The race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is shaping up to be very competitive — and very expensive.
In the Democratic primary race, retired Army Col. Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman, 48, of Woodbridge, has a solid financial edge, raising more money than all the Republican and Democratic candidates in both primary races combined — by far.
Since launching his campaign late last year, Vindman has raised nearly $3.8 million. That’s more than four times the amount raised by his Democratic rivals, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
Vindman’s fundraising prowess also shows no signs of slowing. He raised more than $1.7 million in the first quarter of 2024 and has $1.8 million cash on hand, according to VPAP.
In an April 15 press release, Vindman’s campaign touted its “grassroots fundraising acumen” and noted that the campaign’s average donation was around $27, “including from thousands of Virginians who know what’s at stake in this election and want to vote to preserve Democracy in 2024.”
“A lot of Virginia Democrats like Vindman because he has a national security background that can connect with the prominent military presence in the district,” said Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor and director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies. “His huge fundraising advantage creates a very difficult environment for other Democrats in the race.”
Vindman has already spent over $1.5 million on digital advertising and media consulting, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
“He can introduce himself to voters and connect with them week after week, in a way that other candidates can only dream about,” Farnsworth said. “The other Democratic candidates really have to ask themselves whether they even have a path forward given the extreme difficulty of this situation.”
Vindman immigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine when he was 3 with his family and served more than 25 years in the U.S. Army before retiring as a colonel. He has been living in Dale City since 2016 with his wife and two children. An attorney, Vindman worked in the Judge Advocate General Corps and the National Security Council at the White House during the Trump Administration.
Vindman and his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, reported the contents of a call between Trump and Ukrainian officials in 2019 that later resulted in Trump’s first impeachment.
Vindman’s national profile has extended his fundraising reach from coast-to-coast. His first quarter 2024 campaign finance report shows he received donations from across the country.
“People are free to contribute to out-of-state campaigns if they wish to do so. It is permitted under the law, and it happens all the time,” Farnsworth said. “In some places that can help a Democratic candidate; in other places it can help a Republican one.”
The 7th District race has become one of the most expensive in the nation, Farnsworth said.
“It is the most competitive congressional district in the very expensive D.C. television market,” he said, “and the district’s proximity to D.C. means that candidates have no problem raising a lot of money from the wealthy donors.”
Prior to redistricting after the 2020 Census, the 7th District was centered around the Richmond suburbs and “was seen as safely Republican, at least until Abigail Spanberger demonstrated a Democratic candidate could win there,” Farnsworth said.
Spanberger toppled Republican incumbent David Brat in 2018 to flip the historically red seat to blue. She outspent Brat by more than two to one and won by just under 2 percentage points in a race that cost $10.5 million. Spanberger announced last fall that she would not run for reelection and would instead run for governor.
Spanberger’s decision to vacate her seat creates a rare opportunity for a Republican candidate to try to wrest the seat back to GOP control.
“Both parties want the bragging rights that come from winning this high-profile district, so, I expect Republicans will donate heavily to the eventual 7th District nominee,” Farnsworth said.
Derrick Anderson, 39, of Spotsylvania County, has raised the most money so far in the Republican primary race with nearly $900,000. He has nearly $600,000 cash on hand. He ran for the Republican nomination in 2022 but lost to Supervisor Yesli Vega, who ultimately lost to Spanberger.
Both Republican and Democratic voters will choose their candidates during a dual primary on June 18 with early voting beginning in less than two weeks on May 3.
Reach Cher Muzyk at cmuzyk@fauquier.com
Want to stay up to date on the best stories about Prince William and Fauquier counties? Sign up for the Prince William Times’ newly revamped daily newsletter, The JAM. Subscribe here.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.