2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election

2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election

← 2016 November 6, 2018 2020 →
 
Candidate Jennifer Wexton Barbara Comstock
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 206,356 160,841
Percentage 56.1% 43.7%

County and independent city results
Wexton:      50–60%      60–70%
Comstock:      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. Representative before election

Barbara Comstock
Republican

Elected U.S. Representative

Jennifer Wexton
Democratic

Virginia's 10th congressional district election was one of the highest-profile United States House of Representatives elections of 2018, and the most competitive in Virginia.[1][2][3] Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock lost re-election to a third term to Democrat Jennifer Wexton, a lawyer and State Senator representing Loudoun County.[4][5][6]

In the general election, held on November 6, 2018, the race was called relatively early in the night, with Wexton finishing with 56 percent of the vote to Comstock's 44 percent. Wexton's victory was described as illustrative of a "blue wave" in which Democrats won back the House majority that year and made gains in other offices across the country and as a repudiation of then-President Trump.

Comstock's loss was blamed on her association with then-President Trump, even as she emphasized her independence from him. Former state legislator David Ramadan, who is close to Comstock, blamed Trump for her loss, saying, "There's no other way to put it but that this is the fault of the moron in the White House." In preliminary results from a Washington Post-Schar School survey of voters in the 10th District, about 6 in 10 voters said Trump was one of the two most important factors in their vote.[7]

Virginia's 10th District was one of the most expensive House races in the United States, with both campaigns spending a total of $11 million.[8]

Comstock's loss meant that until the next voting cycle no Republicans would be representing the immediate Washington region.[8]

In the June 12, 2018 Republican primary election, Comstock defeated her rival, Air Force veteran Shak Hill. In the Democratic primary, Wexton defeated scientist Julia Biggins, former State Department official Alison Friedman, Army veteran Dan Helmer, former Department of Veterans Affairs official Lindsey Davis Stover, and former federal prosecutor Paul Pelletier.[9]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference holdprimary was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Levy, Adam (March 21, 2018). "What you need to know right now about the 2018 midterm elections". CNN.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bluefirefight was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Relman, Eliza (November 22, 2017). "12 Senate and House races to watch in 2018". Business Insider.
  5. ^ Phillips, Amber (March 18, 2018). "The top 10 House races of 2018". Washington Post.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference cummings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Portnoy, Jenna (November 6, 2018). "Democrat Jennifer T. Wexton defeats Rep. Barbara Comstock, turning a GOP stronghold district in Virginia blue". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Wexton Wins House Seat In Virginia As D.C. 'Burbs Go Blue". WAMU. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Virginia Primary Election Results". New York Times. June 12, 2018.