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.
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.
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.[6]
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.[10]
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,[15] 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.[16]
Shaun Brown submitted 2,163 petition signatures which actually went through the verification process. 1,030 of those were considered valid.[15] Democrats asked the Virginia State Board of Elections to remove Brown from the ballot for falling short of the 1,000 signatures required,[17] and filed suit.[18] They also asked Attorney General of VirginiaMark Herring to investigate.[19]
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.[20]
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[21]—ended in a mistrial after the jury deadlocked 11–1.[22] In a new trial the following October, Brown was convicted of fraud conspiracy, two counts of wire fraud and theft of government property.[23] In March, 2019 Brown was sentenced to 3 years in prison.[24]
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.[25]
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.
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.[39]
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.[42] 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.[43]
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.[49][50]
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.
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.
Joe Walton, former chair of the Powhatan Board of Supervisors,[63][64]
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.[65]
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.
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.
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.[70] Republicans believed, however, that given that Comstock was an excellent fundraiser and fierce campaigner, she would be able to keep the seat.[71] 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.[72]
Patriarchist libertarian Nathan Larson filed to run as an independent,[84] but then withdrew his candidacy on August 13 and endorsed Wexton, calling her "the accelerationist choice";[85] Wexton, through a spokesman, declined the endorsement.[86] 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."[87]
Debate
2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district debate
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.
^"Endorsements". Vangieforcongress.com. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
^ abcdefghijk"Official Results". 2018 November General. Virginia Department of Elections. November 9, 2018. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2018.