Virginia's 10th congressional district is a
U.S. congressional district in the
Commonwealth of
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 are ...
. It is currently represented by
Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was first elected in
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
.
The district includes all of
Clarke County,
Frederick County and
Loudoun County, parts of
Fairfax County
Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...
and
Prince William County, as well as the
independent cities
An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province).
Historical precursors
In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor state ...
of
Manassas,
Manassas Park and
Winchester. The district closely matches Virginia's voting patterns in statewide races with nearly identical margins as the final statewide results.
Beginning when it was re-created in 1952, the 10th district was in Republican hands for 60 of 66 years, including long stints in office by
Joel Broyhill (1953–74) and
Frank Wolf (1981-2014).
Barbara Comstock
Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...
, a former aide to Wolf, succeeded him after the 2014 election. Wexton
defeated Comstock in the
2018 midterms, becoming only the second Democrat to win it.
As of 2022, VA-10 is the third-wealthiest Congressional district in the country, with a
median income of $140,889.
Demographics
According to
Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, this district has many "
wealthy and
highly-educated voters" as of 14 April 2016.
Specifically, whites represent about 61% of the population, and immigrants (largely Hispanic and Asian) represent over 20%. Just over half of adults hold at least a four-year college degree. The median income is $120,384.
The 10th district has 35,500 federal workers. By comparison,
the 1st district has 46,900;
the 11th has 51,900; and
the 8th has 81,100. The eastern part of the district is home to
Dulles Airport and technology, telecom and aerospace companies including
Verizon Business Global LLC and
Aeronautical Systems Inc.
History
The modern 10th congressional district was formed in 1952. For the next two decades, it consisted of Arlington, Alexandria and most of Fairfax County. As a result of redistricting following the 1970 census, it lost Alexandria and was pushed westward to take in Loudoun County.
Joel T. Broyhill
Joel Thomas Broyhill (November 4, 1919 – September 24, 2006) was an American politician aligned with the Republican Party who served as a Congressman from Virginia for 11 terms, from 1953 to 1974. He represented Virginia's 10th congression ...
had represented it since its creation, but lost in the 1974 wave to Democrat
Joseph L. Fisher. Fisher held the seat for three terms before losing to Republican
Frank Wolf in 1980. Wolf easily held the seat until his retirement in 2014. That year, the seat was won by fellow Republican
Barbara Comstock
Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...
, a state delegate and former aide to Wolf. Comstock served for two terms before losing to Democratic State Senator
Jennifer Wexton in 2018.
Voting
Virginia's 10th congressional district used to be a Republican stronghold, having once voted by double-digit margins for Republican candidates. In 2000, ten-term incumbent Republican Congressman
Frank Wolf won over 80% of the vote and did not face a Democratic opponent. Two years later, Wolf defeated his Democratic challenger John Stevens by 43 points. In 2004, President
George W. Bush won the district by 11 points. In recent years, the district has become much friendlier to Democrats due to population growth in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. In 2012,
Mitt Romney narrowly carried the district by a point, while in 2016,
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
won the district by 10 points.
In 2017, Democrats scored major gains in the state legislative elections, leaving Comstock as the only elected Republican above the county level in much of the district.
Ralph Northam also easily carried the district in the gubernatorial race. This proved to be a precursor to Comstock's defeat by Wexton a year later.
Recent election results
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
2020s
List of members representing the district
Historical district boundaries
See also
*
Virginia's congressional districts
*
List of United States congressional districts
Congressional districts in the United States are electoral divisions for the purpose of electing members of the United States House of Representatives. The number of voting seats in the House of Representatives is currently set at 435, with ...
*
Virginia's 10th congressional district election, 2018
References
*
*
Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present
External links
VA Democratic 10th CD websiteVA Republican 10th CD website
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10
Constituencies established in 1789
1789 establishments in Virginia
Constituencies disestablished in 1863
1863 disestablishments in Virginia
Constituencies established in 1885
1885 establishments in Virginia
Constituencies disestablished in 1933
1933 disestablishments in Virginia
Constituencies established in 1953
1953 establishments in Virginia