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Abigail Spanberger (D) defeated Rep. David Brat (R) and Joe Walton (L) in the November 6, 2018, general election to represent Virginia's 7th Congressional District.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives were up for election in 2018. The Democratic Party gained a net total of 40 seats, winning control of the chamber. This race was identified as a 2018 battleground that might have affected partisan control of the U.S. House in the 116th Congress. Heading into the election, the Republican Party was in the majority holding 235 seats to Democrats' 193 seats, with seven vacant seats. Democrats needed to win 23 GOP-held seats in 2018 to win control of the House. From 1918 to 2016, the president’s party lost an average of 29 seats in midterm elections.
Heading into the 2018 election, the 7th District had been held by Republicans since 1971. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) targeted the seat in 2018. The district contains portions of Henrico and Chesterfield counties, both of which voted Democratic in 2017's gubernatorial election. In the 2016 presidential election, Hillary Clinton (D) won Henrico, while Donald Trump (R) won Chesterfield by a 2-point margin.
Brat was re-elected in 2016 by 15 percentage points over his Democratic opponent. He was first elected in 2014 after defeating then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the Republican primary.
Virginia's 7th Congressional District 2018, Brat v. Spanberger v. Walton
| Poll | David Brat (R) | Abigail Spanberger (D) | Joe Walton (L) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christopher Newport University October 18-27, 2018 | 45% | 46% | 4% | 3% | +/-4.2 | 871 |
| Monmouth University September 15-24, 2018 | 47% | 47% | 1% | 6% | +/-5.4 | 329 |
Virginia's 7th Congressional District 2018, Brat v. Spanberger
| Poll | David Brat (R) | Abigail Spanberger (D) | Undecided | Margin of Error | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYT Upshot/Siena College Oct.30-Nov. 4, 2018 | 46% | 44% | 9% | +/-4.6 | 500 |
| NYT Upshot/Siena College September 9-12, 2018 | 47% | 43% | 9% | +/-5 | 501 |
The chart below contains data from financial reports submitted to the Federal Election Commission.
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abigail Spanberger | Democratic Party | $7,336,619 | $7,289,953 | $46,666 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| David Brat | Republican Party | $3,373,991 | $3,371,044 | $171,261 | As of December 31, 2018 |
| Joe Walton | Libertarian Party | $7,489 | $7,103 | $386 | As of December 31, 2018 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2018.
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Virginia from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Virginia State Board of Elections.
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Virginia every year from 2000 to 2016.
Election results (President of the United States), Virginia 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
49.7% |  Donald Trump |
44.4% | 5.3% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
51.1% | Mitt Romney |
47.2% | 3.9% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
52.6% | John McCain |
46.3% | 6.3% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
53.7% | John Kerry |
45.5% | 8.2% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
52.5% | Al Gore |
44.4% | 12.0% |
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Virginia from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
Election results (U.S. Senator), Virginia 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Mark Warner |
49.1% | Ed Gillespie |
48.3% | 0.8% |
| 2012 | Tim Kaine |
52.8% | George Allen |
46.9% | 5.9% |
| 2008 | Mark Warner |
65.0% | Jim Gilmore |
33.7% | 31.3% |
| 2006 | Jim Webb (Virginia) |
49.6% | George Allen |
49.2% | 0.4% |
| 2002 | John Warner |
82.6% |  Nancy B. Spannaus (Independent) |
9.7% | 72.9% |
| 2000 | George Allen |
52.3% | Chuck Robb |
47.7% | 4.6% |
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Virginia.
Election results (Governor), Virginia 2000-2016
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Ralph Northam |
53.9% | Ed Gillespie |
45.0% | 8.9% |
| 2013 | Terry McAuliffe |
47.8% | Ken Cuccinelli |
45.2% | 2.6% |
| 2009 | Bob McDonnell |
58.6% | Creigh Deeds |
41.3% | 17.3% |
| 2005 | Tim Kaine |
51.7% | Jerry Kilgore |
46.0% | 5.7% |
| 2001 | Mark Warner |
52.2% | Mark Earley |
47.0% | 5.2% |
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Virginia in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
Congressional delegation, Virginia 2000-2016
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 7 |
63.6% | 4 |
36.4% | R+3 |
| 2014 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2012 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2010 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2008 | 5 |
45.4% | 6 |
54.5% | D+1 |
| 2006 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2004 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2002 | 8 |
72.7% | 3 |
27.3% | R+5 |
| 2000 | 7 |
50.0% | 3 |
50.0% | R+4 |
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2019
Two years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Demographic data for Virginia
| Virginia | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total population: | 8,367,587 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 39,490 | 3,531,905 |
| Gender | ||
| Female: | 50.8% | 50.8% |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 69% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 19.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 3.2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 8.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 88.3% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 36.3% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $65,015 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia. | ||
As of July 2016, Virginia's three largest cities were Virginia Beach (pop. est. 450,435), Norfolk (pop. est. 244,703), and Chesapeake (pop. est. 240,397).
