NoVA House Election: Few Hurdles Seen For Incumbents

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — Virginia Democrats show few signs of losing control of most of Northern Virginia. Even Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D), who turned the 10th Congressional District blue in 2018 for the first time since 1980, is projected to easily win re-election on Nov. 3.

Rep. Robert Wittman, the Republican incumbent who represents Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, which stretches from Williamsburg northward through Fredericksburg into a large part of Prince William County, is projected to win the seat he has held since 2007.

All of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Clarke and Frederick counties, as well as the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park are expected to remain in control of the region's House Democrats. The parts of Prince William County in the 1st Congressional District are expected to remain in Republican hands, with Wittman likely to win re-election.

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 3. For those voting in person on Nov. 3, you can check your polling place on the Virginia Department of Elections website.

An acceptable form of identification is required to vote in person, but it no longer has to be a photo ID. Examples of accepted IDs include a Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued photo ID, U.S. passport, and copy of a utility bill, paycheck or other government document showing the voter's address.

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8th Congressional District

In the 8th Congressional District, Rep. Don Beyer (D) is facing off against Republican Jeff Jordan, which has remained solidly in Democratic hands for the last 30 years. Jordan, a 50-year-old retired U.S. Army Major and counterintelligence officer, works as a contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Beyer, who is seeking his fourth term in office, has pushed for better federal workplace protections and to extend unemployment benefits during the coronavirus crisis. Beyer also is a member of the Climate Solutions Caucus and has focused on ending gun violence while in office.

Jordan defeated Mark Ellmore at the 8th District Republican Committee convention, held May 30 in Springfield as a drive-thru event. His platform advocates for immediate deportation of those entering the country illegally, “stopping socialism,” opposition to abortion and support for gun ownership.

On his campaign website, Jordan said the nation "must also fervently and decisively reject the notions, ideals, and implementation of tyrannical, collectivist, socialist ideologies as they are as immoral, irrational, and repugnant as slavery."

11th Congressional District

In the 11th Congressional District, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D), first elected to Congress in 2008, is running against Republican Manga Anantatmula, a government contractor.

Connolly has prioritized retirement security, addressing the opioid epidemic and lowering the cost of prescription drugs. An opponent of oil drilling off the Virginia coast or in wildlife refuges, he supports the Green New Deal.

Anantatmula, an Indian immigrant and naturalized citizen, prioritizes school choice, aid for small businesses, fighting human trafficking and opposing sanctuary cities.

Connolly, on his campaign website, noted that two areas that have been left unaddressed by Congress are aid to state and local governments and saving the postal service. "As a former Chairman of Fairfax County, I’m especially cognizant of the needs of local governments," Connolly said.

On her website, Anantatmula said she has refused to take any government assistance for her son while he was growing up even though the Fairfax County Public School offered free lunch during his school days. "My husband and I worked hard to pull ourselves up," she said. "We believe in individual responsibility, self-reliance, and hard work; and we taught these same values to our son."

Anantatmula also said on her website that politicians "are shutting down schools for political reasons and it has nothing to do with COVID." "School closure disrupts all of this. Reopening schools — while taking precautions to protect students, teachers, staff, and families — invest in our children," she said.

10th Congressional District

In the 10th Congressional District race, Jennifer Wexton, the incumbent, believes that the most pressing issue right now is getting this coronavirus under control and supporting our families and small businesses in need.

On the issue of health care, Wexton voted for the House to enter the legal battle against President Donald Trump's lawsuit to strike down the Affordable Care Act. She also supports passing universal background checks and closing loopholes to keep firearms out of the hands of those who would harm themselves or others.

She also helped lead the fight for expanded telework during the coronavirus crisis and authored legislation that would allow frontline federal workers to roll over their "use-it-or-lose-it" leave benefits to next year.

Aliscia Andrews, Wexton’s Republican opponent, contends that the “coronavirus lockdowns have devastated businesses in Virginia’s 10th and across America.”

On the issue of immigration, Andrews said on her campaign website that she "will stand with President Donald Trump to finish the wall, close immigration loopholes, and secure our ports of entry."

"I will also stand with our law enforcement and border patrol and support policies that enable them to do their jobs while the far-left demonizes them," Andrews said.

1st Congressional District

Wittman faces Qasim Rashid (D), a former lawyer with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, in a race that has focused heavily on broadband Internet expansion, health care and environmental issues.

Both candidates want to bring broadband to the district's rural areas at an accelerated pace, and both have made the issue a top campaign priority. Each believes broadband is not just a convenience, but a direct tie to the economy, schools and healthcare.

"When the economy begins to open up, we need to be prepared — we need to support our small businesses and prepare potential employees to fill jobs as they become available. We must continue to incentivize rehiring, remove regulatory barriers to job creation," Wittman said on his campaign website.

Rashid said the 1st Congressional District, along with the rest of the nation, needs "a robust posture on healthcare, with the scaling up of testing being of utmost importance."

"It is wide scale testing that will effectively restart the economy, short of a COVID-19 vaccine," Rashid said on his campaign website.