UNITED STATES - MARCH 13: Eugene Vindman, Democratic candidate for Virginia's 7th Congressional District, attends a news conference to urge the House to pass the Senate National Security Aid Package, which includes aid to Ukraine, on Wednesday, March …
WASHINGTON - Democrat Yevgeny ‘Eugene’ Vindman has been announced as the winner of Virginia's 7th Congressional District House race.
Vindman will be replacing incumbent Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is now running for governor of the Commonwealth.
It was one of Virginia’s most competitive races. It wasn't called by the Associated Press until 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
"It is the sort of district where congressional majorities are won and lost," University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth said. "If you can’t win the outer-ring suburban counties of big cities in America, then you’re not going to be in the House majority."
Vindman’s campaign massively outspent Anderson on political ads and raised over $12 million more than Anderson, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
The 4-year-old is a retired military officer who served in the Army from 1997 to 2022. He worked as a legal advisor for the U.S. National Security Council and eventually became the NSC’s Senior Ethics Official in the White House.
He gained notoriety in 2019 after reporting a phone call then-President Donald Trump had with the president of Ukraine where Trump attempted to extort Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden, which played a key role in Trump’s first impeachment trial. In 2020, Vindman and his brother, who first heard the call, were both fired.
Vindman ran on a platform of standing up to "attacks from MAGA Republicans," protecting abortion and voting rights, strengthening schools and improving Virginia’s agricultural and transportation infrastructure.
Anderson 40, is an attorney who worked in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under the Trump administration. He also served in the U.S. Army from 2006 to 2014 and was a former Army Green Beret during part of that time. He has heavily campaigned on his military career, saying he would stand up for veterans' rights.
"Though I no longer wear a United States Army uniform, it does not mean I can no longer serve this nation. I pledge to be the representative the people of Virginia's 7th District deserve and are owed," his campaign website read.
Anderson also stressed the economy and immigration and attempted to gain votes by painting Vindman as a partisan Democrat. Along with his criticisms of Vindman’s military rank and record, Anderson said the liberal candidate’s unique history with the former president should cost him.
"He thrives on divisiveness because he’s focused on his past — his revenge toward President Trump — while we’re focused on the future," Anderson said.
Vindman narrowly led Anderson by just 2% in polling by Ragnar Research Partners released just two weeks before the election. Now, the Democrat will fill Spanberger’s seat.