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Virginia's 1st Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Virginia's 1st Congressional District
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: May 26, 2026
Primary: August 4, 2026
General: November 3, 2026
How to vote
Poll times:

6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Virginia

Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Lean Republican
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Lean 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

A Democratic Party primary takes place on August 4, 2026, in Virginia's 1st Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate will run in the district's general election on November 3, 2026.

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
May 26, 2026
August 4, 2026
November 3, 2026



A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

This page focuses on Virginia's 1st Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:

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

Democratic primary

Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1

The following candidates are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 1 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Elizabeth Beggs
Elizabeth Beggs  Candidate Connection
Image of Salaam Bhatti
Salaam Bhatti  Candidate Connection
Image of Tim Cywinski
Tim Cywinski
Image of Lisa Khanna
Lisa Khanna
Image of Jason Knapp
Jason Knapp
Image of Ericka Kopp
Ericka Kopp  Candidate Connection
Image of Lewis Littlepage
Lewis Littlepage
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Andrew Lucchetti
Image of Amanda Pohl
Amanda Pohl
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
James Shea
Image of Sean Sublette
Sean Sublette
Image of Shannon Taylor
Shannon Taylor
Image of Melvin Tull
Melvin Tull

There are no incumbents in this race.

Candidate Connection = 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.

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.

Elizabeth Beggs

Image of Elizabeth Beggs

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Key Messages

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

I’m running to put service back at the center of leadership. As an Army officer, I learned you don’t choose who you serve—you show up for everyone. That’s the mindset I’ll bring to Congress. I will work for all Virginians, not political parties or special interests. Families deserve leaders who listen, lead with integrity, and focus on real solutions, not partisan drama. My priority is rebuilding trust in government by serving with humility, accountability, and a commitment to the people of VA-01.

Families across Virginia are being pushed to the breaking point by rising costs of housing, groceries, childcare, healthcare, and everyday essentials. As a New Deal Democrat, I believe we must build an economy that works for working families—not just corporations and billionaires. That means lowering costs, raising wages, expanding childcare, reducing prescription drug prices, and ensuring the wealthiest pay their fair share. Every Virginian deserves stability, opportunity, and a fair shot at building a better future.

I will fight to protect personal freedoms—including reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ equality—because government should never interfere in private medical decisions or adult relationships. As a gun owner and the daughter of a retired police officer and criminal justice professor, I believe in safe, fair, and community-focused public safety. That includes common-sense gun laws, criminal justice reform, supporting law enforcement training, investing in mental health and addiction treatment, and addressing the root causes of crime. Safer communities come from opportunity, fairness, and accountability—not fear.

Salaam Bhatti

Image of Salaam Bhatti

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Key Messages

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

Unrig the System: Reform taxes so that teachers and nurses aren't paying more taxes than billionaires.

Fighting for Working Families. Everything is increasing in cost and our wages are not keeping up. Meanwhile, the wealth inequality gap continues to increase. The time is now to fight for families by passing Medicare for All, strengthening our safety net and making it truly efficient, and providing paid parental leave & living wages.

Rebuild trust. We cannot trust our elected officials to act in the people's interests if they're voting to maintain campaign funding from corporations/foreign interests, or if they're using information to increase their net worth. This is why I support banning Congressmembers from trading stocks, getting corporate PAC and foreign interest money out of politics, and ending the genocide in Gaza.

Ericka Kopp

Image of Ericka Kopp

WebsiteFacebookYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

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."

Key Messages

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

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.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Virginia

Election information in Virginia: Aug. 4, 2026, election.

What is the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by July 24, 2026
  • Online: July 24, 2026

Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?

N/A

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?

  • In-person: July 24, 2026
  • By mail: Received by July 24, 2026
  • Online: July 24, 2026

What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?

  • In-person: Aug. 4, 2026
  • By mail: Postmarked by Aug. 4, 2026

Is early voting available to all voters?

Yes

What are the early voting start and end dates?

June 18, 2026 to Aug. 1, 2026

Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?

N/A

When are polls open on Election Day?

6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Elizabeth Beggs Democratic Party $13,863 $4,524 $9,339 As of December 31, 2025
Salaam Bhatti Democratic Party $128,354 $71,501 $56,853 As of December 31, 2025
Tim Cywinski Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Lisa Khanna Democratic Party $277,648 $277,648 $0 As of January 30, 2026
Jason Knapp Democratic Party $257,805 $32,097 $225,708 As of December 31, 2025
Ericka Kopp Democratic Party $9,686 $1,644 $8,042 As of December 31, 2025
Lewis Littlepage 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 $51,400 $45,910 $5,489 As of December 31, 2025
James Shea Democratic Party $2,660 $2,660 $0 As of December 31, 2025
Sean Sublette Democratic Party $66,111 $66,111 $0 As of December 8, 2025
Shannon Taylor Democratic Party $766,318 $285,351 $480,968 As of December 31, 2025
Melvin Tull Democratic Party $129,842 $85,173 $44,668 As of December 31, 2025

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.

District analysis

Click the tabs below to view information about voter composition, past elections, and demographics in both the district and the state.

  • District map - A map of the district in place for the election.
  • Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2026 U.S. House elections in the state.
  • Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
  • State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.


Below is the district map in place for this election. Click the map below to enlarge it.

2023_01_03_va_congressional_district_01.jpg
See also: Primary election competitiveness in state and federal government, 2026
Information about competitiveness will be added here as it becomes available.

Partisan Voter Index

See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index

Heading into the 2026 elections, based on results from the 2024 and 2020 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district is R+3. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 3 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Virginia's 1st the 202nd most Republican district nationally.[2]

2020 presidential election results

The table below shows what the vote in the 2024 presidential election was in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by The Downballot.

2024 presidential results in Virginia's 1st Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
47.0%52.0%

Presidential voting history

See also: Presidential election in Virginia, 2024

Virginia presidential election results (1900-2024)

  • 18 Democratic wins
  • 14 Republican wins
Year 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Winning Party D D D D D D D R D D D D D R R R D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D
See also: Party control of Virginia state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Virginia's congressional delegation as of October 2025.

Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Virginia
Party U.S. Senate U.S. House Total
Democratic 2 6 8
Republican 0 5 5
Independent 0 0 0
Vacancies 0 0 0
Total 2 11 13

State executive

The table below displays the officeholders in Virginia's top four state executive offices as of February 2026.

State executive officials in Virginia, February 2026
OfficeOfficeholder
GovernorDemocratic Party Abigail Spanberger
Lieutenant GovernorDemocratic Party Ghazala Hashmi
Secretary of StateDemocratic Party Candi King
Attorney GeneralDemocratic Party Jay Jones

State legislature

Virginia State Senate

Party As of February 2026
     Democratic Party 21
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 40

Virginia House of Delegates

Party As of February 2026
     Democratic Party 64
     Republican Party 36
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R
Senate D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D R R R R R D D D D D D
House D D D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R D D

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Virginia in the 2026 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2026
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Virginia U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 1,000 $3,480 5/26/2026 Source
Virginia U.S. House Unaffiliated 1,000 N/A 8/4/2026 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Virginia Legislative Information System, "Va. Code § 24.2–530," accessed December 23, 2025
  2. ↑ Cook Political Report, "2025 Cook PVI℠: District Map and List (119th Congress)," accessed July 1, 2025


Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress
Senators
Tim Kaine (D)
Mark Warner (D)
Representatives
District 1
District 2
District 3
District 4
District 5
District 6
District 7
District 8
District 9
District 10
District 11
Democratic Party (8)
Republican Party (5)


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