Republican Derrick Anderson emerged as the winner of the June 18, 2024, Republican Primary for Virignia’s 7th Congressional District.
The district includes eastern Prince William County, Stafford, and Spostylvania counties, and Fredericksburg.
Anderson secured 16,203 votes, accounting for 45.25% of the total votes cast. He will face Democrat Eugene Vindman in the upcoming November 2024 General Election.
The primary race saw Anderson leading comfortably among his competitors. His closest rival, Cameron Hamilton, garnered 13,333 votes, representing 37.23% of the electorate, which was not enough to close the gap with Anderson. Jon Myers came in third with 4,585 votes, capturing 12.80% of the total vote. The remaining candidates, John Prabhudoss, Maria Martin, and Terris Todd, received significantly fewer votes, with each securing less than 3% of the total.
Our country is the weakest it has been since the event that drove me to run for Congress: the botched withdrawal in Afghanistan. I lost five of my guys, including Green Berets, in Afghanistan, and I was disgusted by the weakness portrayed by the United States during the chaotic withdrawal that saw 20 years of progress and sacrifice wasted in the blink of an eye,” Andesron said in his election night speech on June 18. “We will secure our border to make sure our communities are safe again, our nation is secure, and to guarantee that those who immigrated here legally still have access to the American dream they came here for. We will make living more affordable. It’s time Washington be reminded that their policies are impacting each of us more than they try to understand, and it starts right in our pocket books, wallets, and at our kitchen tables. That ends today.”
Anderson made a bid for the nomination in 2022, but lost to Yesli Vega.Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) has held the the 7th District congressional seat since 2018. She’s not seeking re-election to Congress but is running for Virginia Governor in 2025.
Pivoting to the General Election, Anderson tells us he’ll be knocking doors in Prince William County tomorrow, June 22, 2024.
Vindman, of Dale City, ran a campaign solely to oppose Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for President. He and his twin brother Alexander Vindman were key figures in Trump’s first impeachment in 2020.
Vindman cruised to victory over a sea of Democrat candidates vying for the nomination, winning nearly 50% of the vote in the district. He out raised them, too, raking in more than $5 million, mainly from out-of-state liberal donors who oppose Trump.
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Yugene Vindman, a Democrat of Lake Ridge, who’s running to replace Abigail Spanberger (D) in Congress, is calling for a review of Virignia’s State Flag, one of the most unique in the world.
Vindman apologized after a photo posted to X (formerly Twitter) showed him posting with the Confederate State Flag of Virginia. It notes, “While monuments to the confederacy have been coming down and roads glorifying traitors are being renamed around the commonwealth, we need to look at all symbols that represent this tragic history, including our current banner which, frankly, too closely resembles the Civil War version.”
The Vindman campaign asked the person who posted the photo to remove it, and he complied. Afterward, he said the “average person would not know the difference” between the two flags.
Virginia has one of the most unique flags anywhere. On it is the state seal adopted in the 1700s, which shows a woman, representing Roman virtue, standing over a slain king, sword in hand, with the words “sic semper tyrannis,” meaning “thus [death] always to tyrants.”
The version adopted by the confederates, used during the Civil War from 1861 to 1865, has a few notable differences, such as colors and a breastplate on the woman standing over the king. On the current version of our flag, the woman’s breast is exposed, leaving the Virginia State Flag as the only one in the U.S. to display not only a dead man but also nudity.
Vindman posed with Virignia’s Confederate State Flag last weekend after speaking at a conference about his home county of Ukraine in Washington, D.C. The photo, subsequent apology, and calls to review the state flag’s design have led both Democrats and Republicans to take to social media to condemn Vindman’s calls for changing the beloved state flag.
“The Commonwealth is my home – the place that raised me,” Derrick Anderson, a Republican vying for his party’s nomination to run for the 7th District seat, posted to X. “Don’t dictate to Virginians to change our flag because of your massive mistake and disrespect.”
“My first ever retweet of the Young Republicans,” Virginia State Senator Louise Lucas posted to X. The staunch Democrat served as leader of Virginia’s “Blue Brick Wall” during this year’s General Assembly session, working to block Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s legislative agenda, including a failed attempt to move the Washington Wizards basketball team from Washington, D.C., to Alexandria.
My first ever retweet of the Young Republicans ? https://t.co/XBV9qDvNOW
— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) April 16, 2024
Vindman, a key witness in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, has made his campaign a referendum on Trump. He’s raised nearly $2 million, mostly from out-of-state contributions.
Vindman, Clifford Heinzer, of Stafford, and Carl Bedell, of Greene County, are white men seeking the party’s nomination, while most of the Democrats in the 7th District race are black women. At voter forums, Democrats have questioned Vindman’s involvement in the state and local state Democratic Party apparatchik and why he won’t step aside and allow a black woman to be the front runner.
Voters will head to the polls for a June 18 Primary Election to decide the candidates for the Democratic and Republican parties. All eyes will be on congressional races in Northern Virginia this year, as seats in the 7th and 10th Districts have no incumbents.
The three-term Spanberger, who holds the 7th District seat, will run for governor in 2025, while three-term Jennifer Wexton (D) in the 10th is retiring for health reasons.
The Virginia 7th includes Stafford, Spotsylvania, Fredericksburg, and the big prize, voters in densely populated eastern Prince William County. Virginia’s 10th Congressional District includes western Prince William County, Loudoun, Fauquier, and Rappahannock counties.
Sheriff Decatur expressed his support and emphasized the importance of partnering with individuals dedicated to combating crime. "In law enforcement, identifying partners committed to combating crime becomes essential," stated Decatur. "Derrick Anderson unequivocally stands with law enforcement and has my full support. With Derrick's backing, our collective efforts will continue to enhance the security and safety in Stafford County."
"Sheriff Decatur’s record of service to the community is impressive, and I look forward to working with him to keep Virginians safe," said Anderson. "I’ll always have law enforcement’s back — they need all the tools they can get to fight crime, the drug crisis, and the border crisis."
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Expressing his gratitude, Anderson said, "I appreciate the support from these dedicated public servants. I look forward to fighting alongside them to improve the lives of Stafford County residents."
Anderson, who grew up in Spotsylvania County, emphasized his commitment to addressing the challenges faced by the community, attributing them to what he referred to as "Biden's failed presidency." He outlined his campaign's focus on taking on key issues, including securing the border and restoring America's standing in the world.
