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Virginia's 7th Congressional District election, 2026 (August 4 Democratic primary)

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← 2024
Virginia's 7th 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 Democratic
DDHQ and The Hill: Pending
Inside Elections: Lean Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Likely Democratic
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 7th 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 7th 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 7th 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 7

Incumbent Eugene Vindman (D), Dan Helmer (D), Matthew Rainforth (D), and Alex Thymmons (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7 on August 4, 2026.

Candidate
Image of Eugene Vindman
Eugene Vindman
Image of Dan Helmer
Dan Helmer
Silhouette Placeholder Image.png
Submit photo
Matthew Rainforth
Image of Alex Thymmons
Alex Thymmons  Candidate Connection

Incumbents are bolded and underlined.

Candidate Connection = candidate completed 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.

Alex Thymmons

Image of Alex Thymmons

WebsiteFacebookXYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Submitted Biography:  "I am a first-generation American who learned to read by candlelight under communism, and who came to this country as a teenager chasing freedom. My first job in America was cleaning floors and toilets in a warehouse to help my family make rent. Months after I graduated from high school as Valedictorian… 9/11 happened. At that moment, I understood that the American Dream was never just about opportunity; it was about duty. So, after earning my citizenship, I walked into an Army recruiter’s office. I led an infantry platoon in combat during the Baghdad surge, where I saw friends… heroes… give everything, so that others could live free. Later, I commanded a detachment in a special operations task force in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal. I served with patriots in our intelligence community and worked alongside our NATO allies as an Eisenhower PhD Fellow, researcher, and scholar. Here, in Virginia, I built a family, a business, and a life of service: all while delivering aid in Ukraine with Rotary International, searching for missing Americans in Syria, and advising Members of Congress on energy and defense challenges at home and abroad. With graduate degrees in both national and international security, I’ve taught generals and ambassadors how to keep our edge and advised the White House and industry on how to power the future, ensuring America leads in energy, cyber, and artificial intelligence."

Key Messages

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

Restoring the American Dream. I came to this country as a teenager with nothing but a belief that hard work and faith in The Lord could build a better life. Today, too many families in my district feel that promise slipping away. Wages can’t keep up, homes are out of reach, and the dream of building something lasting feels harder every year. My campaign is about restoring that promise. It’s about making sure that every Virginian can own a home, afford energy, start a business, and give their kids a future that’s brighter than their own.

Energy Independence and Affordability. Energy is the foundation of every strong nation; it powers our homes, our jobs, and our security. I’ve spent years studying and advising on how to make America more resilient, with a PhD in energy resilience and an MBA in leadership and data science. I’ve seen how rising energy costs eat into paychecks and weaken communities. That’s why I’m focused on building reliable, local power generation; projects that create good jobs, lower bills, and make Virginia a leader in clean, secure, and affordable energy. This isn’t about politics; it’s about making sure families can keep the lights on, businesses can grow, and America stays strong and self-reliant in the years ahead.

Service, Security, and Hope. I’ve led Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, worked with our intelligence community, and stood beside our allies abroad. I’ve seen both the cost of freedom and the strength of the human spirit when people come together for something bigger than themselves. Now, I’m running to serve again; to protect our communities, defend our values, and restore a sense of hope for our youth. Too many young Americans are losing faith in the future, and that’s not who we are. We’re a nation that believes tomorrow can be better than today, if we’re willing to work for it. That’s what I want to fight for: an America that lives up to its promise, that honors service above self, and that leaves no one behind.

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
Eugene Vindman Democratic Party $7,044,268 $3,057,881 $4,121,321 As of December 31, 2025
Dan Helmer Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Matthew Rainforth Democratic Party $0 $0 $0 Data not available***
Alex Thymmons 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.

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_07.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 D+2. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 2 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 7th the 199th most Democratic 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 7th Congressional District
Kamala Harris Democratic PartyDonald Trump Republican Party
51.0%48.0%

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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