VIRGINIA, USA — Democrat Eugene S. Vindman is projected to secure a seat in Congress after beating out Republican Derrick Anderson in Virginia’s District 7 race, according to the Associated Press.
With the projected win, Vindman will replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a popular moderate who didn’t run for reelection to explore running for Virginia governor next year.
Leading up to the election, Vindman went out in the community and spoke with commuters in Prince William County, and voters at the VRE stop in Stafford County about infrastructure. He posted videos online of these chats, calling it “the slug life,” referring to the time commuters are stuck in traffic for hours on their way to work.
“In Congress, I’ll work to fix I-95 and make commuting easier for all Virginians,” he said in a post on X.
He also listened to concerns surrounding Project 2025 and attended an early voting rally in Spotsylvania County.
Vindman, an Army veteran, was born in Soviet, Ukraine. After his mother died of cancer, his father brought his family to America when Vindman was thee-years-old. His family arrived in New York with less than $800 to their name.
Vindman and his twin brother, Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, later joined the military. Alexander Vindman later listened in on President Donald Trump’s call with the President of Ukraine. During said call, Trump attempted to extort the Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden. Alexander Vindman reported the call to his brother. These events would lead up to Trump being impeached and later acquitted by the Senate. Two days later, Trump fired both brothers from their posts.
Vindman ran his Congressional race on a platform aiming to “protect our democracy, restore our freedoms, and fight for all communities to thrive.”
He said he is ready to stand up to attacks from MAGA Republicans on rights such as reproductive freedom, high-quality public-school education, and a voter’s right to make their voices heard.