Daniel Gade Wins GOP Primary In Virginia To Take On Mark Warner

NORTHERN VIRGINIA — The Republican Senate primary in Virginia wasn't much of a fight, with American University professor Daniel Gade of Alexandria easily defeating Thomas A. Speciale II of Woodbridge and Alissa A. Baldwin of Lunenburg County for the Republican nomination.

Gade, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel who was awarded two Purple Hearts, won the primary with about 67 percent of the votes. He will now face Sen. Mark Warner, who was unopposed in the Democratic primary as he seeks a third term in the Senate.

Six years ago, long-time Republican political operative Ed Gillespie came extremely close to defeating Warner, with the incumbent Democrat winning the Senate seat by a slim margin of 0.8 percent, or 17,727 votes. Political analysts are predicting a slightly easier reelection bid for Warner in November.

On the House side, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) was the only incumbent in Northern Virginia to face a primary challenge. Connolly, who has represented the 11th district since 2009, easily defeated Zainab Mohsini of Centreville with about 70 percent of the vote. Mohsini ran on a progressive platform that included calls to reduce police budgets and bring an end to the militarization of police departments.

Incumbent Reps. Don Beyer, who represents the 8th district, and Jennifer Wexton of the 10th district did not have primary challengers. Beyer will face Republican Jeff Jordan, a defense contractor who spent 27 years in the U.S. Army, in November's general election, while Wexton will face Republican Aliscia Andrews, a Marine Corps veteran, for the 10th congressional seat in November.

In the 1st congressional district, two Democrats battled for the nomination to take on incumbent Rep. Rob Wittman (R). The 1st district covers a wide area of Virginia that includes the city of Fredericksburg, Stafford County and a part of Prince William County, along with the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula as well as cities as far south as Poquoson.

In a close primary, Qasim Rashid, a human rights lawyer from Stafford County, defeated Vangie Williams for the nomination to take on Wittman. Born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, Rashid earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a law degree from the University of Richmond School of Law.

Williams, a resident of King George County, ran against Wittman in 2018, losing by about 10 points.

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