Editorās note: See all of Ā鶹¹ŁĶųās primary coverage on our Elections and Politics page.
WASHINGTON ā Primary elections are being held June 12 for all the U.S. House of Representatives seats in Virginia, as well as the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Tim Kaine.
Hereās a look at the candidates and races in the Ā鶹¹ŁĶų listening area; click the links for more detailed analysis Ā鶹¹ŁĶųās Max Smith.
For more on how, when and where to vote, check out Ā鶹¹ŁĶųās Voter Guide to the Virginia primaries.
VA-01
In Virginiaās First Congressional District, three Democrats āĀ , and ā are competing for the chance to run against Republican incumbent Rob Wittman in November.
Santana is a Marine veteran who works as a logistics analyst; businessman Suddarth is a former Army officer, and Williams is a strategic planner for a government contractor.
All three listed health insurance as a key issue, with Santana and Suddarth specifically mentioning a single-payer system as an ultimate goal.
All three also emphasized the need to invest in infrastructure, particularly regarding rural broadband and transportation. Suddarth, a 59-year-old native of Dumfries, said ā95 has been backed up my entire life.ā Williams wants to focus attention on the areas of the Northern Neck and Littleton, particularly on I-295, I-95 and I-64, while Santana wants to expand VRE service farther south.
Suddarth called campaign finance reform one of his key issues, while Williams touted her , which exempts the first $50,000 of income for certain service jobs from federal income tax, and Santana wants to take on the āculture of sexual violenceā with programs for age-appropriate sexual education.
The district is a sprawling one, including all or part of 19 counties, with Fredericksburg and the Northern Neck among its features. Wittman has served since 2007.
More on the VA-01 primary race.
VA-07
In Virginiaās 7thĀ District, the Democratic primary pits , a former CIA officer, against former Marine . Both list health care and infrastructure as important issues ā particularly digital infrastructure, including broadband and cell service in the largely rural district.
Spanberger told Ā鶹¹ŁĶų that she decided to run for the House the day the chamber voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act; Ward also wants to strengthen the law. Spanberger emphasizes that sheās ānot running against Donald Trumpā and listed restoring civility as a priority; Ward said, āIf you donāt like what I do ā and Iāll make the hard votes ā then donāt re-elect me. And Iām OK with that.ā
The winner will take on Republican incumbent Dave Brat in November. Brat has been in Congress since 2014, when he pulled off a stunning upset against Eric Cantor, the sitting majority leader. He beat Eileen Bedell by 15 points in 2016.
More on the VA-7 primary race.
VA-10
The 10thĀ Congressional District has a crowded field ā six Democrats are running for their partyās nomination, while incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock has a Republican challenger in Shak Hill.
The Democrats ā , , , , and state Sen. ā agree broadly on several key issues, especially regarding health care. They also mostly agree on a need for what several of them call ācommon-senseā gun control measures, such as universal background checks and closing whatās called the āgun-show loophole.ā Thereās also a consensus for some combination of new roads and more mass transit, albeit with different favorite projects.
Biggins, an infectious disease scientist, pointed to her background of āmaking sure I have all the information I need before proceeding,ā while Pelletierās experience as a prosecutor, he said, amounts to āa 30-year history of taking guns off the streetā and āstanding up to power, and corrupt power in particular.ā
Stover, a former official in the Obama administration, said, āI know what itās like to work three minimum-wage jobsā and still carries $80,000 in student loan debt. Wexton, the only elected official in the race, said, āIāve run and won two competitive elections in the district. Iāve showed that I can work across the aisle when I get there.ā
Friedman, a former State Department official, pointed to her fundraising advantage. āWe know [Comstock] is going to be well-funded. That is going to matter,ā while Helmer, a business strategist and Army veteran, said Comstock āhas won against every politician sheās faced. Sheās never run against someone with a record of military service.ā
On the GOP side, Comstock is confident in her experience in Congress and prior time in the General Assembly. She said she has worked closely with businesses in the district, and understands the area as a longtime resident.
“Iām the only candidate in this race who has cut taxes,” Comstock said, adding, “I have delivered for this district.”
Hill is running against Comstock because, he said, sheās āviolated all the fiscal conservative promises she [made] usā with her votes for government-funding bills. The last straw that convinced him to run, he said, was her vote for a bill allowing for transgender surgeries in the military.
He described Comstock as a ārabid Never Trumperā and member of āthe swampā looking to ābuy todayās votes with our grandchildrenās money.ā He added that voters āwant someone to help President Trump move the America First agenda.ā
Asked about local issues such as transportation, he said, āThe role of the federal government is not to solve individual problems. At all.ā
Comstock said of Hill, āHe has not won any elections.”
More on the VA-10 primary race (Democratic race and Republican race).
U.S. Senate
Three Republicans are running to challenge U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, in November ā Del. ; and , the at-large chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
The three agree largely on the issues of the size of the federal government and their support of President Donald Trump.
Stewart claimed heāll be the presidentās ābiggest supporterā in the Senate and pointed out how close most Senate votes have been in the current Congress. He added that heās āwon five elections in blue Northern Virginia.ā
Freitas said heās the only candidate in the race serving in a legislature; Jackson, while saying, āIām not an African-American; Iām an American,ā also said his ability to turn out the black vote makes him the only candidate who can beat Kaine.
Stewart said he wants to focus federal resources on solutions for traffic on I-66 and I-95 āwithout tolls,ā while Freitas has ideas that donāt involve road construction, such as allowing federal employees to work remotely and spreading out federal agencies to different parts of the state.
Regarding guns and school safety, Stewart pointed to the fact that Prince William was the first county in Virginia to hire retired police officers in all 95 county schools, while Freitas said the key was to āaddress the behaviorā behind school shootings and āfocus on the things that all sides agree on.ā
Jackson said that āour country is in a time of crisisā and that itās important to āgive people with traditional values a sense of hope and inspiration and encouragement.ā
More on the Virginia Senate primary race.
Ā鶹¹ŁĶų’s Max Smith contributed to this report.
