Eugene Vindman will win the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 7th congressional district, NBC News projects.
Derrick Anderson will win the Republican nomination in that same district, NBC News projects.
This congressional race will likely be the hottest in the commonwealth this fall.
Polls in Virginia closed at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Refresh this page for updates as the results come in.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, currently represents Virginia's 7th district, which covers parts of Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, as well as several others. But Spanberger announced she will run for governor in 2025 instead of seeking re-election to Congress, creating an open seat — and that led a lot of candidates on both sides to jump into the ring.
On the Republican side, six candidates were seeking the nomination to represent their party in a district that the GOP hopes to flip back to red this fall.
Among the Democrats, first-time candidate Vindman emerged from a field of seven hopefuls, including several who already hold public office but were looking to move up.
Vindman far outraised the other six Democrats, although four of them have experience as elected officials, including three current office holders.
Vindman's twin brother, retired Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, made international headlines when he testified during former President Donald Trump's impeachment hearings about Trump’s dealings with Ukraine. Eugene Vindman — who was a military officer at the time — said he, too, was involved as a whistleblower, which led to both brothers losing their government positions.
Money and an already well-known name were key to making him the perceived Democratic frontrunner ahead of Tuesday's primary.
"An advantage in terms of endorsements from top Democrats, the funding advantage that he has in terms of ability to raise money and the fact he has a name that is well-known — that puts him in a position to be better-known than the other candidates," said Stephen Farnsworth, a political analyst at the University of Mary Washington.
Even though there's also an open seat in the 10th congressional district, the 7th is the race political analysts see as most competitive in November.
"The Republicans are looking at the 7th district as a more appealing opportunity to flip a seat in Northern Virginia," Farnsworth said. "The amount of money that's going to be spent on the 7th district on the Republican side will be much, much greater than the 10th, regardless of who the nominee is."
On the GOP side, two veterans emerged at the top of the six-person pack ahead of Tuesday's primary.
Derek Anderson, who highlighted his Green Beret background, was the top fundraiser and may have had an edge heading into Tuesday.
"I think a lot of people believe Anderson is probably the favorite in that race," political analyst Robert Holsworth said. "He has more money; he has a pedigree and a background that is quite interesting, and so, my guess, again, is that he is the favorite."
But Cameron Hamilton, a Navy SEAL combat veteran, also waged a strong campaign.
Neither man has served in public office before.
The GOP candidates all are giving full-throated support for Donald Trump. The primary vote may be the first indication of whether the former president’s legal troubles have energized GOP voters to turn out.
