Virginia’s major party primary elections will be held on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Off on a Tangent makes recommendations to primary voters in state- and federal-level races in Virginia and local elections in Loudoun County whenever nominees will be chosen through a contested public primary.
Political parties are private organizations that should have no formal standing in our political system. As private organizations, they are free to choose their nominees through whichever process they wish—common methods include conventions, caucuses, private “firehouse primaries,” and direct nomination by party leaders. But in Virginia and many other states, the Democratic and Republican party duopoly has given itself permission to hold public primaries at the taxpayers’ expense.
Public primaries in Virginia are “open.” Any registered voter may vote in any single party primary held on a given day, regardless of whether they are an actual member of that party.
Overview
Contested public primaries are being held by both the Democratic and Republican parties. Democrats are holding primaries for five of Virginia’s eleven seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Republicans are holding primaries for U.S. Senate and three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The U.S. Senate is the higher of two houses in the U.S. Congress. It consists of 100 members who serve six-year terms with no term limits. There are two senators from each state. Elections are held on a staggered schedule with one of three classes of senators up for election every two years. Virginia has senators in the first and second classes, and the Democratic Party holds both seats. This year’s election is for the second-class seat.
The U.S. House of Representatives is the lower of two houses in the U.S. Congress. It consists of 435 members who serve two-year terms with no term limits. The number of members per state is determined proportionally based on population; Virginia currently has eleven. All seats are up for election every two years. The Democratic Party currently holds six of Virginia’s seats and the Republican Party holds five.
Democratic Party Primaries
The Democratic Party of Virginia is holding contested public primaries for five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. House of Representatives
- 1st District: Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs (D), Salaam Bhatti (D), Tim Cywinski (D), Jason Knapp (D), Ericka Kopp (D), Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor (D), and Mel Tull (D) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative Robb Whitman (R-VA 1st). I recommend voting for Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs.
- 2nd District: Nila Devanath (D), Bill Fleming (D), former Representative Elaine Luria (D-VA 2nd), and Patrick Mosolf (D) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative Jen Kiggans (R-VA 2nd). I make no recommendation.
- 5th District: Suzanne Krzyzanowski (D), former Representative Tom Perriello (D-VA 5th), and Rob Tracinski (D) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative John McGuire (R-VA 5th) or his Republican Party challenger. I recommend voting for Suzanne Krzyzanowski.
- 8th District: Incumbent Representative Don Beyer (D-VA 8th) is challenged by Lorena Thorne Bruner (D), Michael Duffin (D), Adam Dunigan (D), and former Alexandria City Council Member Mo Seifeldein (D-At Large). I recommend voting for Don Beyer.
- 9th District: Douglas Crockett (D), Adam Murphy (D), and Joy Powers (D) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative Morgan Griffith (R-VA 9th). I recommend voting for Adam Murphy.
Republican Party Primaries
The Republican Party of Virginia is holding contested public primaries for U.S. Senate and three seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
U.S. Senate
- Kim Farington (R), Bert Mizusawa (R), and David Williams (R) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Senator Mark Warner (D-VA). I recommend voting for Kim Farington.
U.S. House of Representatives
- 5th District: Incumbent Representative John McGuire (R-VA 5th) is challenged by Melanie Lucero (R). I recommend voting for Melanie Lucero.
- 7th District: Philip Harding (R), Doug Ollivant (R), and Rick Smithers (R) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative Eugene Vindman (D-VA 7th). I recommend voting for Philip Harding.
- 10th District: Dave Beckwith (R), Julie Perry (R), Anthony Suttles (R), and Sam Wong (R) stand as candidates to challenge incumbent Representative Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA 10th). I recommend voting for Julie Perry.