Democrat Eugene Vindman wins Virginia House race, defeating Republican Derrick Anderson

FREDERICKSBURG, VA – Democrat Eugene Vindman has won His Virginia House RaceThe suburban Northern Virginia seat remained blue following the retirement of Representative Abigail Spanberger.

With 98% of the votes counted, Vindman leads Republican Derrick Anderson, 51.1% to 48.9%, the Associated Press reports.

The race for Virginia’s 7th District was considered one of the best opportunities for Republicans to turn a House seat red this cycle, putting them one seat closer to protecting — or possibly expanding — the GOP House majority.

Anderson faces tough competition against Vindman, who gained national attention as a whistleblower in 2019 first attempt at impeachment against President-elect Donald Trump, which was sparked by the Ukraine-born candidate’s reporting of a phone call between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Despite his national name recognition, Vindman ran An under-the-radar campaignJust participating in one debate against Anderson.

When he finally sat down for his first interview of the campaign cycle, he gave the local TV outlet only seven minutes. He spent the interview repeating things and dodging questions about his military record amid accusations that he had exaggerated it.

Anderson pointed to Vindman’s working relationship with his twin brother Alexander, who gave famous testimony In Trump’s first impeachment inquiry, as a potential conflict of interest.

eugene vindman Refused to answer questions from The Post About his business dealings in Ukraine, which began after he made more than a dozen taxpayer-funded trips to the war-torn nation.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson Rallies were held in this and another close Virginia House district on election eve.Telling The Post that “the path to maintaining and increasing our majority lies directly through Virginia.”

Johnson appeared at events to garner support for Anderson and vulnerable freshman Representative Jane Kiggans, who retained her seat in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.

“Green Beret Derrick Anderson has served our country and been a strong voice for Virginia’s 7th District to secure our border, fix our economy and restore peace through force,” Johnson told The Post. Will become.”