TOP TAKEAWAYS
Richmond Times Dispatch: Editorial: A good night for Democrats in Virginia
“Tuesday’s nominating primaries in Virginia offered plenty of good news for Democrats. For Republicans, not as much.
“In the 7th Congressional District, which stretches from Culpeper to Amelia and includes large swatches of Chesterfield and Henrico counties, Republican Rep. Dave Brat could face a formidable challenge from former CIA agent Abigail Spanberger, who scored an impressive victory over an energetic and well-funded opponent. And in Northern Virginia’s 10th District, state Sen. Jennifer Wexton may start as the favorite against Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock. The Democrats also got the candidate they wanted in Hampton Roads’ 2nd District, where retired Navy officer Elaine Luria will face freshman Republican Rep. Scott Taylor.”
CNN: Democratic women win big in key Virginia House primaries
Nate Cohn: No surprises in Virginia on the congressional side. Dems Wexton, Luria, Spanberger all poised for clean victories, setting up three of the top races in the country. Actually, here’s something of a surprise: Barbara Comstock getting just 62% of the vote so far…
Elliot Morris: Looks like a pretty good night for Democrats: Nominated optimal candidates in #VA10, #VA02, #VA07 (and all women) […]
Daily Press: GOP turnout declines for Virginia primaries
“If it takes some get up and go to vote on primary day, turnout numbers suggest the energy these days is with Democrats. Even with three firey Republicans contesting for the chance to challenge Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in November, GOP turnout slumped by 17 percent from last year’s hard-fought gubernatorial primary, according to a Daily Press review of unofficial returns reported by the state Department of Elections.”
New York Times: How Corey Stewart Could Endanger Other Virginia Republicans
“The real worry for national Republicans — and the hope for Democrats — is that Mr. Stewart’s nomination may cost some incumbent Republicans in Virginia their seats in Congress. ‘For the G.O.P. candidates in the down-ballot House races in Virginia, having Stewart on the ticket is going to be a very tough challenge,’ said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. […]
Mr. Stewart could especially hurt Representative Barbara Comstock, a Republican defending a seat in affluent Northern Virginia that is emblematic of how the state has been shifted from its once-fixed Republican moorings by an influx of immigrants and college-educated professionals. […]
If the turnout pattern repeats in November, at least two other Republican House members besides Ms. Comstock could also be in trouble: Dave Brat and Scott Taylor.”
Dave Wasserman: Corey Stewart (R) #VASEN nomination probably not helpful for GOP chances of holding #VA02, #VA07, #VA10 & maybe #VA05 (near Freitas’s home).
Yahoo News: Virginia GOP worries Senate nominee Corey Stewart could drag down House members
“The morning after Corey Stewart’s victory in the Republican U.S. Senate primary in Virginia, party officials assessed how their candidate might affect House races in November. They didn’t like what they saw.”
VA-02
Daily Press: Primary winners Taylor, Luria to square off for 2nd District
“The district will be one of the most closely watched races in November, since it swung to the Democrats in the 2017, giving Gov. Ralph Northam 51 percent of its votes, after splitting 48 percent for Trump to 45 percent for Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016.”
Mic: “Elaine Luria, a former Navy commander who will run in Virginia’s 2nd District, which is filled with military families as it is home to a large Naval base in Norfolk. Luria continues the trend of Democrats nominating female veterans.”
Daily Press: GOP turnout declines for Virginia primaries
“Total Republican turnout in the district was down 8.5 percent from the primary in 2016, when Taylor defeated former Rep. Randy Forbes for the nomination.”
New York Times: How Corey Stewart Could Endanger Other Virginia Republicans
“ […] Ms. Luria said in an interview. ‘Virginia favors equality, diversity and economic opportunity for all. Corey Stewart’s race-baiting rhetoric is offensive to everybody in Virginia.’ Mr. Taylor angrily responded to a Twitter taunt from the state Democratic Party that asked him if he thought Mr. Stewart was a racist and whether the two men would campaign together. ‘Let’s see you jokers bring your weak identity politics campaign, trying to make it about race in #VA02, see how it works out for you,’ Mr. Taylor tweeted back. ‘Not gonna happen.’”
VA-07
Richmond Times Dispatch: Abigail Spanberger easily defeats Dan Ward in 7th District Democratic primary
“Former CIA officer Abigail Spanberger handily defeated former Marine pilot Dan Ward on Tuesday in the 7th District Democratic primary, and she will face GOP Rep. Dave Brat this fall in a district that national Democrats have targeted for flipping.
“Spanberger got more votes Tuesday than any other candidate on the ballot in Virginia’s House primary races.
“The 7th spans much of central Virginia and includes all or part of 10 counties. Spanberger held more than 100 meet-and-greets during the primary campaign and focused on the district’s suburban Richmond areas in Chesterfield and Henrico counties. She soundly won there but also topped Ward or held even in rural areas.”
Stu Rothenberg: Wow. Watch this race in the fall. Dave Brat (R) has a problem
“Spanberger sounds like a badass”
Yahoo News: Virginia GOP worries Senate nominee Corey Stewart could drag down House members
“But Shaun Kenney, a former executive director of the Republican Party of Virginia, was more alarmed about Brat’s seat in the Seventh District, which he won in a huge primary upset four years ago over then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.
‘Dave Brat is done by the numbers. By math, he’s done,’ Kenney told Yahoo News.
Brat will face Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who served eight years in counterterrorism and is running on a theme of unifying Americans during a time of discord. “The enemy isn’t a political party. It’s the forces trying to turn us against one another,” Spanberger said in a campaign ad. […]
‘There should not be that much Democratic support for that candidate, and Spanberger blew it out of the water,’ Kenney said.”
VA-10
Washington Post: State Sen. Jennifer Wexton wins the Democratic race to run against Rep. Comstock
“State Sen. Jennifer T. Wexton beat five Democrats in the race to challenge U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock (R) in what will be one of the most closely watched midterm elections in the nation.
“[…] Virginia Democrats hope for a repeat of the enthusiasm that carried Northam to a decisive win in 2017 and nearly flipped the state House of Delegates. Anti-Trump voters in the district, which stretches from Loudoun and parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties to Clarke and Frederick counties in the west, unseated nearly every GOP state lawmaker representing the same territory as Comstock.”
Dave Weigel: AP calls for Wexton in #VA10 — but no call yet for Comstock. She’ll win, but it’s generally not GOOD for an incumbent when the AP calls your opponent’s six-way primary before you manage to beat a rando.
Miles Coleman: Corey Stewart carried #VA10 by a larger margin than Barbara Comstock did. How bout that. #VASen
Kyle Kondik: I consider myself somewhat bullish on Comstock’s (R, VA-10) fall chances (at least compared to others, I think), but her primary performance tonight was weak and the Democrats got their most proven candidate (Jennifer Wexton) through the primary.
Stu Rothenberg: “Bullish?” [Comstock] is a clear underdog, Kyle. She is in exactly the worst kind of district for 2018.