Vindman Declares Victory In 7th District Congressional Race

Updated: Wednesday, 5:47 a.m.

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Democrat Eugene Vindman declared victory late Tuesday night in the 7th congressional district race.

“With the support of our grassroots army, we accomplished something together that many didn’t think was possible," Vindman said, in an Election Night statement released by his campaign. "It’s a testament to the power of the American experience, that an immigrant who escaped a Soviet Regime and came to this great nation with less than $800 in our pockets, would now stand here as a Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives. Thank you to my incredible wife Cindy, our two wonderful kids Max and Madi, and of course my less handsome twin Alex.

“In my 25 years of military service, and when we were jumping out of airplanes, it didn’t matter to me the color creed, background, race, or party affiliation of the person next to me. What mattered was getting the mission done. That’s the type of service I am going to take to Washington as the next Congressman from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.”

Vindman was leading Republican opponent Derrick Anderson in a tight 7th congressional district early Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press.

With 99 percent of the votes counted, Vindman had 191,435 votes (51.51%) compared to Anderson's 179,200 votes (48.22%), according to unofficial results reported by the Virginia State Board of Elections.

Provisional and post-election ballots are the only votes left to count. The first are ballots that voters cast if they were registering at the polls on Election Day. Post-election ballots are those that are postmarked by 7 p.m. on Nov. 5 and received by the local general registrar no later than 12 p.m. on the third day following Election Day, according to the state board of elections. Ballots that have the correct postmark but are not received by the deadline will not be counted.

Check back Wednesday morning, when Patch updates this story with the final unofficial results of this race.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) will retire at the end of the year so she can run for the governor of Virginia in 2025. Democrat Eugene S. Vindman and Republican Derrick M. Anderson faced off to be Spanberger's successor in Congress.

Vindman first came to prominence in 2019, after his twin brother, Alexander, who was working as an ethics officer at the White House, told him about a phone conversation he’d overheard between then-President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During the call, Trump pressured Zelenskyy to investigate the former president’s political opponent, Joe Biden, and his son Hunter, according to the Associated Press.

The two brothers relayed their concerns to others, leading to Trump’s first impeachment. Two days after the former president was cleared by the U.S. Senate, he fired both brothers. Eventually, the Defense Department’s inspector general determined that Eugene Vindman’s dismissal was likely a retaliation and he was reassigned. Two years later, he retired after 26 years in the U.S. Army.

For full coverage of the election in Virginia, go here.

Anderson, a former U.S. Army Ranger, served as a platoon leader with the 3rd Infantry Regiment “The Old Guard” in Arlington National Cemetery, according to his campaign bio. After completing the Special Forces Qualifications Course, he became an A-Team leader in the Green Berets. He went on to serve in five deployments to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon, first as a detachment commander for two Special Forces teams and the company executive officer for two companies.

After leaving the Army, Anderson earned a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and then clerked for two federal judges, working on a variety of civil and criminal cases. Anderson also served in the White House during the Trump Administration, working in the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

The 7th district includes the City of Fredericksburg, as well as portions of Prince William, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Culpeper, Orange, Madison, Green, and Albemarle counties. The 7th congressional district leans Democrat, according to the 2024 Cook Political Report's House Race Ratings.