The 2010 congressional elections in Virginia were held November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013. Primary elections were held on June 9, 2010.

Overview

By district

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia by district:

District 1

Republican incumbent

Rob Wittman Robert Joseph Wittman (born February 3, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. The district stretches from the fringes of the Washington suburbs to the Hampton Roads area. He is a member of the Republi ...

was challenged by Democratic nominee

Krystal Ball Krystal Marie Ball (born November 24, 1981) is an American political commentator and media host. She was previously a political candidate, as well as a television host at MSNBC, a regular contributor to ''The Huffington Post'' and a co-host of ...

, a 28-year-old accountant and businesswoman. Independent Green candidate Gail "for Rail" Parker
campaign sitePVS
, businesswoman, retired U.S. Air Force officer, and Vice Chair of the

Independent Green Party of Virginia The Independent Greens of Virginia (also known as the Indy Greens) was the state affiliate of the Independence Party of America in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It became a state party around 2003 when a faction of the Arlington local chapter o ...

, was also on the ballot. In the Republican primary, Wittman won against self-described

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defi ...

member Catherine Crabill. Crabill's candidacy had been controversial due to her statements that the

Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution protects the Right to keep and bear arms in the United States, right to keep and bear arms. It was ratified on December 15, 1791, along with nine other articles of the Un ...

was intended to help citizens protect themselves from

tyranny A tyrant (), in the modern English usage of the word, is an absolute ruler who is unrestrained by law, or one who has usurped a legitimate ruler's sovereignty. Often portrayed as cruel, tyrants may defend their positions by resorting to rep ...

. and that citizens may have to turn from the ballot box to the bullet box. In 2009, Wittman and

Virginia Governor The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American attorney, businessman, politician, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. His career ended after his corruption scandal and convic ...

refused to endorse her for the

Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two parts of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...

. McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin stated, "It's absolutely wrong for any candidate of any party to refer to the actions of the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

and members of the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

as '

domestic terrorism Domestic terrorism or homegrown terrorism is a form of terrorism in which victims "within a country are targeted by a perpetrator with the same citizenship" as the victims.Gary M. Jackson, ''Predicting Malicious Behavior: Tools and Techniques ...

,' and to threaten to resort to violence if one fails to prevail in elections." Crabill refused to retract her remarks, saying "Those are my convictions." Wittman voted against the

Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, often called the "bank bailout of 2008", was proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, passed by the 110th United States Congress, and signed into law by President George W. Bush. It became ...

during the

financial crisis A financial crisis is any of a broad variety of situations in which some financial assets suddenly lose a large part of their nominal value. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many financial crises were associated with banking panics, and man ...

, against

economic stimulus In economics, stimulus refers to attempts to use monetary policy or fiscal policy (or stabilization policy in general) to stimulate the economy. Stimulus can also refer to monetary policies such as lowering interest rates and quantitative easi ...

packages, and against the

Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 The Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (, ) is a law that was enacted by the 111th United States Congress, by means of the reconciliation process, in order to amend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (). The law includes the ...

, so had been deemed by some commentators to be difficult to get to the right of. But there was also deemed to be good reason for Wittman to worry about the primary's outcome, given the anti-government mood of the country. Wittman defeated Crabill with approximately 90% of the vote.
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District 2

Democratic incumbent

Glenn Nye Glenn Carlyle Nye III (born September 9, 1974) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 2009 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in his attempt to attain re-election on November 2, 2010. ...

was challenged by Republican businessman

Scott Rigell Edward Scott Rigell (born May 28, 1960) is an American businessman and politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2011 to 2017. He declined to run for re-election in 2016, and he left office in January 2017. A Republican, Rig ...

and Independent Kenny Golden
sitePVS
, a retired

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

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. Rigell won the Republican primary election over four other businessmen: Ed Maulbeck, Ben Loyola, Army Brigadier General

Bert Mizusawa Bert Kameaaloha Mizusawa (born January 1957) is a retired major general in the United States Army, serving in the Army from 1979 to 2015. Mizusawa also served in the United States Senate as a professional staff member and as a Senior Executive in ...

, former Navy SEAL turned local business owner Scott Taylor, and Jessica Sandlin, a single mother of 5 native to Virginia Beach.

raised more money than any candidate in the last two periods, and was considered a frontrunner. Businessman Rigell was the other frontrunner, receiving major endorsements from

Thelma Drake Thelma Day Drake (born November 20, 1949) is an American politician and former member of Congress for Virginia's 2nd congressional district. A Republican, she served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2005 to 2009. Prior to serving in Co ...

, and

's daughter.
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District 3

Democratic incumbent Bobby Scott was challenged by Republican nominee former JAG Chuck Smith
campaign sitePVS
of Virginia Beach, Libertarian James Quigley
campaign sitePVS
of Hampton, and Independent John Kelly
PVS
. Scott has run unopposed in five of the last six elections in what is considered a "safe" Democratic district. The district's current configuration dates to 1993, when the

Justice Department A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

ordered Virginia to create a majority-minority district.
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District 4

Republican incumbent

Randy Forbes James Randy Forbes (born February 17, 1952) is an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for , serving from 2001 to 2017. Prior to joining the United States Congress, he was a member of the Virgin ...

was challenged by Democratic nominee

Wynne LeGrow The 2010 congressional elections in Virginia were held November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the U.S. state, state of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those electe ...

of Emporia. Forbes retained his seat by beating his Democratic challenger by earning 62% of votes cast. Forbes was first elected to the House in 2001 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of ten-term Democratic Congressman

Norman Sisisky Norman Sisisky (June 9, 1927 – March 29, 2001) was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia from 1983 to 2001, representing the 4th District. He was a leader of the Blue Dog Coalition and one of the most ...

. Forbes defeated Democratic State Senator

Louise Lucas Lillie Louise Lucas ( Boone; born January 22, 1944) is an American politician serving as a Virginia state senator, representing the 18th District in the southeast of the state since 1992. Democrats won a majority of seats in the 2019 Virginia ...

52-48% that year. He ran unopposed by Democrats in 2002 and 2006.
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District 5

Incumbent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

Tom Perriello Thomas Stuart Price Perriello (born October 9, 1974) is an American attorney, diplomat, and politician. As of January 2021, Perriello is the executive director for U.S. Programs at the Open Society Foundations. Perriello ran for in the United S ...

was challenged by

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

Robert Hurt, state Senator from

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, and

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

Jeffrey A. Clark
campaign sitePVS
, a businessman from Danville. In 2008, Perriello defeated Republican incumbent

Virgil Goode Virgil Hamlin Goode Jr. (born October 17, 1946) is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 5th congressional district of Virginia between 1997 and 2009. He was initially a Democrat, but b ...

. Goode did not seek a rematch in 2010, although he said several

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

groups asked him to run on a pro-

Tea Party A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...

ticket, due to their dissatisfaction with the Republicans. Hurt won the primary election over six other candidates: Republican activist Feda Kidd Morton, private real estate investor Laurence Verga,

Albemarle County Albemarle County is a county located in the Piedmont region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, which is an independent city and enclave entirely surrounded by the county. Albemarle County is part of the Char ...

Supervisor Ken Boyd, businessman Ron Ferrin, Jim McKelvey from Franklin County, and Michael McPadden. Perriello faced no opposition in the Democratic primary.
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Polling

District 6

Incumbent Republican

Bob Goodlatte Robert William Goodlatte (; born September 22, 1952) is an American politician, attorney, and lobbyist who served in the United States House of Representatives representing for 13 terms. A Republican, he was also the Chair of the House Judiciar ...

faced no primary opposition, and was re-elected to a 10th term in the general election on November 2, capturing 76% of the vote.Trice, Calvin (2010-11-7
"Goodlatte's challengers faced down long odds"
''

The News Leader ''The News Leader'' is a daily newspaper owned by Gannett and serving Staunton, Virginia, and the surrounding areas. It was founded in 1904 by Brig. Gen. Hierome L. Opie as ''The Evening Leader''. While it traces its founding to Opie in 1904, ...

''. Retrieved 2010-11-10. Jeff Vanke of Roanoke ran as an Independent, citing endorsements by the

Modern Whig Party Modern may refer to: History * Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Phil ...

, American Centrist Party and

, and received 13% of the vote. Stuart Bain of Salem ran as a

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

and received 9% of the vote.

District 7

Incumbent Republican Congressman and U.S. House Minority Whip

Eric Cantor Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Minori ...

sought a sixth term and faced no primary opposition. Rick Waugh
campaign sitePVS
was the Democratic nominee, and Floyd C. Bayne
campaign sitePVS
was the Independent Greens of Virginia and Tea Party supported candidate. Tea Party-supported independent candidate Herb Lux
campaign site
had his emergency appeal to the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

turned aside on October 1, 2010, and so did not appear on the ballot.
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District 8

Democratic incumbent

Jim Moran James Patrick Moran Jr. (born May 16, 1945) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Alexandria, Virginia from 1985 to 1990, and as the U.S. representative for (including the cities of Falls Church and Alexandria, all of Arlington ...

was challenged by Republican nominee Jay Patrick Murray, a retired

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Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, and Independent Green Party nominee Ron Fisher
campaign sitePVS
, a retired

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

captain. Moran ran for re-election for an 11th term, and faced no primary opposition. Former Republican primary candidates were: *

Matthew Berry Matthew J. Berry (born December 29, 1969) is an American writer, columnist, fantasy sports analyst, and television personality. Berry started his career by writing for television and film and creating a few pilots and film scripts with his writin ...

, an attorney and former clerk to

U.S. Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 199 ...

. Berry lost to Murray in a primary election on June 8. *Mark Ellmore, Republican nominee in the 2008 race. *Laurence Socci, lobbyist. Socci dropped out on March 23 and endorsed Berry. *Will Radle - formerly considering a run for the Republican nomination
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Polling

District 9

Democratic incumbent

Rick Boucher Frederick Carlyle Boucher (; born August 1, 1946) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for from 1983 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was defeated in his bid for a 15th term by Republican Morgan Griffit ...

was challenged by Republican nominee

Morgan Griffith Howard Morgan Griffith (born March 15, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Virginia's 9th congressional district since 2011. The district covers a large swath of southwestern Virginia, including the ...

, the Majority Leader of the

, and Independent Jeremiah Heaton
campaign sitePVS
, a U.S. Army veteran, farmer and businessman. Boucher, who had represented the district since 1983, was unopposed on the Democratic side. On the Republican side, Griffith was selected by a convention held on May 22, 2010 at Fort Chiswell High School in Max Meadows. Delegates to the convention were selected by 23 local committee mass meetings held between February 25 and April 29. Other Republican candidates for the nomination were: *William Carr: retiree from Ararat *Adam Light: small business owner from Tazewell County *David Moore: former Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army from Tazewell County *Jessee Ring: retired engineer from Pulaski County. *Brandon Roop: tea party activist from Blacksburg *Jim Bebout, retiree, announced during a tea party protest The 9th District covers much of

Southwest Virginia Southwest Virginia, often abbreviated as SWVA, is a mountainous region of Virginia in the westernmost part of the commonwealth. Located within the broader region of western Virginia, Southwest Virginia has been defined alternatively as all Vir ...

.
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District 10

Republican incumbent Frank Wolf was running for re-election for a 16th term. He was challenged by Democrat Jeff Barnett
campaign sitePVS
and Libertarian William Redpath. Wolf was unopposed on the Republican side. Barnett won the Democratic primary election against Richard Anthony and Julien Modica. Former candidates were: *Dennis Findley (D) - McLean resident and architect *Jim Trautz (R) - Loudoun County resident and former naval officer The district, located in northern Virginia, includes some

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

suburbs, but extends far west and north along the border of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

. In most Presidential elections of the past few decades, the district has been won by Republican candidates. The most recent exception is the 2008 election when Democratic then-Senator

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

won the district, and became the first Democrat since Johnson to win Virginia's electoral votes. Republican Governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

won the district 2012, but President Obama again won Virginia.
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District 11

Democratic incumbent

Gerry Connolly Gerald Edward Connolly (born March 30, 1950) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 11th congressional district, first elected in 2008. The district is anchored in Fairfax County, an affluent suburban coun ...

faced Republican

Keith Fimian Virginia's 11th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The district stretches from Herndon to Quantico, comprising most of Fairfax County, all of the City of Fairfax, as well as part of ea ...

, who lost to Connolly in 2008. Also on the ballot were Libertarian David L. Dotson
campaign sitePVS
, Independent Green David William Gillis, Jr.
PVS
, and Independent Christopher F. DeCarlo
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. Connolly was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Fimian won against Pat Herrity in the Republican primary election, beating him 56%-44%, with 35,890 votes cast.
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References

External links

Virginia State Board of Elections

Official candidate listVirginia Candidates for U.S. Congress
at

Project Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected officials in si ...

Virginia
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Virginia Congressional Races in 2010
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2010 Virginia elections