The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 11 U.S. representatives from the state of Virginia, one from each of the state's 11 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other states' elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primary elections took place on June 12.

The state congressional delegation flipped from a 7–4 Republican majority to a 7–4 Democratic majority. Democrats last held a majority of seats in the state in 2010.

Statewide results

By district

Results of the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia by district:

District 1

Incumbent Republican Rob Wittman, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 60% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+8.

Republican primary

Wittman was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Candidates

Nominee

• Rob Wittman, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Vangie Williams, strategic planner, professional genealogist, historian, and professional speaker

Eliminated in primary

• Edwin Santana, former Marine
• John Suddarth, army veteran and businessman

Withdrawn

• Ryan Sawyers, Prince William County School Board Chair

Results

Vangie Williams defeated both Edwin Santana and John Suddarth in the Democratic primary becoming the first woman of color to ever win a primary for Congressional office throughout Virginia.

General election

Endorsements

Debate

Results

District 2

Incumbent Republican Scott Taylor, who had represented the district since 2016, ran for re-election. He was elected with 61% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+3. This was one of only two GOP held seats that voted for Democrat Ralph Northam in 2017.

Republican primary

Campaign

Taylor was challenged in the Republican primary by former James City County Supervisor Mary Jones, who attacked Rep. Taylor for his moderate stances and because she believed he hadn't backed President Donald Trump's proposals strongly enough.

Candidates

Nominee

• Scott Taylor, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Mary Jones, former James City County Supervisor

Endorsements

Results

Democratic primary

Campaign

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee supported Elaine Luria, a United States Naval Commander for the nomination.

Candidates

Nominee

• Elaine Luria, United States Naval Commander

Eliminated in primary

• Karen Mallard, teacher

Declined

• Shaun Brown, community activist and nominee for this seat in 2016

Results

Independents

Candidates

Withdrawn

• Shaun Brown, community activist and Democratic nominee for this seat in 2016
• Padraig-Eoin Dalrymple, entrepreneur

General election

Campaign

Brown signature fraud

Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell had been appointed as a special prosecutor to investigate claims that Taylor's aides forged signatures, including those of Delegate Glenn Davis and his wife, on Shaun Brown's petitions to make the ballot as an independent candidate. Taylor had already cut ties with his campaign manager when these irregularities came to light and promised to cooperate with the investigation, and said that the irregularities in the petitions should have no bearing on Brown's right to be on the ballot.

Shaun Brown submitted 2,163 petition signatures which actually went through the verification process. 1,030 of those were considered valid. Democrats asked the Virginia State Board of Elections to remove Brown from the ballot for falling short of the 1,000 signatures required, and filed suit. They also asked Attorney General of Virginia Mark Herring to investigate.

A review of the signatures also revealed that more than 50 Virginia Beach sheriff's employees had signed petition forms at work to get Brown on the ballot during the closing days of the petition drive, when petitioners were scrambling to meet the deadline.

Brown was accused by federal prosecutors of lying to the Federal Election Commission about donating $700,000 to her campaign and bilking the government by falsifying the number of meals her nonprofit fed to needy children, but her trial—in which Brown testified in her own defense and was subjected to a lengthy cross-examination—ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked 11–1. In a new trial the following October, Brown was convicted of fraud conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud and theft of government property. In March, 2019 Brown was sentenced to 3 years in prison.

In September, circuit judge Gregory Rupe ordered Brown off the ballot. Brown subsequently appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court but justices declined to hear her case. The Virginia Attorney General's office argued that it was too late for her to appear on the ballot.

Endorsements

Debate

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 3

Incumbent Democrat Bobby Scott, who had represented the district since 1993, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 67% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+16.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bobby Scott, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

No Republicans filed

General election

Scott ran unopposed as no Republican candidates filed for the district.

Results

District 4

Incumbent Democrat Donald McEachin, who had represented the district since 2017, ran for re-election. He was elected with 58% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+10.

Democratic primary

McEachin ran unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Candidates

Nominee

• Donald McEachin, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ryan McAdams, pastor

Eliminated in primary

• Shion Fenty, fashion designer

Withdrawn

• David Leon

Results

General election

Endorsements

Results

District 5

Incumbent Republican Tom Garrett, who had represented the district since 2017, did not run for re-election. He was elected with 58% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+6.

Republican convention

Garrett announced on May 28, 2018, that he would not run for reelection due to his struggle with alcoholism. Instead of a traditional primary to elect the Democratic and Republican nominees, party delegates voted to hold district conventions instead.

The Republican convention was held on June 2, 2018, less than one week after Garrett announced he would not seek reelection. Denver Riggleman edged out Cynthia Dunbar, who had just lost the Republican nomination in the 6th district just weeks before, in the final round of voting to get the Republican nomination.

Candidates

Nominee

• Denver Riggleman, distillery owner

Eliminated at the convention

• Cynthia Dunbar, national GOP committee member
• Joe Whited, veteran
• Michael Del Rosso, technology executive
• Martha Boneta, farmer
• Michael Webert, state delegate

Democratic convention

The Democratic convention was held on May 5, 2018. The party delegates chose Leslie Cockburn as the Democratic nominee.

Candidates

Nominee

• Leslie Cockburn, investigative journalist

Eliminated at the convention

• Roger Dean "RD" Huffstetler, Marine veteran
• Andrew Sneathern, former Albemarle County assistant attorney

General election

Endorsements

Debates

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 6

Incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte, who had represented the district since 1993, did not run for re-election. He was re-elected with 67% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+13.

The 6th district was an open seat in 2018, after Goodlatte announced his retirement in November 2017.

Republican convention

Republican delegates decided to hold a party convention instead of the primary to choose their nominee. Eight Republicans ran in the convention in this district, where State Delegate Ben Cline was chosen as the GOP nominee.

Candidates

Nominee

• Ben Cline, state delegate

Eliminated in primary

• Mike Desjadon
• Cynthia Dunbar, national GOP committee member
• Chaz Haywood, Rockingham County Clerk of Court
• Ed Justo, lawyer
• Kathryn Lewis, small business owner
• Elliot Pope, businessman
• Douglas Wright, dentist and U.S. Navy veteran

Withdrawn

• Chan Park

Declined

• Bob Goodlatte, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jennifer Lewis, hospital liaison

Eliminated in primary

• Sergio Coppola
• Charlotte Moore, former Roanoke County supervisor
• Peter Volosin, regional planner

Results

General election

Results

District 7

Incumbent Republican Dave Brat, who had represented the district since 2014, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 58% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+6.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• David Brat, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Abigail Spanberger, former CIA operations officer

Eliminated in primary

• Dan Ward, former U.S. Marine Corps EA-6B Prowler pilot

Withdrawn

• Helen Alli, army veteran and small business owner
• Janelle Noble
• Joseph B. Walton

Results

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Joe Walton, former chair of the Powhatan Board of Supervisors,

General election

Helen Alli originally was going to run as a Democrat but failed to turn in enough signatures; she then was nominated by the Modern Whig Party but again failed to turn in enough signatures; finally running as a write-in candidate.

Debate

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 8

Incumbent Democrat Don Beyer, who had represented the district since 2015, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 68% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+21.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Don Beyer, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Thomas Oh, federal contractor

General election

Results

District 9

Incumbent Republican Morgan Griffith, who had represented the district since 2011, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 65% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of R+19.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Morgan Griffith, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Anthony Flaccavento, farmer, sustainability consultant and nominee for this seat in 2012

Eliminated in primary

• Justin Santopietro

Results

Independents

Candidates

• Scott Blankenship

General election

Polling

Results

District 10

Incumbent Republican Barbara Comstock, who had represented the district since 2015, ran for re-election. She was re-elected with 53% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+1.

Six Democratic candidates, encouraged by the fact that Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock's district voted for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election, submitted the required number of signatures to run for that seat. Republicans believed, however, that given that Comstock was an excellent fundraiser and fierce campaigner, she would be able to keep the seat. April polling was favorable to a generic Democrat against Comstock, although Comstock performed much better in polling when her name was on the ballot against a named Democratic opponent.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Barbara Comstock, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Shak Hill, combat pilot

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jennifer Wexton, state senator

Eliminated in primary

• Lindsey Davis Stover, senior advisor to Barack Obama's Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki
• Dan Helmer, army veteran
• Alison Friedman, former State Department official
• Julia Biggins, scientist
• Paul Pelletier, federal prosecutor

Withdrawn

• Kimberly Adams, teacher and former president of the Fairfax County Education Association
• Shadi Ayyas, physician
• David Hanson
• Julien Modica, former president of the JMA Foundation
• Michael Pomerleano, retired banker
• Deep Sran, teacher, tech entrepreneur and lawyer

Declined

• Dorothy McAuliffe, attorney and former First Lady of the Commonwealth of Virginia

Results

General election

Campaign

Patriarchist libertarian Nathan Larson filed to run as an independent, but then withdrew his candidacy on August 13 and endorsed Wexton, calling her "the accelerationist choice"; Wexton, through a spokesman, declined the endorsement. Comstock tweeted, "It is good news for all voters in the 10th District that Nathan Larson, a convicted felon who served time in prison for threatening to kill the President and is an admitted pedophile, an admitted rapist, white supremacist, and misogynist, is now off the ballot in the 10th Congressional District."

Debate

Polling

Predictions

Results

District 11

Incumbent Democrat Gerry Connolly, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was re-elected with 88% of the vote in 2016. The district had a PVI of D+15.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Gerry Connolly, incumbent U.S. Representative

Withdrawn

• Jonathan Park

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jeff Dove, U.S. Army veteran

Libertarian primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Stevan Porter

General election

Results

See also

• 2018 Virginia elections

References

External links

• Candidates at Vote Smart
• Candidates at Ballotpedia
• Campaign finance at FEC
• Campaign finance at OpenSecrets

Official campaign websites for first district candidates

• Vangie Williams (D) for Congress
• Rob Wittman (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites for second district candidates

• Scott Taylor (R) for Congress
• Elaine Luria (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for third district candidates

• Bobby Scott (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for fourth district candidates

• Ryan McAdams (R) for Congress
• A. Donald McEachin (D) for Congress
• Pete Wells (L) for Congress

Official campaign websites for fifth district candidates

• Leslie Cockburn (D) for Congress
• Denver Riggleman (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites for sixth district candidates

• Ben Cline (R) for Congress
• Jennifer Lewis (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for seventh district candidates

• Dave Brat (R) for Congress
• Abigail Spanberger (D) for Congress
• Joe Walton (L) for Congress

Official campaign websites for eighth district candidates

• Don Beyer (D) for Congress
• Thomas Oh (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites of ninth district candidates

• Anthony Flaccavento (D) for Congress
• Morgan Griffith (R) for Congress

Official campaign websites for tenth district candidates

• Barbara Comstock (R) for Congress
• Jennifer Wexton (D) for Congress

Official campaign websites for eleventh district candidates

• Gerry Connolly (D) for Congress
• Jeff Dove (R) for Congress
• Stevan Porter (L) for Congress