NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia is gearing up for the June 2024 primary elections, as voters across the Commonwealth will pick who they want to represent them in the United States Congress later this year.
One of Virginia's two seats in the Senate, and all 11 House of Representatives seats are on the ballot on Nov. 5, 2024. Primary elections for those seats will be held on June 18, and several are worth watching.
Here are four things to know about Virginia's 2024 congressional primary races.
Tim Kaine favored to win Senate reelection regardless of GOP nominee
Democratic U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine is seeking re-election for a third term after winning his first election in 2012 and securing another term in 2018. Since no one else filed to run in the primary, he is automatically the 2024 Democratic nominee.
In an e-mail to 13News Now, Sabato's Crystal Ball political analyst J. Miles Coleman said he believes Kaine is a strong favorite for the general election regardless of who Republicans nominate.
Kaine has a long history of holding elected office in Virginia, having served as governor from 2006 to 2010, lieutenant governor from 2002 to 2006 and Richmond's mayor from 1998 to 2001.
The frontrunner for the Republican Senate primary is retired Navy combat veteran Hung Cao, who unsuccessfully ran in the 10th Congressional District in 2022.
The other candidates on the ballot are attorney Jonathan Emord, Army veteran Eddie Garcia, political staffer Scott Parkinson and attorney Chuck Smith.
A strong showing or no shot for Missy Cotter Smasal in Virginia's 2nd District
Two Democrats are going head to head in the hotly-contested 2nd Congressional District as the party seeks to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans.
Kiggans was first elected to the House in 2022, defeating Democratic U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria in one of the nation's most closely-watched races that year. Two years later, national Democrats set their sights on the Coastal Virginia seat to reclaim the House majority.
Former small business owner Missy Cotter Smasal is running against Virginia Beach attorney Jake Denton for the Democratic nomination.
With Smasal backed by a list of high-profile endorsements and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Coleman wrote that the "protest" vote against her could be worth watching.
"She only has one opponent, and if she only gets a small majority, that might not be a great sign for her, considering her institutional support from the party," Coleman wrote.
Sabato's Crystal Ball has ranked the 2nd District as leaning toward the Republicans in 2024.
Fellow Republicans, Trump take aim at conservative firebrand Bob Good in VA-05
Republican U.S. Rep. Bob Good is seeking a third term after winning re-election in the 5th Congressional District in 2022, but he is facing a strong primary challenge and the wrath of former President Donald Trump.
Having garnered a reputation as a conservative firebrand, Good chairs the far-right House Freedom Caucus, and was one of eight Republicans who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The ouster led to a weeks-long stalemate in the House under the GOP's slim majority.
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Good's challenger for the Central Virginia seat is State Sen. John McGuire, who is backed by several GOP representatives closer to the center. Those officials believe Good's hardline approach to politics obstructs the Republican House's majority ability to govern, according to a CNN report in March.
McGuire and others, including far-right U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have also accused Good of being insufficiently loyal to Trump. Trump agrees, according to a post he made on Truth Social in which he endorsed McGuire.
"Bob Good is BAD FOR VIRGINIA, AND BAD FOR THE USA," the former president wrote on his social media platform Tuesday morning. "He turned his back on our incredible movement, and was constantly attacking and fighting me until recently, when he gave a warm and 'loving' Endorsement - But really, it was too late."
The Democratic candidates vying for their party's nomination are Army veteran Paul Riley, Boys & Girls Clubs of the Danville Area CEO Gary Terry and businessperson Gloria Witt.
Sabato's Crystal Ball has ranked the 5th District as safe for Republicans in 2024.
A crowded field of candidates in two Northern Virginia districts vacated by Dems
With the two Democrats representing Virginia's 7th and 10th Congressional Districts vacating their seats, these Northern Virginia primaries have crowded fields.
U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the 7th District is passing up a fourth term to run in Virginia's 2025 gubernatorial election, while U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton in the 10th District is retiring due to health issues.
In the 7th District, the Republican candidates on the ballot are U.S. Army veteran Derrick Anderson, former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton, veteran and small business owner Maria Martin, former Marine Jon Myers, former non-profit official John Prabhudoss and Heritage Foundation advisor Terris Todd.
The Democratic candidates are Prince William County Supervisor Andrea Bailey, attorney Carl Bedell, Prince William County Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin, former Del. Elizabeth Guzman, former diplomat Clifford Heinzer, Del. Briana Sewell and retired Army colonel Eugene Vindman.
The 10th District's Democratic candidates on the ballot include State Sen. Jennifer Boysko, Bush administration alum Marion Devoe, former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Del. Dan Helmer.
On the Republican side, the candidates are businesswoman Manga Anantatmula, former Virginia Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Aliscia Andrews, attorney Mike Clancy and retired Army officer Alex Isaac.
Sabato's Crystal Ball has ranked the 7th District as leaning Democratic and the 10th as safe for Democrats in 2024.