Fifty-two candidates are running in primary elections for Virginia’s 11 U.S. House districts this year—the most in the last 10 years

This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Virginia was April 4, 2024.

Fifty-two candidates are running for Virginia’s 11 U.S. House districts, including 33 Democrats and 19 Republicans. That’s an average of 4.73 candidates per district.

Here are some other highlights from this year’s filings:

• This is also the most candidates running in primary elections in Virginia in the last 10 years.

• The 7th and 10th Congressional Districts are open this year. The last time a seat was open in Virginia was 2018 when two seats were open.
• Incumbent Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-07) is not running for re-election because she is running for Governor of Virginia in 2025. Incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-10) is retiring from public office.
• Sixteen candidates—12 Democrats and four Republicans—are running for the open 10th Congressional District, the most candidates running for a district in Virginia this year.
• Nine primaries—six Democratic and three Republican—are contested this year. Between 2014 and 2022, an average of 5.8 primaries were contested each election year.
• Two incumbents—Gerald Edward Connolly (D-11) and Bob Good (R-05)—are in contested primaries this year. Since 2014, there have been two incumbents in contested primaries in Virginia in every election year.
• The 3rd Congressional District is guaranteed to Democrats because no Republicans will appear on the ballot. Democrats filed to run in every congressional district, meaning none are guaranteed to Republicans.

Virginia and Oklahoma are holding primaries on June 18.

In Virginia, the winner of a primary election is the candidate who receives the highest number of votes cast even if they do not win an outright majority.