Ken Mitchell, the Democratic Party congressional nominee in the Sixth District in the 2024 cycle, said on Wednesday that he is now in the race for the nomination in the Seventh District.
The move is motivated by the pending shift in Virginia’s congressional maps, which will redraw the Seventh to stretch from the DC suburbs into Augusta County and Rockingham County.
“Here’s the bottom line: this new Seventh District is a district I know intimately. It’s a district I’ve served for decades. And it’s a district we can win,” said Mitchell, who glosses over one substantial obstacle.
There’s already a Democratic incumbent representing the Seventh in Congress, in the form of Eugene Vindman, a freshman who won the seat in the 2024 cycle, running for Congress after Abigail Spanberger stepped aside to prepare for her run for governor.
Update
Vindman, per data from the Virginia Public Access Project, has $7 million in campaign cash on hand at this early stage in the primary cycle.
The word formidable comes to mind when considering that head start.
Vindman won the 2024 race in the district boundaries as currently drawn by 2.6 points over Republican nominee Derrick Anderson.
The new boundaries, which will be set after an April referendum, will expand the expected Democratic advantage in the district.
I like Mitchell’s positivity toward his new political goal, even as he faces an obvious uphill battle.
“Democrats redrew these maps specifically to create more competitive districts. This is exactly the kind of seat where a grassroots campaign like ours — led by a veteran with deep roots in the region — can break through and keep Virginia blue,” Mitchell said, adding:
“The momentum is on our side. Democrats are overperforming in special elections across the country. Voters are rejecting MAGA chaos. And now we have a newly drawn district that gives us a real path to victory.”
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Chris Graham
