The Democratic primary for the 10th District of the Federal House of Representatives is attracting attention in the Virginia primary election to be held on the 18th. District 10, which includes Loudoun County (54%), Prince William County (26%), Purquier County (10%), and parts of Fairfax County (3%), was run by the Democratic Party with the election of Rep. Jennifer Wexton in 2019. It became a constituency. However, when he was unable to run this year for health reasons, 12 people ran in the Democratic primary to replace him.
With several candidates competing to advance to the Federal Assembly, over $4 million in campaign funds invested in the 10th District Democratic Party primary, the response is that it is a “war of war” of all time.
As the primary is already recognized as being more intense than the main election, a fierce election battle is unfolding with no concessions, including door-to-door visits to appeal for support, phone calls, mail, and leaflet distribution. Among the 12 candidates, 4 strong candidates emerged, forming a semifinal structure, and among them, various competitive structures such as men and women, old and new, are also being created.
First, state senator Suhas Subramanyam, a second generation Indian, is attracting attention as an Asian in his 30s. He entered politics by being elected to the state House of Representatives in 2019, and despite his relatively short political career, he quickly emerged as one of the most influential candidates after receiving the support of Assemblywoman Jennifer Wexton, who represents the 10th District.
State Senator Jennifer Boysko, who boasts a solid regional base, is also one of the strong candidates. He ran for the state House of Representatives election in 2015 and was elected, calling out to an incumbent Republican congressman, and in 2019, when then-State Senator Jennifer Wexton advanced to the U.S. House of Representatives, he ran in a by-election to replace her and was elected. He was re-elected last year and ran for the House of Representatives again this year to replace him.
While other candidates are carrying out a volume offensive worth more than $1 million, he is running a vigorous campaign based on grassroots organizations. Eileen Filler-Corn, the first woman and Jewish speaker of the Virginia General Assembly, had originally planned to run for governor next year, but decided to run for the 10th District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, which became vacant due to an incumbent member’s refusal to run.
Differentiating herself from other candidates based on her 13 years of experience in the state legislature, she emphasized, “The Washington Congress now needs rich experience and unifying leadership.”
Lastly, State Representative Dan Helmer, who is based in Centerville and is relatively well known in the Korean community, is a West Point graduate and former reserve lieutenant colonel, received support from the Washington Post, and was the first to raise over $1 million in campaign funds. Having passed more than 100 bipartisan bills during his last three terms, he was described by House Speaker Don Scott as ‘Richmond’s most effective lawmaker.’ However, he is under pressure to withdraw his candidacy following recent allegations of sexual harassment.