NORFOLK, Va. — Early voting for the June primaries is underway in Virginia, and two candidates are vying to represent the Democratic Party in the 1st Congressional District U.S. House race this November.
The winner will face longtime Republican Congressman Rob Wittman. Virginia's 1st Congressional District covers parts of Richmond and the Historic Triangle – Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.
One of the candidates, retired Army Colonel Herb Jones Jr., is Wittman’s former opponent.
“There’s only one person in this race who can beat Rob Wittman, and that person is me,” Jones told 13News Now in an interview.
Jones grabbed 43% of the vote from Wittman in the 2022 election. This time, he said he has an endorsement from former Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam.
Jones is running on reproductive rights, safety from gun violence and public education.
But Jones said his name recognition will be critical in defeating the Republican opponent in November.
“We know a first-time candidate will not defeat Rob Wittman,” said Jones. “Wittman has never faced, in consecutive cycles, the same person.”
Jones' opponent in the Democratic primaries is Chesterfield attorney and first-time candidate Leslie Mehta.
The former lead attorney for the ACLU is running on affordable health care for all, and, like Jones, plans to emphasize reproductive rights and an end to youth gun violence.
“We are far past the time to do something about gun violence,” Mehta said. “There is no excuse or reason for guns being the number one killer of our children.”