Democrat Eugene Vindman and Republican Derrick Anderson gave their closing final messages to voters as they both vye for the seat to represent Virginia’s 7th District, which covers part of Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, as well as several others.
The seat was vacated by current Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is running for Governor.
Anderson held an event with Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and House Speaker Mike Johnson while Vindman and incumbent Senator Tim Kaine hosted a canvassing event in Fredericksburg.
Vindman said a lot is at stake.
“The biggest issue is abortion, women’s reproductive healthcare – critical issue,” he said. “I’ve got a 14-year-old daughter who has fewer rights after Dobbs than women have enjoyed for decades.”
Anderson has said he respects the Dobbs decision but is not in favor of a national abortion ban.
“I’m a pretty common sense person,” Anderson said. “I just want to make things more affordable so my mom will stop calling me when she goes to the grocery store. I want to make our community safe, support our law enforcement and take care of our veterans.”
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Both candidates are decorated veterans who talk about the importance of reaching across the political aisle. Vindman has tried to link Anderson with so-called MAGA extremists while Anderson has said Vindman is focused on a revenge tour against former President Donald Trump.
In the home stretch, both are touting their efforts to gain bipartisan support.
“When I was in the army, we didn’t wear red or blue,” Anderson said. “We weren’t republicans or democrats. We had different opinions by all means, but at the end of the day, we had a mission to accomplish.”
“I will be a representative for everybody in this district,” Vindman said. “Not just for democrats or republicans or independents. I make my case to everybody. I turn up at places frankly where people may not be used to seeing Democrats.”
Both candidates told News4 they’re excited by the high early voting turnout.
The 7th District can be tough to predict, as President Joe Biden won it in 2020, then Youngkin, a republican, won it in 2021 and Spanberger won it in 2022.
