Question 1

What races are on the ballot?

Accepted Answer

Primaries for both major parties will be held on the same day, June 18. Voters will decide the nominees for the U.S. Senate, the U.S. House and several local races, including in Arlington County and the cities of Alexandria and Manassas. For more on these candidates, see the Arlington and Alexandria voter guides here. U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D), who is seeking a third term, is running unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Five Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Kaine in November, along with independent Jonathan T. Hardin. The best-financed of the Republicans is Hung Cao, a retired U.S. Navy captain who in 2022 made an unsuccessful bid to unseat Wexton. Other candidates include Scott T. Parkinson, a former adviser to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and the vice president of government affairs at the Club for Growth, a conservative economic policy advocacy group; Jonathan W. Emord, an attorney and author who casts himself as the “FDA Dragon Slayer” for legal work challenging the federal bureaucracy; Chuck Smith, a Virginia Beach lawyer who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for Virginia attorney general in 2021 and 2017; and political newcomer Eddie Garcia, a small-business owner and U.S. Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Six of the state’s 11 House districts have nomination contests. In the 1st District, Democrats Leslie C. Mehta and Herbert C. Jones Jr. are competing for a chance to unseat Rep. Rob Wittman (R). In the 2nd District, Democrats Jeremiah A. “Jake” Denton IV and Missy Cotter Smasal hope to unseat Rep. Jen Kiggans (R). Good, a two-term Republican incumbent, is being challenged for his party’s nomination by state Sen. John J. McGuire III (R-Goochland) in the 5th District, where three Democrats are vying for their party’s bid. With Spanberger vacating her 7th District seat to run for governor, seven Democrats and six Republicans are competing in the primaries for a chance to replace her. Wexton’s departure for health reasons has fueled 10th District primary elections featuring 12 Democrats and four Republicans. And, in the 11th District, Rep. Gerry Connolly (D) is being challenged by fellow Democrat Ahsan M. Nasar.

Question 2

What congressional races are most contested?

Accepted Answer

The 5th, 7th and 10th districts are home to the most competitive primary elections. In the 5th District, Good is trying to fend off a well-funded challenger who criticizes the House Freedom Caucus chairman for joining efforts to topple California Republican Kevin McCarthy as House speaker and initially endorsing DeSantis over Trump for president. Good, who backed Trump after DeSantis dropped out, paints McGuire as an overly ambitious “RINO,” meaning Republican in name only. While Spanberger’s 7th District has drawn more than a dozen candidates, one Democrat has jumped far ahead of the pack in fundraising: Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman. A former Army colonel who helped his twin brother file a report that led to the first impeachment inquiry into Trump, Vindman has raised nearly $3.8 million — more than all the other Democrats combined. Still, four women of color who have represented the vote-rich eastern side of Prince William County — state Del. Briana Sewell, former state delegate Elizabeth Guzman and county supervisors Andrea O. Bailey and Margaret A. Franklin — are each contending that they have stronger ties to the changing area. Among the Republicans, two military veterans from more conservative parts of the 7th District have led in fundraising: Derrick Anderson, a former Green Beret in the Army who sought the 2022 Republican nomination for this seat, and Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL. Wexton’s 10th District has attracted large amounts of money for four current and previous Democratic members of the General Assembly competing for the seat: Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko (Fairfax), former House speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax), Del. Dan Helmer (Fairfax) and Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (Loudoun). Krystle Kaul, a defense and communications contractor who has never held office, has gained some recognition with voters through mailers and online ads after lending her campaign about $450,000 while raising an additional $377,000. Two of the Republicans have run for the seat before, giving them some advantage: Mike Clancy, a tech company executive, and Aliscia Andrews, who was recently deputy secretary of homeland security for Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration. Alex Isaac, a defense industry contractor, remains competitive in that race after raising nearly $125,000. Read more about the 10th District race here.

Question 3

What about local races?

Accepted Answer

Locally, there are primary elections for board seats in Alexandria, Arlington County and Manassas. Fourteen Democrats are vying for seven seats on the Alexandria City Council, including three candidates running for mayor in the first open race for that job in more than two decades. In Arlington, five Democrats are competing for one open seat on the county board, while Manassas also has five Democratic board contenders for three seats.

Question 4

Where and when can I vote?

Accepted Answer

You can cast an early ballot at your local registrar’s office or at a satellite polling station open in most localities most days through June 15, the Saturday before the day of the election. Check to make sure you are registered to vote. The deadline to do so or to update your registration before the primary elections is May 28. After that, you can still register up to and including Election Day, but you must use a provisional ballot to vote. At the registrar’s office or satellite voting location, you must provide your name and address and show an acceptable form of identification or sign an ID confirmation statement. You can also vote early via an absentee ballot after applying for one with your local registrar’s office. Those ballots can be mailed in to the registrar’s office or, in many localities, deposited in drop boxes at designated locations. Voters have until 7 p.m. on Election Day to drop off absentee ballots. If they are mailed, they must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by noon on the third day after the election.

Virginia’s 2024 primary election: A guide on voting and key races to watch