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by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
August 3, 2026
Virginians will head to the polls Tuesday for the 2026 primary elections, nearly two months later than usual after this year’s congressional redistricting referendum and the uncertainty over which map would govern the races delayed the state’s traditional June nomination contest.
More than 30 candidates are competing in the GOP primary for U.S. Senate and in seven of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Republican voters will choose a nominee to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, while contested congressional primaries will unfold in the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th districts. Several incumbents are also seeking renomination without opposition.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and anyone in line by the cutoff will be allowed to cast a ballot. Voters can verify their polling place and registration status through the Virginia Department of Elections voter portal.
An acceptable form of identification is required to vote. That includes a driver’s license, passport, voter confirmation document, utility bill or bank statement. Voters without identification may sign an identity confirmation statement or cast a provisional ballot.
Because Virginia does not register voters by party, voters in localities holding both Democratic and Republican primaries may choose either party’s ballot, but they cannot participate in both.
Here’s a look at the contests and the candidates on the ballot across Virginia.
U.S. Senate
Three Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination to challenge Warner, the Democratic incumbent who is running for a fourth term.
A Northern Virginia business owner and former public accountant for several federal agencies and the White House, Kim Farington has centered her campaign on inflation, government spending and border security.
Retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Bert Mizusawa, a former Pentagon official, is highlighting his military and national security experience while focusing on defense readiness, energy and foreign policy.
Running as a political outsider, David Williams — a businessman, U.S. Navy veteran and former federal employee — is promising to cut taxes and reduce the size of the federal government.
Warner does not face a primary opponent. Virginia has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since John Warner, no relation to the incumbent, won his final term in 2002.
1st District
Seven Democrats are competing for the chance to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman of Westmoreland, who has represented the 1st Congressional District since 2007, making it Virginia’s largest congressional primary field.
The district stretches around Richmond, taking in parts of Chesterfield, Hanover and Henrico counties before extending east through the Williamsburg area and the Northern Neck.
On the ballot are U.S. Army veteran Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs, Virginia Poverty Law Center attorney Salaam Bhatti, environmental advocate Tim Cywinski, U.S. Navy veteran and energy lobbyist Jason Knapp, healthcare attorney Ericka Kopp, longtime Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor and U.S. Army veteran and business lawyer Mel Tull.
While the candidates have largely focused on affordability, healthcare and opposition to the Trump administration, they have drawn distinctions over whether Democrats should nominate a progressive or a moderate candidate to take on Wittman.
2nd District
Four Democrats are competing for the chance to take on Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia Beach in one of Virginia’s most competitive congressional districts. Anchored in Hampton Roads, the district includes Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore and parts of Chesapeake, Suffolk, Franklin, Southampton and Isle of Wight counties.
Former U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a retired U.S. Navy commander who represented the district for two years before losing to Kiggans in 2022, is seeking a rematch. Also on the Democratic ballot are physician Nila Devanath, who has focused her campaign on healthcare and reproductive rights; Bill Fleming, a physicist, veteran and Virginia Beach director with the Soil and Water Conservation District; and Patrick Mosolf, a former U.S. Agency for International Development employee.
Kiggans, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and state senator, faces no opposition for the Republican nomination.
5th District
Both parties have contested primaries in the sprawling 5th District, which spans from Charlottesville and the Richmond exurbs south through Lynchburg and Danville.
U.S. Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and state lawmaker serving his first term, is being challenged by Marine veteran and business owner Melanie Lucero.
On the Democratic side, three candidates are seeking the nomination. Tom Perriello represented the district from 2009 to 2011 before serving in the Obama and Biden administrations. Suzanne Krzyzanowski is a physician and cancer researcher, while Robert Tracinski is a political commentator and former Republican-turned-Democrat.
Although the district leans Republican, Democrats argue concerns about affordability and dissatisfaction with McGuire have made the race more competitive.
7th District
Three Republicans are seeking the nomination to challenge first-term U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Woodbridge, in the Democratic-leaning 7th District, which stretches from Prince William County through Fredericksburg and into Stafford, Sportsylvania and neighboring rural communities.
Entrepreneur and business executive Philip Harding has emphasized his private-sector experience while calling for a smaller federal bureaucracy. Entrepreneur and educator Douglas Ollivant has focused on job creation, domestic manufacturing, energy production and election security.
Pastor and construction company owner Rick Smithers has made affordability the centerpiece of his campaign, advocating lower federal spending, fewer regulations and a pause on new data center development until local infrastructure catches up.
Vindman, a retired U.S. Army officer, is unopposed for the Democratic nomination after winning the seat by 3 percentage points in 2024.
8th District
Six-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Don Beyer of Alexandria faces four primary contenders in the heavily Democratic 8th District, which includes Alexandria, Arlington, Falls Church and part of Fairfax County.
Among them is Michael Duffin, a former U.S. State Department employee laid off during federal workforce cuts who has centered his campaign on restoring federal jobs. Former Alexandria City Councilman and U.S. Department of Labor attorney Mo Seifeldein is running as an anti-establishment candidate.
Marine veteran and former CIA officer Adam Dunigan has emphasized government ethics and generational change, while Stafford County teacher Lorena Bruner has called for a more aggressive Democratic response to President Donald Trump.
GOP candidate Tony Sabio faces no primary opponent.
9th District
Three Democrats are seeking the nomination to challenge longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith of Salem in the deeply conservative 9th District. The seat covers much of Southwest Virginia, including Bristol, Abingdon, Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Wytheville and communities along the Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia lines.
Retired United Methodist pastor and attorney Douglas Crockett, who has roots in Wythe County, is running as a progressive while calling for efforts to ease political divisions. Software developer Adam Murphy, whose background includes the insurance, finance, manufacturing and aerospace industries, has focused on working-class economic issues, corporate power and technology policy.
Bedford County farmer and small business owner Joy Powers brings a background in agricultural development, foster care advocacy and leadership of the Bedford County Fair.
Griffith, first elected in 2010, faces no opposition for the Republican nomination.
10th District
Republicans have a three-way primary to determine who will challenge first-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam of Loudoun. The Northern Virginia district includes Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, and parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Retired U.S. Airforce Col. Dave Beckwith, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense, has built his campaign on national security and government management. Fairfax County teacher Julie Perry, who previously ran for the state Senate, is emphasizing education, federal spending and opposition to diversity programs in public schools. Anthony Suttles, whose background is in national security and economics, is the third Republican candidate in the race.
The district has leaned Democratic since the party flipped it in 2018 after former U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock’s retirement. Subramanyam won the seat in 2024 and is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
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