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Virginia's 8th Congressional District election (April 28, 2018 Republican primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 15
- Early voting: N/A
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
|
| Virginia's 8th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 29, 2018 |
| Primary: June 12, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Don Beyer (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Voting in Virginia |
| Race ratings |
Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th • 10th • 11th Virginia elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
A Republican Party primary convention was scheduled to take place on April 28, 2018, in Virginia's 8th District to determine which Republican would run in the district's November 6, 2018, general election. The convention was canceled after only one candidate filed.[1][2]
This page focuses on the Republican convention. For an overview of the election in general, click here.
Candidates and election results
Thomas Oh was the only candidate to file for the Republican convention for U.S. House Virginia District 8. Therefore, the 8th Congressional District Republican Committee canceled the nominating convention scheduled for April 28, 2018.[2]
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+21, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 21 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 8th Congressional District the 58th most Democratic nationally.[3]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 0.82. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 0.82 points toward that party.[4]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Virginia heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Virginia.
- Republicans held seven of 11 U.S. House seats in Virginia.
State executives
- As of May 2018, Democrats held four of 12 state executive positions and the remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Virginia was Democrat Ralph Northam. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor in 2021.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. They had a 50-49 majority in the state House and a 21-19 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Virginia was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Ralph Northam (D) served as governor, while Republicans controlled the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: Virginia elections, 2018
Virginia held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- 11 U.S. House seats
- One state House seat
- Municipal elections in Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach
Demographics
| Demographic data for Virginia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 8,367,587 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,490 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 19.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $65,015 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia. **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. | ||
As of July 2016, Virginia's three largest cities were Virginia Beach (pop. est. 450,435), Norfolk (pop. est. 244,703), and Chesapeake (pop. est. 240,397).[5][6]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Virginia from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Virginia State Board of Elections.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Virginia every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
49.7% |  Donald Trump |
44.4% | 5.3% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
51.1% | Mitt Romney |
47.2% | 3.9% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
52.6% | John McCain |
46.3% | 6.3% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
53.7% | John Kerry |
45.5% | 8.2% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
52.5% | Al Gore |
44.4% | 12.0% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Virginia from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Mark Warner |
49.1% | Ed Gillespie |
48.3% | 0.8% |
| 2012 | Tim Kaine |
52.8% | George Allen |
46.9% | 5.9% |
| 2008 | Mark Warner |
65.0% | Jim Gilmore |
33.7% | 31.3% |
| 2006 | Jim Webb (Virginia) |
49.6% | George Allen |
49.2% | 0.4% |
| 2002 | John Warner |
82.6% |  Nancy B. Spannaus (Independent) |
9.7% | 72.9% |
| 2000 | George Allen |
52.3% | Chuck Robb |
47.7% | 4.6% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Virginia.
| Election results (Governor), Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2017 | Ralph Northam |
53.9% | Ed Gillespie |
45.0% | 8.9% |
| 2013 | Terry McAuliffe |
47.8% | Ken Cuccinelli |
45.2% | 2.6% |
| 2009 | Bob McDonnell |
58.6% | Creigh Deeds |
41.3% | 17.3% |
| 2005 | Tim Kaine |
51.7% | Jerry Kilgore |
46.0% | 5.7% |
| 2001 | Mark Warner |
52.2% | Mark Earley |
47.0% | 5.2% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Virginia in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Virginia 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 7 |
63.6% | 4 |
36.4% | R+3 |
| 2014 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2012 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2010 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2008 | 5 |
45.4% | 6 |
54.5% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2004 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2002 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2000 | 7 |
50.0% | 3 |
50.0% | R+4 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
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 |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2018
- United States House elections in Virginia (June 12, 2018 Republican primaries)
- Virginia's 8th Congressional District election (June 12, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Virginia's 8th District Republican Committee, "2018 8th District Convention Details," February 7, 2018
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Virginia's 8th District Republican Committee, "8th District Convention is CANCELED – We have our nominee!" February 27, 2018
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Virginia Demographics, "Virginia Cities by Population," accessed September 3, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Virginia," accessed September 3, 2018
