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Virginia's 7th Congressional District election, 2024 (June 18 Democratic primary)

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2026
2022
Virginia's 7th Congressional District
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge.png
Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: April 4, 2024
Primary: June 18, 2024
General: November 5, 2024
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Virginia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
DDHQ and The Hill: Likely Democratic
Inside Elections: Tilt Democratic
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Democratic
Ballotpedia analysis
U.S. Senate battlegrounds
U.S. House battlegrounds
Federal and state primary competitiveness
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2024
See also
Virginia's 7th Congressional District
U.S. Senate1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th9th10th11th
Virginia elections, 2024
U.S. Congress elections, 2024
U.S. Senate elections, 2024
U.S. House elections, 2024

A Democratic Party primary took place on June 18, 2024, in Virginia's 7th Congressional District to determine which Democratic candidate would run in the district's general election on November 5, 2024.

Eugene Vindman advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7.

All 435 seats were up for election. At the time of the election, Republicans had a 220 to 212 majority with three vacancies.[1] As of June 2024, 45 members of the U.S. House had announced they were not running for re-election. To read more about the U.S. House elections taking place this year, click here.

In the 2022 election in this district, the Democratic candidate won 52.2%-47.6%. Daily Kos calculated what the results of the 2020 presidential election in this district would have been following redistricting. Joe Biden (D) would have defeated Donald Trump (R) 52.6%-45.8%.[2]

Candidate filing deadline Primary election General election
April 4, 2024
June 18, 2024
November 5, 2024


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.[3]

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

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Virginia District 7 on June 18, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Eugene Vindman
Eugene Vindman Candidate Connection
 
49.3
 
17,263
Image of Elizabeth Guzman
Elizabeth Guzman Candidate Connection
 
15.1
 
5,283
Image of Briana Sewell
Briana Sewell
 
13.4
 
4,706
Image of Andrea Bailey
Andrea Bailey Candidate Connection
 
12.5
 
4,381
Image of Margaret Franklin
Margaret Franklin Candidate Connection
 
5.8
 
2,034
Image of Carl Bedell
Carl Bedell Candidate Connection
 
2.1
 
738
Image of Clifford Heinzer
Clifford Heinzer Candidate Connection
 
1.8
 
621

Total votes: 35,026
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.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

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.

Image of Andrea Bailey

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "Since being elected in 2019, Supervisor Bailey has been a fierce advocate for housing accessibility, public health, transportation, and economic investment in Prince William County. Her accomplishments include historic efforts to prioritize affordable and workforce housing, passing the county's first Collective Bargaining Ordinance, securing $90 million for transportation projects, and securing $11.9 million to build the county's first Crisis Receiving Center for mental health. Andrea looks forward to continuing to deliver for the people she represents in Congress. Andrea is a proud mother and military spouse. She lives in Dumfries with her husband of 47 years, Cozy."


Key Messages

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


Championing Housing Accessibility and Economic Growth Recognizing the vital importance of aordable living, Andrea is a dedicated advocate for housing accessibility. Her leadership has driven significant progress in expanding aordable housing options and fostering sustainable growth in the county.


Advocating for Mental Health Policies Andrea's work in public health, notably founding the county's first Crisis Receiving Center with a $11.9 million budget, showcases her commitment to mental health and her skill in securing funding for essential services.


Transforming Transportation and Infrastructure Supervisor Bailey's impact on community infrastructure is profound. Securing $90 million for transportation projects has enhanced daily commutes and laid the foundation for economic growth. Her strategic infrastructure investments reflect a forward-looking urban planning strategy.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Image of Carl Bedell

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "Veteran. Attorney. Moderate Democrat."


Key Messages

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


I am running to represent the Virginia 7th Congressional District in Congress because I believe our nation deserves better representation than what we have received. Our nation is more divided than it has been in generations and our district mirrors that division. We deserve representation that can bridge those divides and find solutions to address the issues that affect our daily lives.


We deserve representation that is compassionate about social issues, concerned about the environment, but also understands the economics that drive jobs creation and supports growth in our communities. We deserve representation that understands the geopolitics of our world and the causes of the international turmoil that threaten the security of our nation.


We deserve representation that looks for common ground to develop common sense solutions and that puts people before politics.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Image of Margaret Franklin

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I’m an experienced public servant who has served as both a local elected official and senior staffer on Capitol Hill. I have served as Prince William County Supervisor for the Woodbridge District since 2019. As a supervisor, I led efforts to build more affordable housing in Prince William County, established a sustainability commission, created an award-winning Child Advocacy Center to help victims of child abuse, and renamed the Jefferson Davis Highway. I spent almost a decade as a legislative staffer on Capitol Hill, working to pass laws boosting small businesses, protecting voting rights, and supporting working families."


Key Messages

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


Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, millions have lost the fundamental right to choose. Many states have banned and criminalized abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, and when the life of the woman is at stake. Women have been forced to cross state lines to receive life-saving reproductive care. They have faced criminal investigations into miscarriages. And until we have a Congress willing to act, these horrific stories will continue. I will pass a guaranteed national right to choose, stopping right-wing extremists from banning it in Virginia.


Addressing gun violence is a top priority for me. As a Prince William County Supervisor, I brought law enforcement and communities together to reduce gun violence up. As a senior staffer in Congress, I worked to advance legislation to crack down on illegal gun sales. In Congress, I will pass laws to get guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, create universal background checks to close gun-buying loopholes, and punish people trafficking guns across state lines.


I was raised by a single dad after my mom passed away from cancer at eight years old. I saw firsthand the challenges that working families face. Costs across the board are too high for Virginia families. As a county supervisor, I have led the charge to build affordable housing communities and created an affordable housing trust fund. I will never stop fighting to reduce costs and build an economy that works for all.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Image of Elizabeth Guzman

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I came to America 25 years ago as a single mother with just $300 in my pocket. Working 3 jobs to afford a small apartment for herself and my daughter, I attended NOVA and then Capella University at night. Earning multiple masters degrees, my experiences have motivated me to help those who might otherwise be invisible. Building a successful career as a social worker, I fight to protect children from abuse and help those struggling with their mental health. When Prince William County made headlines for its attacks on immigrants, I mobilized our community. And when Trump was elected, I stepped up to run for office myself, defeating a 16-year Republican incumbent for a seat in the House of Delegates. I led Democrats in their efforts to pass Obamacare medicaid expansions, giving over 700,000 Virginians access to healthcare. Noticing my message, Speaker Pelosi selected me to give the SOTU response for Spanish language viewers across the country. In Richmond, I introduced over 100 bills to implement paid-sick leave, hire more school counselors, and lift Virginia’s ban on public sector collective bargaining – drawing praise from across the aisle for ensuring rural communities just like Culpeper, Madison, Greene, and Orange Counties were never left behind. My husband Carlos and I live in Prince William County where we have raised four children together, all of whom attended PWC’s Public Schools."


Key Messages

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


Effective, Progressive and Electable. We have a number of great choices in this primary and I know as you review our records you will find that I am the best situated in all of those areas to be your nominee for Congress. Most Progressive - Fully implementing Obamacare in Virginia with Medicaid expansion for more than 700,000 Virginians. Increasing the minimum wage. Criminal Justice Reform and Abolishing the Death Penalty. Universal Background checks to buy a gun. Passing the ERA. Record setting new funding for public education. These are only a partial list of the historic achievements I helped to usher in as a Virginia Delegate and then I defeated every MAGA Republican challenger who came at me to roll back our progress.


Most Effective - As a Delegate I represented more rural constituents than most other Democrats in Fauquier County while also representing more urban and suburban areas of Prince William County. I learned how to build common ground which is why I was frequently rated as one of the most effective legislators in Virginia. I passed historic state tax relief for veterans and banned the predatory lenders that had crowded Route 1 near Quantico.


Most Electable - When I ran for the House of Delegates I defeated a long term Republican incumbent. When Republicans came for me in both of my re-elections spending millions of dollars with attack ads - I won anyways. With my record as one of Virginia’s most progressive legislators I have won every General Election because voters in our community are looking for proven leaders who can deliver real results for them, not professional politicians looking for a job. Nominating a candidate who has not faced down Republicans in elections before would put this seat in jeopardy and with the stakes so high we can not take that risk.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Image of Clifford Heinzer

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "He grew up in a working-class neighborhood at a time when a full day’s work earned a living wage, benefits, and the opportunity for your kids to do even better. He served the United States in the Far East, Latin America, Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East. In the Army, he led as an officer in the Infantry and Special Forces. As a diplomat, he analyzed the politics of foreign nations and focused on U.S. policy in the Middle East. His career included: • Countering violent extremism. • Directing U.S. counter narcotics programs in the Golden Triangle: support to law enforcement, addiction treatment, and supply reduction. • Bolstering border security and coordinating civilian efforts to improve governance in Afghanistan. • Supervising the issuance of immigrant visas. A member of organized labor for 25 years, he is also a lifetime member of the VFW and the Special Forces Association. Cliff recently ended his tenure as Political Action Chair of the NAACP’s Stafford Branch. Since his departure from federal service, he has been devoted to political activism, including serving as the Chair of the Stafford County Democratic Committee. He resides in Stafford with his spouse Tuanta (née Tangae), a federal retiree and naturalized U.S. citizen. "


Key Messages

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


For a Congress That Works


For An Economy that Works for All


Let's Come Together for the Common Good

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Image of Eugene Vindman

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography "I am a father, a husband, an immigrant, an international humanitarian law expert, and a former Colonel in the U.S. Army. I was born in Soviet Ukraine, and when I was just four years old I came to America as a refugee with my two brothers, grandmother, and recently widowed father. My family immigrated to this country with only $759, but through perseverance, a good union job, and faith in the American dream, we were able to build a life for ourselves. In 2019, after serving our country for 22 years in the Army, I was on the National Security Council as the Senior Ethics Attorney when I blew the whistle on the infamous phone call in which President Trump attempted to extort President Zelensky of Ukraine, Trump threatened to withhold critical aid if Ukraine didn't investigate President Biden’s family. This phone call and the investigation that followed resulted in Trump’s first impeachment. Trump retaliated against me for my role; his vindictiveness cost me my career. Now, I’m running to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, preserve democracy, protect our freedoms, and be an advocate for our community on Capitol Hill. I live in Prince William County with my wife Cindy and our daughter Madi, who is in the 8th grade in Prince William County Public Schools. Our son Max is in his Sophomore year at William & Mary College."


Key Messages

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


I am running to protect our democracy and freedoms against extremism;


I’m on a new mission to serve our country; and


ensure the Seventh District has high-quality public schools, world-class infrastructure, and provides opportunities for all.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for U.S. House Virginia District 7 in 2024.

Voting information

See also: Voting in Virginia

Election information in Virginia: June 18, 2024, election.

What was the voter registration deadline?

  • In-person: June 18, 2024
  • By mail: Postmarked by May 28, 2024
  • Online: May 28, 2024

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

N/A

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

  • In-person: June 7, 2024
  • By mail: Received by June 7, 2024
  • Online: June 7, 2024

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

  • In-person: June 18, 2024
  • By mail: Received by June 18, 2024

Was early voting available to all voters?

N/A

What were the early voting start and end dates?

May 3, 2024 to June 15, 2024

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

N/A

When were polls open on Election Day?

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


Campaign finance

Name Party Receipts* Disbursements** Cash on hand Date
Andrea Bailey Democratic Party $372,867 $372,867 $0 As of July 23, 2024
Carl Bedell Democratic Party $86,049 $86,049 $0 As of October 17, 2024
Margaret Franklin Democratic Party $315,897 $315,510 $387 As of December 31, 2024
Elizabeth Guzman Democratic Party $318,182 $318,182 $0 As of June 30, 2024
Clifford Heinzer Democratic Party $67,994 $67,985 $31 As of December 31, 2024
Briana Sewell Democratic Party $292,143 $292,143 $0 As of July 25, 2024
Eugene Vindman Democratic Party $18,096,190 $17,961,256 $134,934 As of December 31, 2024

Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2024. 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.

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 2024 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 was the map in use at the time of the 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, 2024

This section contains data on U.S. House primary election competitiveness in Virginia.

Virginia U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2024
Office Districts/
offices
Seats Open seats Candidates Possible primaries Contested Democratic primaries Contested Republican primaries % of contested primaries Incumbents in contested primaries % of incumbents in contested primaries
2024 11 11 2 53 22 6 3 40.9% 2 22.2%
2022 11 11 0 33 16[4] 1 4 31.3% 2 18.2%
2020 11 11 0 31 15[5] 4 2 40.0% 2 18.2%
2018 11 11 2 37 17[6] 6 3 52.9% 2 22.2%
2016 11 11 2 29 20[7] 1 4 25.0% 2 22.2%
2014 11 11 2 32 20[8] 1 3 20.0% 2 22.2%

Post-filing deadline analysis

The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Virginia in 2024. Information below was calculated on June 16, 2024, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.

Fifty-three candidates ran for Virginia’s 11 U.S. House districts, including 33 Democrats and 20 Republicans. That’s an average of 4.81 candidates per district.

This was also the most candidates who ran in primary elections in Virginia in the last 10 years.

The 7th and 10th Congressional Districts were open in 2024. The last time a seat was open in Virginia was in 2018 when two seats were open.

Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-07) did not run for re-election because she will run for Governor of Virginia in 2025. Incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10) retired from public office.

Sixteen candidates—12 Democrats and four Republicans—ran for the open 10th Congressional District, the most candidates who ran for a district in Virginia in 2024.

Nine primaries—six Democratic and three Republican—were contested in 2024. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 5.8 primaries were contested each election year.

Two incumbents—Gerald Edward Connolly (D-11) and Bob Good (R-05)—were in contested primaries in 2024. Since 2014, there have been two incumbents in contested primaries in Virginia in every election year.

Candidates filed to run in the Republican and Democratic primaries in all 11 districts, meaning no seats are guaranteed to either party.

Partisan Voter Index

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

Heading into the 2024 elections, based on results from the 2020 and 2016 presidential elections, the Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+1. This meant that in those two presidential elections, this district's results were 1 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Virginia's 7th the 206th most Democratic district nationally.[9]

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 7th based on 2024 district lines
Joe Biden Democratic Party Donald Trump Republican Party
52.6% 45.8%

Inside Elections Baselines

See also: Inside Elections

Inside Elections' Baseline is a figure that analyzes all federal and statewide election results from the district over the past four election cycles. The results are combined in an index estimating the strength of a typical Democratic or Republican candidate in the congressional district.[10] The table below displays the Baseline data for this district.

Inside Elections Baseline for 2024
Democratic Baseline Democratic Party Republican Baseline Republican Party Difference
50.9 48.1 R+2.8

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
See also: Party control of Virginia state government

Congressional delegation

The table below displays the partisan composition of Virginia's congressional delegation as of May 2024.

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 May 2024.

State executive officials in Virginia, May 2024
Office Officeholder
Governor Republican Party Glenn Youngkin
Lieutenant Governor Republican Party Winsome Earle-Sears
Secretary of State Republican Party Kelly Gee
Attorney General Republican Party Jason Miyares

State legislature

Virginia State Senate

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 21
     Republican Party 19
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 40

Virginia House of Delegates

Party As of February 2024
     Democratic Party 51
     Republican Party 49
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 100

Trifecta control

The table below shows the state's trifecta status from 1992 until the 2024 election.

Virginia Party Control: 1992-2024
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
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
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
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

Ballot access

The table below details filing requirements for U.S. House candidates in Virginia in the 2024 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.

Filing requirements for U.S. House candidates, 2024
State Office Party Signatures required Filing fee Filing deadline Source
Virginia U.S. House Ballot-qualified party 1,000 $3,480.00 4/4/2024 Source
Virginia U.S. House Unaffiliated 1,000 N/A 6/18/2024 Source

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. A majority in the U.S. House when there are no vacancies is 218 seats.
  2. Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2020 presidential results by congressional district, for new and old districts," accessed September 15, 2022
  3. Virginia Legislative Information System, "Va. Code § 24.2–530," accessed September 16, 2025
  4. Six district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
  5. Seven district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
  6. Five district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
  7. Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
  8. Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
  9. Cook Political Report, "The 2022 Cook Partisan Voting Index (Cook PVI℠)," accessed January 10, 2024
  10. Inside Elections, "Methodology: Inside Elections’ Baseline by Congressional District," December 8, 2023


Senators
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)