, state Sen. Jen Kiggans (Va beach). Kiggans has received the backing of the House establishment and key members in her party.
She is likely to earn the nomination but Bell’s run to the right and shoutout from Trump could help him in an election with only Republicans.
While on stage with Trump, Bell referred to his primary opponent state Sen. Jen Kiggans as a “RINO” which stands for “Republican in name only.”
Trump shook Bell’s hand and told him he will “take a look at that.”
Bell embraces Trump and calls himself an “American First” candidate. He was removed from Twitter after he called for an audit and execution of 2020 election officials.
Attorney General Jason Miyares endorsed Kiggans recently and shared an article that laid out why Kiggans would be the best candidate to win the district. In the article shared by Miyares, Kerry Dougherty referred to Bell as an “unelectable extreme candidate.”
During the last year, however, Kiggans has been moving to the right - especially on election issues - like being one of four state senators to support Amanda Chase in her efforts to audit the 2020 election results.
She also passed legislation that will require the list of deceased voters to be communicated with election officials more frequently, for example. “This may seem simple, and common sense, but this bill was two years in the making,” Kiggans said in a fundraising email about the legislation. “After much work, the Republican House AND the Democratic Senate got this done. This new law ensures the accuracy of our voter rolls and helps to restore the confidence in our elections!”
“I will keep fighting for election integrity so every American can vote, vote once, and trust whatever outcome comes from any given election,” she said in that same email.
Kiggans also would not answer the Washington Post when asked if she believes there was fraud in 2020.
From WaPo: “Kiggans has acknowledged Biden was legitimately elected, but when questioned she would not say whether she herself believed there was fraud in the 2020 election in Virginia necessitating an audit. She reiterated that she intended to be a voice for people who elected her and who did believe that. There is no evidence of significant fraud affecting the outcome of the 2020 election in Virginia or elsewhere, and the state performed its own audit last year affirming the results.”
She also told her supporters in a fundraising email that she would continue with a focus on election security if she is elected to Congress. “As your next Congresswoman, I will bring the same focus on election security to the national level. I will ensure that every eligible American has a vote and only one vote, and that there is faith in our election outcomes. I am spearheading this bipartisan issue because I want to return faith to our electoral process.”
But as noted, after earning the official nominations, these candidates will likely venture back to middle-ground issues.
Trump did not endorse in either of these races.
Here are the last fundraising numbers that were reported ahead of the primary
Numbers provided by the FEC and VPAP.
VA-02
State Sen. Jen Kiggans (R)
Raised: $1,337,774
Cash on hand as of June 1: $489,030
Jarome Bell (R)
Raised: $492,051
Cash on hand as of June 1: $19,588
Debt remaining: $31,097
Tommy Altman (R)
Raised: $246,284
Cash on hand as of June 1: $34,697
Debt remaining: $13,500
VA-07
State Sen. Bryce Reeves (R)
Total raised: $680,511
Cash on hand as of June 1: $183,028
Derrick Anderson (R)
Total raised: $599,324
Cash on hand as of June 1: $148,878
Yesli Vega (R)
Total raised: $506,021
Cash on hand as of June 1: $118,000
Crystal Vanuch (R)
Total raised: $117,873
Cash on hand as of June 1: $418,018
Remaining debt: $400,000 from a personal loan to the campaign from candidate
Gina Ciarcia
Total raised: $53,579
Cash on hand as of June 1: $10,870
VA-08
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA-08)
Raised: $1,507,982
Cash on hand as of June 1: $586,254
Victoria Virasingh
Total raised: $228,362
Cash on hand as of June 1: $52,824
With Trump on sidelines, Virginia GOP set to pick midterm nominees in swing districts - Virginia Mercury
by Graham Moomaw
Virginia electing a Republican governor in 2021 for the first time in more than a decade was one of the first major signs of how bad the political vibes were getting for Democrats.
This year, the Virginia GOP is trying to build on Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s upset victory by flipping a handful of Democratic-controlled congressional districts that could be some of the most hotly contested in the country.
GOP hopes to carry Virginia success into US House races - Associated Press
by Sarah Rankin
A GOP sweep of Virginia’s 2021 statewide elections — and particularly Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s win — appears to have energized the Republican field in two of the country’s most competitive U.S. House races.
Tuesday’s crowded Republican congressional primaries in Virginia’s 2nd and 7th districts will settle who takes on centrist Democrats Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger in November’s general elections, which in turn could help determine which party controls the U.S. House.
Virginia voters to pick GOP nominees in races that will shape midterms - Washington Post
by Meagan Flynn
When Virginia voters head to the polls Tuesday, they’ll be selecting nominees in some of the most consequential congressional races this year, shaping the direction that the GOP will take in Virginia as the party tries to win control of Congress.
Republicans will pick candidates in Virginia’s 2nd and 7th congressional districts who in November will take on two vulnerable incumbents, Democrats Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger — races that political analysts have rated as “tossups” in districts that voted for both President Biden and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). Those are two key districts that Republicans see as part of a winning formula to taking back the House.
