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Kathy Tran
2024 - Present
2026
1
Kathy Tran (Democratic Party) is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, representing District 18. She assumed office on January 10, 2024. Her current term ends on January 14, 2026.
Tran (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent District 18. She is on the ballot in the general election on November 4, 2025.[source] The Democratic primary for this office on June 17, 2025, was canceled.
Biography
Tran came to the United States as a refugee from Vietnam. She received her bachelor's degree from Duke University and her master's degree in social work from the University of Michigan. Her professional experience includes serving as a Presidential Management Fellow and serving as the policy and advocacy assistant director for skills and workforce development at the National Immigration Forum.[1]
Committee assignments
Note: This membership information was last updated in September 2023. Ballotpedia completes biannual updates of committee membership. If you would like to send us an update, email us at: editor@ballotpedia.org.
2023-2024
Tran was assigned to the following committees:
2020-2021
Tran was assigned to the following committees:
- Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee
- General Laws Committee
- Health and Human Services Committee
2019-2020
Tran was assigned to the following committees:
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2025
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2025
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 18
Incumbent Kathy Tran and Ed McGovern are running in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 18 on November 4, 2025.
Candidate | ||
 | Kathy Tran (D) | |
| Ed McGovern (R) | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kathy Tran advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 18.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ed McGovern advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 18.
Campaign finance
Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2023
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 18
Incumbent Kathy Tran defeated Ed McGovern in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 18 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy Tran (D) | 65.6 | 15,973 |
| Ed McGovern (R) | 34.0 | 8,293 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 90 | ||
| Total votes: 24,356 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kathy Tran advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 18.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ed McGovern advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 18.
Endorsements
Tran received the following endorsements.
2021
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2021
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 42
Incumbent Kathy Tran defeated Ed McGovern in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 42 on November 2, 2021.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy Tran (D) | 60.0 | 21,374 |
| Ed McGovern (R) | 39.8 | 14,186 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 56 | ||
| Total votes: 35,616 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Kathy Tran advanced from the Democratic primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 42.
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Ed McGovern advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia House of Delegates District 42.
Campaign finance
2019
See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2019
General election
General election for Virginia House of Delegates District 42
Incumbent Kathy Tran defeated Steve Adragna in the general election for Virginia House of Delegates District 42 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Kathy Tran (D) | 59.7 | 16,178 |
| Steve Adragna (R) | 40.2 | 10,909 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 30 | ||
| Total votes: 27,117 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2017
General election
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[2] Kathy Tran (D) defeated Lolita Mancheno-Smoak (R) in the Virginia House of Delegates District 42 general election.[3]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 42 General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Kathy Tran |
61.06% | 18,761 | |
| Republican | Lolita Mancheno-Smoak | 38.94% | 11,967 | |
| Total Votes (18 of 19 precincts reporting.) | 30,728 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
Races we watched
Ballotpedia identified 13 races to watch in the Virginia House of Delegates 2017 elections: four Democratic seats and nine Republican seats. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance.
This district was a Race to Watch because the incumbent did not file to run for re-election and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won by more than 20 points in 2016. In 2015, incumbent Dave Albo (R), who was first elected in 1993, won re-election by 26.9 points. He declined to run in 2017. District 42 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 42 by 23.1 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 6.5 points. As of 2017, District 42 covered parts of Fairfax County.
Democratic primary election
Kathy Tran defeated Tilly Blanding in the Virginia House of Delegates District 42 Democratic primary.[4]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 42 Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
| Kathy Tran |
53.64% | 3,977 |
| Tilly Blanding | 46.36% | 3,437 |
| Total Votes | 7,414 | |
Republican primary election
Lolita Mancheno-Smoak ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 42 Republican primary.[5]
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 42 Republican Primary, 2017 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | ||
| Lolita Mancheno-Smoak | ||
Campaign themes
2025
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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2023
Kathy Tran did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
2021
Kathy Tran did not complete Ballotpedia's 2021 Candidate Connection survey.
2019
Kathy Tran did not complete Ballotpedia's 2019 Candidate Connection survey.
2017
Tran’s campaign website highlighted the following issues:
| “ |
Education |
” |
| —Kathy Tran, [7] | ||
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Endorsments
2017
In 2017, Tran’s endorsements included the following:
- Delegate Paul Krizek (D)[8]
- NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia[9]
- People for the American Way[10]
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Virginia scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2024
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2024, click [show]. |
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In 2024, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 10 to March 9. Special sessions occurred May 13, 2024; June 18 to July 1; and July 18, 2024.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 11 to February 25.
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2022
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2022, click [show]. |
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In 2022, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 12 to March 12.
|
2021
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2021, click [show]. |
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In 2021, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 13 to February 8.
|
2020
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2020, click [show]. |
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In 2020, the Virginia State Legislature was in session from January 8 to March 12. A special session was held from August 18 to November 9.
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2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 9 through February 24.
|
2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
|---|
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In 2018, the Virginia General Assembly was in session from January 10 through March 10. Special sessions were held from April 11 to May 30 and from August 30 to October 30.
|
See also
2025 Elections
External links
|
Candidate Virginia House of Delegates District 18 |
Officeholder Virginia House of Delegates District 18 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Kathy Tran for Delegate, "About Kathy," accessed May 10, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 November General Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Democratic Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 June Republican Primary," accessed July 6, 2017
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ Kathy Tran for Delegate, "Issues," accessed May 10, 2017
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "Del. Paul Krizek Endorses in Virginia House of Delegates Primaries," May 8, 2017
- ↑ NARAL, "2017 Endorsed House Candidates," accessed August 31, 2017
- ↑ People for the American Way, "Next Up Victory Fund Endorses in Virginia," August 29, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Webert (R) |
Virginia House of Delegates District 18 2024-Present |
Succeeded by - |
| Preceded by - |
Virginia House of Delegates District 42 2018-2024 |
Succeeded by Jason Ballard (R) |
