What races are on the ballot?

All 11 congressional seats are on the ballot, although only the 2nd, 7th and, to a lesser degree, the 10th District are considered to be competitive. Among many local races, one seat on the Arlington County Board is up for election, along with mayor and six members of the city council in Fairfax City. Two seats on the Loudoun County School Board and one seat on the Arlington School Board are on the ballot.

Who’s running for Congress in Virginia?

While all 11 House seats are up for election, only three are considered to be competitive: District 2, anchored in Virginia Beach; District 7, anchored in the Fredericksburg area; and District 10, which is anchored in Loudoun County. District 2 Rep. Elaine Luria (D), a former Navy commander, is seeking a third term in Congress. She has focused on defense spending and veterans’ issues while representing a military-heavy district, and recently has become known on the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 , 2021, attack on the Capitol for taking one of the most aggressive postures toward former president Donald Trump. Republicans have sought to undercut the moderate stance Luria has aimed to take by noting she votes with Democrats on virtually all marquee legislative items, such as on the major climate and tax package, the Inflation Reduction Act, federal voting law overhaul and abortion rights. State Sen. Jen A. Kiggans (R-Virginia Beach) is challenging Luria for the seat. Kiggans, a first-term state senator, has leaned into her identity as a geriatric nurse practitioner, former Navy helicopter pilot and minivan-driving mother of four as a relatable presence to the district’s all-important swing voters. But she also has also championed some of the GOP’s reddest culture-war fare, such as railing against “radical transgender policies” and seeking to block schools from teaching about “divisive concepts,” centering parental rights in education like Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has. Luria has gone after her for hesitating to acknowledge President Biden as legitimately elected, in contrast to Luria’s work on the Jan. 6 committee, and for applauding the overturn of Roe v. Wade . District 7 Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D), who flipped her district blue in 2018, is seeking a third term in office. She has highlighted work in Congress this term that has bipartisan appeal, such as a congressional stock-trading ban and a push for more police grant funding for local departments to hire and train more officers. The latter could work to insulate her from “defund-the-police” attacks from the right — which have begun in earnest. Prince William Board of County Supervisors member Yesli Vega (R) is challenging Spanberger. Vega, an auxiliary sheriff’s deputy in the county who co-led Youngkin’s Latino outreach efforts, is hoping to expand the GOP tent by emphasizing her background as the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants combined with her conservative chops. Vega, a former police officer, has allied herself with conservative figures such as Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) and Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), focusing on the economy as well as border security. Vega has also come under fire for comments she’s made on abortion, when she was recorded questioning falsely whether a woman was less likely to get pregnant after a rape. District 10 Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) is seeking a third term in office. A former domestic violence prosecutor and state senator, Wexton has advocated for increasing gun-control measures such as red-flag laws, with a particular focus on domestic violence. She has also been an advocate for Northern Virginia’s many federal workers and sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and has been active in working against China’s human rights abuses of Uyghurs given her district’s large population of refugees. Republican Hung Cao is challenging Wexton. Cao, a Vietnamese refugee who served for 25 years as a commissioned Navy officer, retiring as a captain, maximized outreach in the district’s large minority communities while hitting on some of the same themes that vaulted Youngkin into office, particularly parental rights in education. Cao faces perhaps a more uphill battle compared to the Republicans in the 2nd and 7th districts in trying to flip the district blue, given Biden still won the 1oth by 18 points in 2020. But Youngkin made considerable headway in the district, losing by under two points, and Cao is hoping to attract voters turned off by inflation.

Who’s running in Arlington County races?

Arlington County Board Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti (D) is seeking a second term in office. The board’s five seats are elected countywide, with staggered, four-year terms, and de Ferranti is the only incumbent whose seat is up for election this year. Democrats have not lost an election for the county board since 2014. This year’s contest is likely to focus on a brewing fight over the county’s “missing middle” framework, which would relax zoning rules across the county to allow for multifamily homes with as many as eight units. De Ferranti, who served as board chair in 2021, is emphasizing his work leading the county’s covid response, including its rollout of coronavirus vaccines, and pushing for a countywide net energy-zero goal by 2050. He also spearheaded the board’s approach to a “trust policy” that limits the county’s cooperation with federal immigration officials and the creation of a civilian police oversight board . He said he could be open to supporting zoning changes that allow for buildings with six — but not eight — units in single-family neighborhoods. Both of his independent challengers are making renewed bids after coming up short in last year’s elections. Adam Theo (I), a communications consultant who co-founded the YIMBYs of Northern Virginia group , supports the “missing middle” framework in full and has also said he wants to focus on making roads safer and instituting ranked-choice voting. Audrey Clement (I), a programmer and perennial candidate who has largely self-funded her nearly annual campaigns, is opposed to any countywide upzoning. Arlington School Board Like the county board, the Arlington school board’s five seats are elected countywide, with staggered, four-year terms. The single seat up for election this year is held by veteran school board member Barbara Kanninen, who is not running for reelection. School board candidates in Virginia are officially nonpartisan, but can seek endorsements from local political parties. James Vell Rives IV, an independent candidate, is a psychiatrist and the co-chair of the school district’s School Health Advisory Board. Bethany Sutton is a leadership coach and former PTA president at Randolph Elementary who chairs the APS Advisory Council on Teaching and Learning. Sutton has been endorsed by the Arlington Democrats. Arlington County ballot measures Arlington voters will also vote yes or no on six separate bond referendums meant to finance capital projects over the next decade: $52.63 million for Metro and other transit initiatives; $22.46 million for parks and recreation; $53.3 million for county facilities; $165 million for Arlington Public Schools; $39.76 million for stormwater mitigation; and $177.36 million for utilities and sewage systems.

Who’s running in Fairfax City races?

Fairfax City Mayor David Meyer is not seeking reelection, leaving voters to choose between two candidates vying to make history in the city of 24,000 residents. Sang Yi, a two-term city council member, is hoping to become Virginia’s first Korean American mayor. Catherine S. Read, a civic engagement strategist, wants to become the city’s first female mayor. On the city council, four members are seeking reelection: Joseph D. Harmon, So P. Lim, D. Thomas Ross and Jon R. Stehle Jr. They will compete against: Billy M. Bates, a George Mason University student, attorney Kate G. Doyle Feingold, former council member Jeffrey C. Greenfield, Anahita “Ana” Renner, a community volunteer, and Craig S. Selewski, a vice president at Vornado Realty Trust. Veteran council member Janice B. Miller is not seeking reelection.

Who’s running in Loudoun County races?

Voters in two magisterial districts in Loudoun County will elect their representatives to the Loudoun County School Board, an embattled body that has served as ground zero for the nation’s culture wars amid persistent fights over book bans , instances of sexual assault and the role of race in the classroom. One special election will take place in the Leesburg district, where Beth Barts resigned from the seat last fall amid a recall campaign by a conservative parent group. The other will take place in the Broad Run district, whose representative, Leslee King, died in August 2021. Candidates are officially nonpartisan, although they can seek endorsements from local chapters of major political parties. Loudoun County School Board — Broad Run District Andrew Hoyler is seeking a full term. He is a commercial airline pilot who had lost the race for the seat in 2019 but was appointed to fill the seat last October following King’s death. A Loudoun County Public Schools graduate and occasional substitute teacher, he has presented himself as a nonpartisan candidate and called for less political division on the school board. Nick Gothard, a nonprofit manager and LCPS graduate, is running to Hoyler’s left. He has been endorsed by the Loudoun County Democratic Committee, where he formerly served as the executive director. Tiffany Polifko is a behavioral analyst and LCPS parent running to Hoyler’s right. A frequent guest on Stephen K. Bannon’s radio show, she is the vice president of a parents group opposed to “critical race theory” and has been endorsed by the Loudoun County Republican Committee. Loudoun County School Board — Leesburg District Tom Marshall, a former school board member who was appointed to fill the seat following Barts’s resignation, withdrew his campaign for a full term after the Loudoun County Democratic Committee did not endorse him. Left in the race are three other candidates who had also sought appointment to the seat: Erika Ogedegbe is a university administrator and LCPS parent who has been endorsed by the Loudoun County Democratic Committee. Michael A. Rivera, a deputy sheriff in Loudoun, has been endorsed by the Loudoun County Republican Committee. Lauren E. Shernoff, an LCPS teacher, has presented herself as a nonpartisan candidate. She has raised an eye-popping sum — more than $45,000 — for the seat, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Loudoun County ballot measures Voters in all Loudoun districts will also vote yes or no on three separate capital improvement bonds: $268 million for the school system; $74.7 million for public safety, and park and recreational facilities; and $51.3 million for transportation projects.

Which other localities are holding elections?

Local elections also will be held in Herndon, Leesburg, Hamilton, Lovettsville, Purcellville, Round Hill, Manassas, Manassas Park, Dumfries, Haymarket, Occoquan and Quantico. A full listing of candidates can be found here . This story has been updated with additional context from Arlington County Board member Matt de Ferranti.

A guide to the 2022 Virginia general election

By Meagan Flynn

Teo Armus

and

Antonio Olivo

Updated November 7, 2022 at 10:55 a.m. EST|Published September 22, 2022 at 9:02 a.m. EDT

Poll workers put out signs to guide voters to Rose Hill Elementary School in Alexandria during midterm primary elections on June 21. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Several high-profile races are on the ballot in Virginia this year that could help determine which party controls Congress.

Democrats and the GOP have been wrestling to steer the narrative in the election. Republicans have been hammering on the economy and inflation and attacking Democrats for what they call “wasteful spending” in the Inflation Reduction Act, which the Congressional Budget Office estimated won’t materially affect inflation either way. Democrats, meanwhile, have been pouring millions into advertising on abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, painting opponents as extreme in their opposition to abortion — while touting cutting health-care costs and boosting clean energy as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Get the full experience.Choose your plan

Voters received continued deluge of TV ads and attacks on those issues in the weeks leading up to the election, particularly in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, where both parties have spent or reserved more than $25 million in broadcast TV ads, and in Virginia’s 2nd, where the parties have spent or reserved more than $15 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Local contests are also on the ballot in many cities and counties in Northern Virginia. Below, find information on how to register and how to vote early.

The 2022 Midterm Elections

Georgia runoff election: Sen. Raphael G. Warnock (D) won re-election in the Georgia Senate runoff, defeating Republican challenger Herschel Walker and giving Democrats a 51st seat in the Senate for the 118th Congress. Get live updates here and runoff results by county.

Divided government: Republicans narrowly won back control of the House, while Democrats will keep control of the Senate, creating a split Congress.

What the results mean for 2024: A Republican Party red wave seems to be a ripple after Republicans fell short in the Senate and narrowly won control in the House. Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign shortly after the midterms. Here are the top 10 2024 presidential candidates for the Republicans and Democrats.

Midterm elections

HAND CURATED