Candidates file to run in 2024 Senate, House of Representatives races
STAUNTON – It might seem like the last election season was just yesterday, but 2024 is a major election year for Virginia. A Senate seat and the local House of Representatives seat are both coming up for a vote alongside the 2024 Presidential race.
Now that the deadline for candidates to file federally has passed, here is a look at the candidates and The News Leader’s previous coverage of them.
Who's running for Senate?
The incumbent senator is Tim Kaine, who recently visited Staunton and Richmond to kick off his campaign. Kaine was first elected in 2012 by a 5-point margin, then again in 2018 by a 16-point margin. Kaine is also known nationally from his time as a vice presidential candidate alongside Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.
The Republican candidates for Senate include Hung Cao, Edward C. "Eddie" Garcia Jr., Jonathan W. Emord, C. L. "Chuck" Smith, Jr., and Scott Thomas Parkinson.
USA Today spent a day with Eddie Garcia as he campaigned in December, giving a pro-unity, pro-working-class message he hopes will draw moderate Democrats and Republicans to support him in the primary.
Hung Cao was named “honorary chairman” of Unleash America, a super PAC which claimed to be supporting Republican candidates in Virginia's 2023 election. A recent USA Today investigation found not a single Republican candidate for state or local office received any direct financial support from the federal Unleash America super PAC, according to the Federal Election Commission and Virginia’s State Board of Election filings.
Who's running for House of Representatives?
In the House of Representatives, incumbent Ben Cline is the only Republican on the ballot. Cline was re-elected in 2022, winning nearly 60% of the vote.
Cline was criticized by his 2022 opponent, Jennifer Lewis, for voting in favor of rejecting the 2020 Electoral College ballots in a Republican-led effort to overturn President Joe Biden's election. In 2021, The News Leader took a look into Cline's voting record, where he opposed laws expanding protections to the LGBTQ+, elderly and pregnant communities. More recently, he served as one of the impeachment managers against Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
In a statement made after winning in 2022, Cline said, "I am eager to tackle the challenges facing our nation in a new Republican majority and address the many failings of the Biden Administration. Americans voted for a change today because as they’ve felt the pain of high energy costs and the uncertainty of rising crime, Washington has provided few solutions. A Republican majority will put legislation on the President’s desk to rein in Democrats' inflation-fueling spending, shut off the supply of fentanyl that is poisoning this country by securing our open southern border, and provide much needed relief at the gas pump by restoring America’s energy independence. I look forward to getting back to work for the people of Virginia’s Sixth District."
The Democratic challenger is Ken L. Mitchell. According to his website, https://www.kenmitchellforvirginia.com/, Mitchell retired from serving in the U.S. Army and has worked building broadband systems in the telecommunications industry.
“Now that the nomination has been secured, we have a lot of work to do. I will continue to meet with you, listen to your concerns and ideas, and work to build a campaign to defeat Ben Cline,” Mitchell wrote on his website.
Lyra Bordelon (she/her) is the public transparency and justice reporter at The News Leader. Do you have a story tip or feedback? It’s welcome through email to lbordelon@gannett.com. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Candidates file to run in 2024 Senate, House of Representatives races
