LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA—Voters in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District on June 18 made their picks for their House representatives as both parties seek to claim the swing seat in November.
On the Republican side, constitutional attorney Mike Clancy beat out three challengers for the nomination. The Associated Press called the race for Mr. Clancy shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern.
State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam won the crowded Democratic primary, where a full dozen candidates were vying for their party’s nomination. The Associated Press called the race at around 9:30 p.m. Eastern.
Voters who were backing Mr. Clancy acknowledged there were broad similarities between Mr. Clancy and the other candidates, but told The Epoch Times on June 18 that they felt more confident in Mr. Clancy’s ability to speak and debate.
Among Republicans, immigration and the economy topped their list of issues.
Democrats The Epoch Times spoke with on polling day said that democracy, abortion, and climate change topped their list of issues.
The field being so crowded is no surprise in the district, where candidates from both parties have a nearly equal chance of claiming the seat in November.
Virginia’s 10th Congressional District—which begins on the western outskirts of Fairfax, passes through the national political battleground of Loudoun County, and ends along the state border with West Virginia—lies close to Washington, encompassing residential areas, rolling farmland on the peripheries of Appalachia, and developed semi-urban areas.
Northern Virginia has trended left in recent elections.
The Democratic incumbent, Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), managed to flip the seat during the blue wave of the 2018 elections, and has held onto it in each House election since then. Before that, the seat held by Republicans for decades.
This year, Ms. Wexton announced that she had decided not to seek reelection after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder similar to Parkinson’s disease.
“Taking into consideration the prognosis for my health over the coming years, I have made the decision not to seek reelection once my term is complete and instead spend my valued time with … my friends and loved ones,” Ms. Wexton said.
In her first two elections, Ms. Wexton won around 56 percent of the vote, and had roughly a 13 point lead in each race.
In 2022, that gap narrowed significantly, with Republican candidate Hung Cao coming within 6 points of reclaiming the seat.
Some Republicans we spoke with said they feel confident the GOP could regain this small foothold in the greater Washington area.
Laura Robinson, who was passing out campaign materials for Mr. Clancy at Stone Bridge High School with her husband Steve, cited Mr. Cao’s performance in 2022, saying, “Remember, Wexton is no longer an incumbent: Everyone on the Democrat side is brand new.”
After the primaries, both parties will gear up for a tough House campaign season, during which Virginia’s 10th district will be a prime target for both sides.
From The Epoch Times
