2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia


The 2010 congressional elections in Virginia were held November 2, 2010, to determine who will represent the state of Virginia in the United States House of Representatives. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected served in the 112th Congress from January 2011 until January 2013.
Primary elections were held on June 9, 2010. After a poor showing in 2008, the Republican Party made significant gains and defeated three Democratic incumbents. Republicans would go onto hold a majority of House districts in Virginia until 2018 [United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia|2018].

Overview

By district

Results of the 2010 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia by district:

District 1

Incumbent Republican Rob Wittman, who had represented the district since 2007, ran for re-election. He was re–elected with 56.6% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+7.

Republican primary

Campaign

In the Republican primary, Wittman was challenged by self-described Tea Party movement member Catherine Crabill. Crabill's candidacy had been controversial due to her statements that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was intended to help citizens protect themselves from tyranny. and that citizens may have to turn from the ballot box to the bullet box.
In 2009, Wittman and Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell had refused to endorse her for the Virginia House of Delegates. McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin stated, "It's absolutely wrong for any candidate of any party to refer to the actions of the President of the United States and members of the United States Congress as 'domestic terrorism,' and to threaten to resort to violence if one fails to prevail in elections." Crabill refused to retract her remarks, saying "Those are my convictions." Wittman voted against the Emergency [Economic Stabilization Act of 2008] during the financial crisis, against economic stimulus packages, and against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, so had been deemed by some commentators to be difficult to get to the right of, but there was also deemed to be good reason for Wittman to worry about the primary's outcome, given the anti-government mood of the country.

Candidates

Nominee

Results

Wittman easily defeated Crabill.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Independent Greens primary

Candidates

Nominee

General election

Results

District 2

Incumbent Democratic Glenn Nye, who had represented the district since 2009, ran for re-election. He was elected with 52.4% of the vote in 2008 and the district had a PVI of R+5.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Ahead of the primary Bert Mizusawa had raised more money than any candidate in the last two periods, and was considered a frontrunner. Businessman Rigell was the other frontrunner, receiving major endorsements from Thelma Drake and Bob McDonnell's daughter.

Candidates

Nominee

Other Candidates

  • Kenny Golden, retired Navy Commodore and former chair of the Virginia Beach Republican Party

General election

Results

*

District 3

Democratic incumbent Bobby Scott was challenged by Republican nominee former JAG Chuck Smith of Virginia Beach, Libertarian James Quigley of Hampton, and Independent John Kelly.
Scott has run unopposed in five of the last six elections in what is considered a "safe" Democratic district. The district's current configuration dates to 1993, when the Justice Department ordered Virginia to create a majority-minority district.

General election

Results

District 4

Republican incumbent Randy Forbes was challenged by Democratic nominee Wynne LeGrow of Emporia. Forbes retained his seat by beating his Democratic challenger by earning 62% of votes cast.
Forbes was first elected to the House in 2001 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of ten-term Democratic Congressman Norman Sisisky. Forbes defeated Democratic State Senator Louise Lucas 52-48% that year. He ran unopposed by Democrats in 2002 and 2006.

General election

Results

District 5

Incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello was challenged by Republican Robert Hurt, state Senator from Chatham, and independent Jeffrey A. Clark, a businessman from Danville.
In 2008, Perriello defeated Republican incumbent Virgil Goode. Goode did not seek a rematch in 2010, although he said several Conservative groups asked him to run on a pro-Tea Party ticket, due to their dissatisfaction with the Republicans.

Republican primary

Hurt won the primary election over six other candidates: Republican activist Feda Kidd Morton, private real estate investor Laurence Verga, Albemarle County Supervisor Ken Boyd, businessman Ron Ferrin, Jim McKelvey from Franklin County, and Michael McPadden. Perriello faced no opposition in the Democratic primary.
Declined

General election

Results

District 6

Incumbent Republican Bob Goodlatte faced no primary opposition, and was re-elected to a 10th term in the general election on November 2, capturing 76% of the vote.
Jeff Vanke of Roanoke ran as an Independent, citing endorsements by the Modern Whig Party, American Centrist Party and Independent Green Party of Virginia, and received 13% of the vote.
Stuart Bain of Salem ran as a Libertarian and received 9% of the vote.

District 7

Incumbent Republican Congressman and Party whips of [the United States House of Representatives|U.S. House Minority Whip] Eric Cantor sought a sixth term and faced no primary opposition. Rick Waugh was the Democratic nominee, and Floyd C. Bayne was the Independent Greens of Virginia and Tea Party supported candidate. Tea Party-supported independent candidate Herb Lux had his emergency appeal to the United States Supreme Court turned aside on October 1, 2010, and so did not appear on the ballot.

General election

Results

District 8

Democratic incumbent Jim Moran was challenged by Republican nominee Jay Patrick Murray, a retired United States Army Colonel, and Independent Green Party nominee Ron Fisher, a retired U.S. Navy captain.

Democratic primary

Moran ran for re-election for an 11th term, and faced no primary opposition.

Republican primary

Former Republican primary candidates were:

General election

Results

District 9

Democratic incumbent Rick Boucher was challenged by Republican nominee Morgan Griffith, the Majority Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates, and Independent Jeremiah Heaton, a U.S. Army veteran, farmer and businessman. The 9th District covers much of Southwest Virginia.

Democratic primary

Boucher, who had represented the district since 1983, was unopposed on the Democratic side.

Republican primary

On the Republican side, Griffith was selected by a convention held on May 22, 2010, at Fort Chiswell High School in Max Meadows. Delegates to the convention were selected by 23 local committee mass meetings held between February 25 and April 29. Other Republican candidates for the nomination were:

General election

Results

District 10

Republican incumbent Frank Wolf was running for re-election for a 16th term. He was challenged by Democrat Jeff Barnett and Libertarian William Redpath. The district, located in northern Virginia, includes some Washington, D.C. suburbs, but extends far west and north along the border of Maryland and West Virginia. In most Presidential elections of the past few decades, the district has been won by Republican candidates. The most recent exception is the 2008 election when Democratic then-Senator Barack Obama won the district, and became the first Democrat since Johnson to win Virginia's electoral votes.

Republican primary

Wolf was unopposed on the Republican side.

Democratic primary

Barnett won the Democratic primary election against Richard Anthony and Julien Modica.
Former candidates were:
  • Dennis Findley - McLean resident and architect
  • Jim Trautz - Loudoun County resident and former naval officer

General election

Results

District 11

Democratic incumbent Gerry Connolly faced Republican Keith Fimian, who lost to Connolly in 2008. Also on the ballot were Libertarian David L. Dotson, Independent Green David William Gillis Jr., and Independent Christopher F. DeCarlo.

Democratic primary

Connolly was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Republican primary

Fimian won against Pat Herrity in the Republican primary election, beating him 56%-44%, with 35,890 votes cast.

General election

Results