Virginia Democrats Pick Establishment Nominees in Two House Races

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats on Tuesday nominated two establishment-backed candidates — a county prosecutor and a former member of Congress — to challenge Republican incumbents in districts the party hopes to flip in November as part of the broader fight for control of the House of Representatives.

Shannon Taylor, the elected top prosecutor in a suburban Richmond county, will face longtime Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st Congressional District. In the coastal 2nd District, a swing seat with a heavy military presence, former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria won her primary, setting up a rematch with Rep. Jen Kiggans, who defeated her in 2022.

Both Taylor and Luria were backed by the House Democrats' campaign arm and a range of party leaders, including Gov. Abigail Spanberger. Taylor prevailed in a seven-way primary in which a progressive candidate, Salaam Bhatti, took about a fifth of the vote. Luria defeated three opponents.

Democratic primaries elsewhere this year have exposed a divide between progressive challengers and establishment-backed rivals, with some outsiders scoring upsets. Virginia Democrats have a history of rewarding moderates, and that pattern held Tuesday.

The party hopes to flip at least two seats after its voter-approved redistricting plan was overturned by the state Supreme Court earlier this year. More bullish observers, including the governor, argue as many as four seats are in play, including the 5th District, where former Rep. Tom Perriello won a three-way primary and will face Rep. John McGuire, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump and beat veteran Melanie Lucero.

"Virginia Democrats are going on offense," said state Sen. Lamont Bagby, chairman of the state Democratic Party, in a statement. Jeff Ryer, chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said voters would look critically at Spanberger's leadership and instead "elect common-sense conservative leaders."

Luria, a retired Navy commander who served on the Jan. 6 committee, told supporters that Kiggans had not meaningfully distinguished herself from Trump, adding, "We have a long road and a long fight ahead." Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, called herself a "proven leader who brings people together and gets results for our military and families."

Taylor, speaking at an Irish pub in her district, said: "I've spent the last 14 years prosecuting violent criminals, fraudsters and anybody who abuses our trust." She campaigned on public safety and on banning stock trading and lifetime lobbying for members of Congress. Wittman said he had a proven record and argued Taylor had backed progressive criminal justice changes.

Rep. Don Beyer also won his primary in the heavily Democratic 8th District. Virginia is currently represented by six Democrats and five Republicans, all seeking reelection.