Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2026

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Virginia's 1st Congressional District
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: Pending
Primary: Pending General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Virginia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Likely Republican DDHQ and The Hill: Pending Inside Elections: Likely Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Republican
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2026
See also
Virginia's 1st Congressional District U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th Virginia elections, 2026 U.S. Congress elections, 2026 U.S. Senate elections, 2026 U.S. House elections, 2026 Alabama U.S. House racesAlaska U.S. House raceArizona U.S. House racesArkansas U.S. House racesCalifornia U.S. House racesColorado U.S. House racesConnecticut U.S. House racesDelaware U.S. House raceFlorida U.S. House racesGeorgia U.S. House racesHawaii U.S. House racesIdaho U.S. House racesIllinois U.S. House racesIndiana U.S. House racesIowa U.S. House racesKansas U.S. House racesKentucky U.S. House racesLouisiana U.S. House racesMaine U.S. House racesMaryland U.S. House racesMassachusetts U.S. House racesMichigan U.S. House racesMinnesota U.S. House racesMississippi U.S. House racesMissouri U.S. House racesMontana U.S. House racesNebraska U.S. House racesNevada U.S. House racesNew Hampshire U.S. House racesNew Jersey U.S. House racesNew Mexico U.S. House racesNew York U.S. House racesNorth Carolina U.S. House racesNorth Dakota U.S. House raceOhio U.S. House racesOklahoma U.S. House racesOregon U.S. House racesPennsylvania U.S. House racesRhode Island U.S. House racesSouth Carolina U.S. House racesSouth Dakota U.S. House raceTennessee U.S. House racesTexas U.S. House racesUtah U.S. House racesVermont U.S. House raceVirginia U.S. House racesWashington U.S. House racesWest Virginia U.S. House racesWisconsin U.S. House racesWyoming U.S. House raceSubmit

All U.S. House districts, including the 1st Congressional District of Virginia, are holding elections in 2026. The general election is November 3, 2026. To learn more about other elections on the ballot, click here.

Candidates and election results

Note: The following list includes official candidates only. Ballotpedia defines official candidates as people who:

• Register with a federal or state campaign finance agency before the candidate filing deadline
• Appear on candidate lists released by government election agencies

Note: At this time, Ballotpedia is combining all declared candidates for this election into one list under a general election heading. As primary election dates are published, this information will be updated to separate general election candidates from primary candidates as appropriate.

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 1

The following candidates are running in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Robert J. Wittman (R)
	Submit photo	Salaam Bhatti (D)
	Submit photo	Tim Cywinski (D)
	Submit photo	Lisa Khanna (D)
	Submit photo	Ericka Kopp (D)
	Submit photo	Andrew Lucchetti (D)
		Amanda Pohl (D)
	Submit photo	James Shea (D)
		Sean Sublette (D)
	Submit photo	Melvin Tull (D)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= 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.
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Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.

Ericka Kopp

Do you have a photo that could go here? Click here to submit it for this profile!

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I’m a healthcare lawyer and a caregiver for a disabled combat veteran. I’m a first-generation American, college student, and the first lawyer ever in my family. I played hockey for 19 years and know how to drop the gloves. In Congress, I will fight for the rights of my community here in Virginia’s first district. It’s not about left or right; it’s about right and wrong. And what’s happening now is simply wrong. I will not stand for the continued degradation of our rights, institutions, and our nation. I am about people over partisan politics and defending democracy over accepting a fascist oligarchy. I have already taken an oath to defend the Constitution. I do this in practice already and will continue to do so at the congressional level for We the People."

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Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

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Access to healthcare. The US is the only developed nation without universal healthcare. If we undo the tax breaks for billionaires and appropriately tax both them and the corporations they own, we can make that happen.

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Veterans issues. Veterans put their lives on the line to serve this country. We need to reduce the senseless barriers to accessing veterans benefits. As a congressional established agency, Congress can, and must, act to address the critical staffing shortages at VA.

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Federally codifying rights. Never before has it been more important the fact that federal law acts as a floor when it comes to minimum rights. We can work together to protect people by enacting into law a woman’s right to make decisions about her own healthcare and same-sex marriage.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Virginia

Ballotpedia will publish the dates and deadlines related to this election as they are made available.

Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses

Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. The section below shows responses from candidates in this race who completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Survey responses from candidates in this race

Click on a candidate's name to visit their Ballotpedia page.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Expand all | Collapse all

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Access to healthcare. The US is the only developed nation without universal healthcare. If we undo the tax breaks for billionaires and appropriately tax both them and the corporations they own, we can make that happen.

Veterans issues. Veterans put their lives on the line to serve this country. We need to reduce the senseless barriers to accessing veterans benefits. As a congressional established agency, Congress can, and must, act to address the critical staffing shortages at VA.

Federally codifying rights. Never before has it been more important the fact that federal law acts as a floor when it comes to minimum rights. We can work together to protect people by enacting into law a woman’s right to make decisions about her own healthcare and same-sex marriage.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Healthcare, veterans, civil rights

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

Ericka Kopp (D)

As a biracial, Hispanic, and bi woman, I look up to strong leaders, typically leaders of color, from all of these communities. This includes Charlotte Ray, the first Black female lawyer in the US. It also includes Marsha P. Johnson, one of the most prominent activists for LGBTQ+ rights. Finally, I’m inspired by the many strong female leaders currently representing their districts in the House, like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jasmine Crockett, and Melanie Stansbury, to name a few.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Integrity, honesty, and simply being a good person.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Listening to the voices of the people, acting on the voices of the people, as opposed to special interests or the interests of donors.

What legacy would you like to leave?

Ericka Kopp (D)

I would like to leave a legacy of stepping up at a time my community wanted change and bringing about that change.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Easily, the first historical event I remember was 9/11. I was 9 years old at the time, in Miss Barbee’s fourth grade class at Longan Elementary School. My sister picked me up from school in the middle of the morning. I had no idea what was happening. We went home, and when we got there, I asked her what was going on. She said I needed to watch the television. I remember watching the news coverage of the planes hitting the towers and not comprehending exactly what I was seeing.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

Ericka Kopp (D)

My very first job was as a grocery store bagger at Ukrop’s. I worked there for about two and a half years, from the middle of high school through to the start of college. That job taught me a lot about people, the importance of having empathy, and the value of hard work. I received internal promotions, first to cashier and later to floral associate, and stayed on through the company’s merger with Martin’s.

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

Ericka Kopp (D)

The US House has the ability to be a diverse representation of the people of the United States of America. With two-year terms, it’s the shortest of any federally-elected official and has the potential to change as the needs and will of the people change.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Ericka Kopp (D)

It may be helpful to have prior experience in government, but I do not believe it’s a requirement. What is more important to me is the quality of the character of the people elected to represent their districts. Representatives can learn what they need to about the job on the job, but they can’t learn how to be a good person on the job if they aren’t already.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

Ericka Kopp (D)

The destruction to the economy, international relations, the climate, and American government as a whole. It will take time and effort to recover from the widespread effects this president has caused.

Do you believe that two years is the right term length for representatives?

Ericka Kopp (D)

No, I don’t believe two years is the right term length. With how competitive House races can be, the constant need to campaign, dark money influence into elections, and how long it can take to see through priorities, I think a four-year term would be appropriate. I’m not running to be re-elected; I’m running to get things done for as long as the people will have me.

What are your thoughts on term limits?

Ericka Kopp (D)

I don’t know that a term limit is the right solution. Nevertheless, I believe that there should be an upper age limit. The 119th Congress is the third oldest in history, it’s time for the elder generations to pass the baton. If young people are the future, we need more of us in Congress to lead us into our collective futures.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Jasmine Crockett. She’s intelligent, also a lawyer, and quick witted. She fiercely advocates for the people without fear of retribution. It seems to me like she has a strong moral compass and the people of her district are her true north.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Ericka Kopp (D)

The people in my district aren’t just afraid and sad, they’re mad. They’re distraught at the widespread harm this administration has inflicted upon them. The most impactful story was a woman who, because of federal budget cuts, her entire department at her job was eliminated. She worked in public health and, since she was laid off, she hadn’t been able to find a job in her field. She went into this field to help people, but because of the politicization of science and health, she couldn’t.

Another was from a longtime friend. He is married to an immigrant. His brother is disabled and receives Medicaid. He’s devastated because his brother could very well lose everything because of the “One Big Beautiful Bill.” There’s nothing beautiful about a billionaire benefiting from a bill that destroys the only means of life some people in this country. There’s nothing beautiful about the greatest upward transfer of wealth in American history.

These are the voices not being heard by our current representative. These are the people who supposedly have representation but matter less to our representative than billionaires.

Do you believe that compromise is necessary or desirable for policymaking?

Ericka Kopp (D)

Compromise is necessary, unless and until that compromise is at the expense of rights of the people. I will not compromise when it comes to the rights of any member of my community.

The Constitution says that all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House. What role would this power play in your priorities if elected?

Ericka Kopp (D)

One of my priorities is to work on legislation to ensure that the ultra wealthy and corporations pay their fair share. This would necessarily require the constitutional power of the House.

How should the U.S. House use its investigative powers?

Ericka Kopp (D)

I believe strongly in accountability. Every federal official who has committed an impeachable offense must be held accountable. Because accountability begins with transparency, and due to the lack of transparency currently, the House would need to investigate federal officials for impeachable offenses.

What role should the United States government have in the development or use of artificial intelligence?

Ericka Kopp (D)

If I have learned anything, it’s that entities intended to self-regulate simply don’t because no one is there to ensure compliance with the rules. We need baseline, nationwide, common-sense regulations regarding AI as well as the use of data centers for AI purposes.

What legislation would you enact related to election administration in the United States?

Ericka Kopp (D)

I support strengthening the independence of the FEC. I would enact regulations that prevent any president from attempting to assert control over the sanctity of our elections.

You can ask candidates in this race to fill out the survey by clicking their names below:

• Amanda Pohl
• Andrew Lucchetti
• James Shea
• Robert J. Wittman
• Salaam Bhatti
• Sean Sublette

Campaign finance

Name	Party	Receipts*	Disbursements**	Cash on hand	Date
Robert J. Wittman	Republican Party	$1,367,003	$347,935	$2,394,948	As of June 30, 2025
Salaam Bhatti	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Tim Cywinski	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Lisa Khanna	Democratic Party	$144,757	$25,367	$119,390	As of June 30, 2025
Ericka Kopp	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Andrew Lucchetti	Democratic Party	$57,728	$57,728	$0	As of August 22, 2025
Amanda Pohl	Democratic Party	$35,034	$1,167	$33,867	As of June 30, 2025
James Shea	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Sean Sublette	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Melvin Tull	Democratic Party	$0	$0	$0	Data not available***
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC). * According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." ** According to the FEC, a disbursement "is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election," plus other kinds of payments not made to influence a federal election. *** Candidate either did not report any receipts or disbursements to the FEC, or Ballotpedia did not find an FEC candidate ID.

General election race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

• Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
• Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
• Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.
• Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.

Race ratings: Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2026
Race tracker	Race ratings
	9/2/2025	8/26/2025	8/19/2025	8/12/2025
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Decision Desk HQ and The Hill	Pending	Pending	Pending	Pending
Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican	Likely Republican
Note: Ballotpedia reviews external race ratings every week throughout the election season and posts weekly updates even if the media outlets have not revised their ratings during that week.

Ballot access

This section will contain information on ballot access related to this state's elections when it is available.

District history

The section below details election results for this office in elections dating back to 2020.

2024

See also: Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024

Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)

Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 1

Incumbent Robert J. Wittman defeated Leslie Mehta in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert J. Wittman (R)	56.3	269,657
		Leslie Mehta (D)	43.5	208,445
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	804

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 478,906
= 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

Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1

Leslie Mehta defeated Herb Jones in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on June 18, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Leslie Mehta	66.6	15,253
		Herb Jones	33.4	7,653

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 22,906
= 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.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Robert J. Wittman advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1.

2022

See also: Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 1

Incumbent Robert J. Wittman defeated Herb Jones and David Bruce Foster in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert J. Wittman (R)	56.0	191,828
		Herb Jones (D)	43.0	147,229
		David Bruce Foster (Independent)	1.0	3,388
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	293

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 342,738
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Austin Nichols (Independent)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Herb Jones advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Stewart Navarre (D)
• Jessica Anderson (D)
• Jim Gehlsen (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Robert J. Wittman advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1.

2020

See also: Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2020

General election

General election for U.S. House Virginia District 1

Incumbent Robert J. Wittman defeated Qasim Rashid in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert J. Wittman (R)	58.1	260,614
		Qasim Rashid (D)	41.7	186,923
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	641

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 448,178
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Shawn Ponterio (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1

Qasim Rashid defeated Vangie Williams in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on June 23, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Qasim Rashid	52.5	21,625
		Vangie Williams	47.5	19,545

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 41,170
= 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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• John Easley (D)
• Kevin Washington (D)
• Thomas Cox (D)

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Robert J. Wittman advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1.

District analysis

This section will contain facts and figures related to this district's elections when those are available.

See also

Virginia	2026 primaries	2026 U.S. Congress elections
Virginia congressional delegation Voting in Virginia Virginia elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018	Democratic primary battlegrounds Republican primary battlegrounds U.S. Senate Democratic primaries U.S. Senate Republican primaries U.S. House Democratic primaries U.S. House Republican primaries	U.S. Congress elections U.S. Senate elections U.S. House elections Special elections Ballot access

External links

• Search Google News for this topic

Footnotes

[show]

Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tim Kaine (D)

Mark Warner (D)

Representatives

District 1

Rob Wittman (R)

District 2

Jennifer Kiggans (R)

District 3

Bobby Scott (D)

District 4

Jennifer McClellan (D)

District 5

John McGuire (R)

District 6

Benjamin Lee Cline (R)

District 7

Eugene Vindman (D)

District 8

Donald Sternoff Beyer (D)

District 9

H. Morgan Griffith (R)

District 10

Suhas Subramanyam (D)

District 11

Vacant

Democratic Party (7)

Republican Party (5)

Vacancies (1)

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