Republicans need to get serious. If they want to win the midterms, they need to move now.
And a veteran GOP Congressman is sweating bullets after facing this terrible test.
Democrats Pick Their Challenger to Take On Veteran GOP Congressman in Virginia
Virginia Democrats have settled on their nominee to challenge longtime Republican Rep. Rob Wittman this fall, setting up a Nov. 3 general election battle in a district the party hopes shifting suburban demographics might finally put in play.
Taylor Emerges From a Crowded Field
Shannon Taylor, the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Henrico County, won Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District after fighting through a crowded seven-candidate field. Her rivals for the nomination included former Justice Department official Salaam Bhatti, Army veteran Jason Knapp, attorney Mel Tull, environmental advocate Tim Cywinski, attorney Ericka Kopp, and educator Elizabeth Beggs.
Taylor now heads into the general election against Wittman, who has represented the district since 2007 and is seeking another term. Although Republicans have long held the seat, Democrats are banking on shifting voting patterns in the suburbs surrounding the blue stronghold of Richmond to make the race more competitive than it’s been in years past.
A Redistricting Fight That Fizzled Out
Democrats in Virginia had pushed earlier this year to redraw the state’s congressional map in a way that would have made the 1st District, along with several others, significantly friendlier territory for their party. That effort ultimately collapsed when the proposed map was struck down and won’t be used in this year’s election — a outcome that takes pressure off Wittman’s seat and leaves the district’s fundamentals largely intact.
Cook Political Report still rates the district ‘lean Republican,’ underscoring the uphill climb Taylor faces even with favorable demographic trends on her side. The district itself stretches across Richmond’s outer suburbs, Williamsburg, and Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay region — terrain that has traditionally tilted toward the GOP.
Delayed Primary Reflects a Turbulent Redistricting Year
Tuesday’s vote came later than usual; Virginia’s congressional primaries are typically held in June, but litigation over the state’s new congressional maps pushed the nomination process back to August this year.
With the primary now behind them, both campaigns will spend the next three months making their case in a district Republicans have controlled for nearly two decades — and that Democrats view as one of their better long-shot opportunities heading into the fall.
