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Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2022
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| Virginia's 6th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: April 7, 2022 |
| Primary: June 21, 2022 General: November 8, 2022 |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Virginia |
| Race ratings |
Cook Political Report: Solid Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2022 |
| See also |
1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th Virginia elections, 2022 U.S. Congress elections, 2022 U.S. Senate elections, 2022 U.S. House elections, 2022 |
All U.S. House districts, including the 6th Congressional District of Virginia, held elections in 2022. The general election was on November 8, 2022. The primary was scheduled for June 21, 2022. The filing deadline was April 7, 2022.
In Virginia, political parties decide for themselves whether to nominate their candidates via primary or convention. In Virginia's 6th Congressional District, a Democratic convention was scheduled for June 11, 2022, and a Republican primary was scheduled to take place on June 21, 2022. The district's Democratic committee originally called for a primary to take place on June 21, 2022. The primary was canceled after no candidates filed for the race, allowing the district's Democratic committee to choose to hold a convention to nominate the Democratic candidate instead.
The outcome of this race affected the partisan balance of the U.S. House of Representatives in the 118th Congress. All 435 House districts were up for election.
Republicans won a 222-213 majority in the U.S. House in 2022.
Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have received 38.4% of the vote in this district and Donald Trump (R) would have received 60.0%.[1]
For more information about the primaries in this election, click on the links below:
- Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2022 (June 21 Republican primary)
- Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2022 (June 11 Democratic convention)
Candidates and election results
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Incumbent Benjamin Lee Cline defeated Jennifer Lewis in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Benjamin Lee Cline (R) | 64.4 | 173,352 |
 | Jennifer Lewis (D) | 35.4 | 95,410 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 588 | ||
| Total votes: 269,350 | |||
 = 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
- Danny LeBeau (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Jennifer Lewis (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Incumbent Benjamin Lee Cline defeated Merritt Hale in the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on June 21, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benjamin Lee Cline | 82.1 | 19,620 |
 | Merritt Hale | 17.9 | 4,264 | |
| Total votes: 23,884 | |||
| = 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 convention
The Democratic convention was canceled. Jennifer Lewis advanced from the Democratic convention for U.S. House Virginia District 6.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Virginia
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. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance
This section contains campaign finance figures from the Federal Election Commission covering all candidate fundraising and spending in this election.[2] It does not include information on fundraising before the current campaign cycle or on spending by satellite groups. The numbers in this section are updated as candidates file new campaign finance reports. Candidates for Congress are required to file financial reports on a quarterly basis, as well as two weeks before any primary, runoff, or general election in which they will be on the ballot and upon the termination of any campaign committees.[3] Click here to view the reporting schedule for candidates for U.S. Congress in 2022.
| U.S. Congress campaign reporting schedule, 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Report | Close of books | Filing deadline |
| Year-end 2021 | 12/31/2021 | 1/31/2022 |
| April quarterly | 3/31/2022 | 4/15/2022 |
| July quarterly | 6/30/2022 | 7/15/2022 |
| October quarterly | 9/30/2022 | 10/15/2022 |
| Pre-general | 10/19/2022 | 10/27/2022 |
| Post-general | 11/28/2022 | 12/08/2022 |
| Year-end 2022 | 12/31/2022 | 1/31/2023 |
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Lee Cline | Republican Party | $993,252 | $964,685 | $267,341 | As of December 31, 2022 |
| Jennifer Lewis | Democratic Party | $143,024 | $149,844 | $0 | As of December 31, 2022 |
| Merritt Hale | Republican Party | $30,574 | $29,229 | $1,305 | As of July 8, 2022 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2022. 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." |
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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.[4]
- 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.[5][6][7]
| Race ratings: Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2022 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race tracker | Race ratings | ||||||||
| November 8, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | October 25, 2022 | October 18, 2022 | ||||||
| The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | Solid Republican | |||||
| Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe Republican | Safe 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 requirements
The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Virginia in the 2022 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.
| Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State | Office | Party | Signatures required | Filing fee | Filing deadline | Source |
| Virginia | U.S. House | Ballot-qualified party | 1,000 | $3,480.00 | 4/7/2022 | Source |
| Virginia | U.S. House | Unaffiliated | 1,000 | N/A | 6/21/2022 | Source |
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 before and after redistricting.
- Effect of redistricting - How districts in the state changed as a result of redistricting following the 2020 census.
- Competitiveness - Information about the competitiveness of 2022 U.S. House elections in the state.
- Presidential elections - Information about presidential elections in the district and the state.
- Demographics - Information about the state's demographics and how they compare to the country as a whole.
- State party control - The partisan makeup of the state's congressional delegation and state government.
District map
Below was the map in use at the time of the election, enacted as part of the 2020 redistricting cycle, compared to the map in place before the election.
Virginia District 6
until January 2, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Virginia District 6
starting January 3, 2023
Click a district to compare boundaries.
Effect of redistricting
The table below details the results of the 2020 presidential election in each district at the time of the 2022 election and its political predecessor district.[8] This data was compiled by Daily Kos Elections.[9]
| 2020 presidential results by Congressional district, Virginia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | 2022 district | Political predecessor district | ||
Joe Biden 
|
Donald Trump 
|
Joe Biden
|
Donald Trump
| |
| Virginia's 1st | 46.2% | 52.3% | 47.0% | 51.4% |
| Virginia's 2nd | 50.1% | 48.2% | 51.4% | 46.7% |
| Virginia's 3rd | 68.3% | 30.0% | 67.2% | 31.2% |
| Virginia's 4th | 67.2% | 31.5% | 61.8% | 36.8% |
| Virginia's 5th | 45.2% | 53.4% | 45.1% | 53.6% |
| Virginia's 6th | 38.4% | 60.0% | 38.6% | 59.8% |
| Virginia's 7th | 52.6% | 45.8% | 49.8% | 48.7% |
| Virginia's 8th | 77.4% | 21.3% | 77.6% | 21.1% |
| Virginia's 9th | 28.5% | 70.3% | 28.4% | 70.4% |
| Virginia's 10th | 58.3% | 40.2% | 58.9% | 39.6% |
| Virginia's 11th | 70.0% | 28.7% | 70.3% | 28.3% |
Competitiveness
This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Virginia.
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Virginia in 2022. Information below was calculated on June 7, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Thirty-three candidates filed to run for Virginia's 11 U.S. House districts, including 12 Democrats and 21 Republicans. That's three candidates per district, more than the 2.36 candidates per district in 2020 and less than the 4.09 in 2018.
This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. Virginia was apportioned 11 districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census.
All 11 incumbents filed to run for re-election, meaning there were no open seats this year for the first time since 2012.
There were five contested primaries — one Democratic and four Republican — this year. That's the fewest contested primaries since 2014, when four primaries were contested.
Two incumbents — Rep. Ben Cline (R) from the 6th district and Rep. Don Beyer (D) from the 8th district — faced primary challengers, the same number as every year since 2014, except for 2016, when only one incumbent faced a primary challenger.
Republican and Democratic candidates filed to run in all 11 districts, so no seats were guaranteed to either party this year. Seven candidates, including incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D), filed to run in the 7th district, the most candidates who ran in a district that held primaries this year.
Presidential elections
Partisan Voter Index
Heading into the 2022 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was R+14. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 14 percentage points more Republican than the national average. This made Virginia's 6th the 102nd most Republican district nationally.[10]
2020 presidential election results
The table below shows what the vote in the 2020 presidential election would have been in this district. The presidential election data was compiled by Daily Kos.
| 2020 presidential results in Virginia's 6th based on 2022 district lines | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Biden
|
Donald Trump
| |||
| 38.4% | 60.0% | |||
Presidential voting history
- See also: Presidential election in Virginia, 2020
Virginia presidential election results (1900-2020)
- 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Demographics
The table below details demographic data in Virginia and compares it to the broader United States as of 2019.
| Demographic Data for Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | United States | |
| Population | 8,001,024 | 308,745,538 |
| Land area (sq mi) | 39,481 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White | 67.6% | 72.5% |
| Black/African American | 19.2% | 12.7% |
| Asian | 6.4% | 5.5% |
| Native American | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Other (single race) | 2.6% | 4.9% |
| Multiple | 3.8% | 3.3% |
| Hispanic/Latino | 9.4% | 18% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate | 89.7% | 88% |
| College graduation rate | 38.8% | 32.1% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income | $74,222 | $62,843 |
| Persons below poverty level | 10.6% | 13.4% |
| Source: population provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "Decennial Census" (2010). Other figures provided by U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2014-2019). | ||
| **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
State party control
Congressional delegation
The table below displays the partisan composition of Virginia's congressional delegation as of November 2022.
| Congressional Partisan Breakdown from Virginia, November 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | U.S. Senate | U.S. House | Total |
| Democratic | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Republican | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 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 November 2022.
| State executive officials in Virginia, November 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Office | Officeholder |
| Governor | Glenn Youngkin
|
| Lieutenant Governor | Winsome Earle-Sears
|
| Secretary of State | Kay Coles James
|
| Attorney General | Jason Miyares
|
State legislature
The tables below highlight the partisan composition of the Virginia General Assembly as of November 2022.
Virginia State Senate
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 19 | |
| Vacancies | 0 | |
| Total | 40 | |
Virginia House of Delegates
| Party | As of November 2022 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 47 | |
| Republican Party | 52 | |
| Vacancies | 1 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Trifecta control
As of November 2022, Virginia was a divided government, with Republicans controlling the governorship and a majority in the house and Democrats controlling a majority in the state senate. The table below displays the historical trifecta status of the state.
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2022
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
District history
2020
See also: Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2020
Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (June 23 Republican primary)
Virginia's 6th Congressional District election, 2020 (May 9 Democratic convention)
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Incumbent Benjamin Lee Cline defeated Nicholas Betts in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benjamin Lee Cline (R) | 64.6 | 246,606 |
 | Nicholas Betts (D) | 35.3 | 134,729 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 478 | ||
| Total votes: 381,813 | |||
| = 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
- Aaron Luciani (Independent)
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Incumbent Benjamin Lee Cline advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6.
Green primary election
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Caleb Quinton (G)
Democratic convention
Democratic convention for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Nicholas Betts advanced from the Democratic convention for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on May 9, 2020.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Nicholas Betts (D) |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Benjamin Lee Cline defeated Jennifer Lewis in the general election for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Benjamin Lee Cline (R) | 59.7 | 167,957 |
| Jennifer Lewis (D) | 40.2 | 113,133 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 287 | ||
| Total votes: 281,377 | |||
| = 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
- Michael Frend (Independent)
- Steve America (Independent)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Jennifer Lewis defeated Peter Volosin, Charlotte Moore, and Sergio Coppola in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Jennifer Lewis | 47.7 | 8,202 |
 | Peter Volosin | 27.2 | 4,678 | |
 | Charlotte Moore | 18.5 | 3,175 | |
 | Sergio Coppola | 6.7 | 1,150 | |
| Total votes: 17,205 | |||
| = 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
Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6
Benjamin Lee Cline advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Virginia District 6 on June 12, 2018.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Benjamin Lee Cline |
| ||||
| = 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. | ||||
2016
Heading into the election, Ballotpedia rated this race as safely Republican. Incumbent Bob Goodlatte (R) defeated Kai Degner (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Goodlatte defeated Harry Griego in the Republican primary on June 14, 2016.[11][12]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican |  Bob Goodlatte Incumbent |
66.6% | 225,471 | |
| Democratic | Kai Degner | 33.1% | 112,170 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.2% | 768 | |
| Total Votes | 338,409 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bob Goodlatte Incumbent |
77.9% | 18,993 | ||
| Harry Griego | 22.1% | 5,383 | ||
| Total Votes | 24,376 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
||||
2014
Incumbent Bob Goodlatte won re-election in 2014. He defeated Libertarian Will Hammer and Green Party candidate Elaine Hildebrandt in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bob Goodlatte Incumbent |
74.5% | 133,898 | |
| Libertarian | Will Hammer | 12.3% | 22,161 | |
| Green | Elaine Hildebrandt | 11.9% | 21,447 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 1.2% | 2,202 | |
| Total Votes | 179,708 | |||
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections | ||||
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
- ↑ Fundraising by primary candidates can be found on the race's respective primary election page. Fundraising by general election candidates can be found on the race's general election page.
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "2022 Quarterly Reports," accessed March 2, 2022
- ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
- ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
- ↑ Political predecessor districts are determined primarily based on incumbents and where each chose to seek re-election.
- ↑ Daily Kos Elections, "Daily Kos Elections 2020 presidential results by congressional district (old CDs vs. new CDs)," accessed May 12, 2022
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed February 6, 2023
- ↑ The New York Times, "Virginia Primary Results," June 14, 2016
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Candidates," accessed September 8, 2016
