(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the race for Virginia’s District 7 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives in favor of Eugene Vindman. See results of U.S. House and U.S. Senate races from around the country here.
The 7th Congressional District race was among the most competitive and highly watched not only among Virginia’s 11 House races but nationally.
Democratic U.S. Rep Abigail Spanberger did not seek reelection in preparation for a planned run for the governor’s office. That left the seat open to two new contenders, Republican Derrick Anderson and Democrat Eugene Vindman.
For months, both veterans turned lawyers have been entrenched in a vote-by-vote crunch in their fast-growing district, where veterans make up about 12% of the population. Neither have ever held a public office.
Anderson, a former Army Green Beret, worked in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under former President Donald Trump. His bid for office was his second attempt at the 7th District representative’s seat, after he was defeated in the 2022 primary by Yesli Vega, reported the Virgina Mercury.
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His opponent Vindman, an ex-military officer, is known for working with his twin brother to report Trump’s 2019 communications with Ukrainian officials seeking an investigation on President Joe Biden and his son Hunter, the outlet reported. His actions helped lead to Trump’s first impeachment.
“Some people have forgotten about this issue — others have not, and it’s just a mix in the district,” Vindman said of the scandal that led to Trump’s first impeachment. “But I think, in the context, that this is not ancient history. Why? Because Donald Trump is now the major party nominee.”
Vindman focused his campaign on protecting abortion rights and IVF, fighting for the military community and stopping the controversial conservative plan Project 2025.
Anderson took a different approach zeroing in on the economy, immigration and border security.
“At the end of the day, I think people are just ready for somebody to just govern — go get things done in Washington, D.C., and stop breathing fire,” he said in an interview.
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Democrats hope to cement their hold on the district, which Republicans represented for nearly 50 years until Spanberger flipped the seat in 2018. For conservatives, the race is an opportunity to pick up a seat in a matchup with no incumbent.
Vindman raised nearly $3 million in the bank at the end of September, compared to Anderson’s $1 million. More than half of the $9 million Democrats have spent on general election ads has come directly from Vindman’s campaign account, while Anderson has depended heavily on Republican outside groups.
Heading into Tuesday’s election, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for election. Republicans control the chamber with a narrow majority of 220 seats while the Democrats occupy 212 and three vacancies.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
