by Nathaniel Cline
Two years after a close election, voters in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District are considering plans from Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman and three Republican challengers to lower costs, improve affordability and protect jobs.
The competitive district includes Prince William County and parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Nearly 400,000 residents voted in the 2024 U.S. House election, which Vindman won by three points over Republican Derrick Anderson.
After the state Supreme Court overturned the results of a high-stakes redistricting referendum, several District 7 candidates withdrew from the contest. Four remain, including Vindman, who is running unopposed in the Democratic primary.
All the contenders support policies to promote economic growth, job creation, veterans, the military, domestic manufacturing, and government reform, but each offers a different vision for the district’s future.
Affordability and cost of living concerns
The rising cost of living in the district remains a common concern for voters, with childcare, healthcare, housing and insurance straining budgets. Housing affordability has emerged as a major challenge in Prince William, Stafford, and Spotsylvania and other communities.
In the race for the Republican nomination, Rick Smithers, a pastor and construction company owner, said the biggest issue in his district now is “the growing financial pressure on working families.”
To address that, he would prioritize reducing federal spending, supporting small businesses and energy production, cutting regulations, and investing in infrastructure.
“My goal is simple: to make it easier for families to succeed, keep more of what they earn, and ensure that future generations can achieve the American Dream,” Smithers said in a statement.
Philip Harding, an entrepreneur and business executive, sees affordability as an economic growth and business issue.
“I think people are ready for some common sense,” Harding told 29 News. “We need a businessman who knows how to get in there and solve problems.”
Douglas Ollivant, a retired Army officer, told WWBT more broadly that the district needs “more jobs, better jobs” when considering the district’s challenges.
Vindman, the only Democrat in the race, has proposed legislation to lower utility costs and grocery prices.
Federal spending and government efficiency
In the 7th, shifts in federal government spending have reverberated across employment, contracting, veterans’ and transportation services, and the district’s economy.
Funding and programming cuts launched at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term have had an outsized impact in the district, largely because many federal workers lived in the district, according to 2024 data collected by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
In 2024, the office reported that over 147,000 federal workers lived in the commonwealth, 13% in the district. The total does not include contractors. Federal government shutdowns, workforce reductions and agency relocations have also had an impact.
Harding told Charlottesville’s WVIR his business experience would help improve government operations. His ideas include applying private-sector management, reducing bureaucracy, improving efficiency and making government more responsive.
At a candidate’s forum on June 17, Smithers argued that government efficiency depends on federal policies that do not create unnecessary costs for taxpayers. He said lawmakers should prioritize taxpayers before subsidizing or encouraging large corporate developments that increase infrastructure demands.
“Every district is facing issues that we all have in common,” Smithers said. “So it’s my desire to win a seat, get into office and do something good for people.”
At the same forum, Ollivant said, “We need more jobs, better jobs. We need to fix our food system. We need more power in the grid. Lots of problems that need to be fixed.”
Instead of advocating for spending cuts, Vindman has argued that Congress should focus on efficient use of taxpayer dollars while maintaining investments in infrastructure, defense readiness, agriculture, and constituent services.
Protecting democracy
Concerns about democratic institutions, election integrity, political extremism, and government accountability remain relevant in rural areas of District 7. A VCU study found that the state of democracy motivates many swing voters, especially college-educated ones.
According to recent Census data, 38.7% of district residents are college-educated.
“I believe the best way to strengthen confidence in our elections is to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” Ollivant said in a statement to the Mercury on his ideas to strengthen elections.
“That starts with passing the SAVE Act to ensure only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections, requiring voter ID, maintaining accurate voter rolls, and consistently enforcing election laws.”
Vindman has argued that protecting democracy has been a central issue for voters since his first election. The incumbent told the AP in 2024 that protecting democracy includes opposing political violence and promoting government accountability and transparency.
Harding and Smithers did not immediately respond for comment.
Transportation and infrastructure
More than 80% of the district residents commute to work, making transportation a key voter issue.
Smithers said the federal government has an important role to play in meeting the district’s transportation infrastructure needs, “but it should be focused on core infrastructure priorities rather than political projects,” he said.
Fuel costs for locals could be lowered, Smithers said, through domestic energy production and targeted infrastructure investments focused on roads, bridges, and congestion relief.
Smithers also said he would like to slow or pause data center development in the region until infrastructure can support it.
At least 131 data centers were operating in the state in 2024, according to a study by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission. Virginia is also home to the largest concentration of data centers in the world.
If elected, Smithers would prioritize legislation supporting infrastructure that serves residents and protects households from increased electricity costs associated with major industrial expansion.
Harding’s campaign to improve the business climate includes a broad focus on transportation rather than specific infrastructure projects.
Ollivant has a broader plan that includes expanding domestic manufacturing, expanding natural gas production, deploying small modular nuclear reactors, and reducing federal regulations due to increased costs and burdens on investment and job creation.
Vindman proposed the Diesel Prices Relief Act in May to temporarily suspend the federal diesel tax, reduce trucking costs, lower shipping expenses, and ease inflationary pressure on consumer goods.
Vindman has also advocated for federal transportation grants, highway improvement, freight movement, rural infrastructure and broadband access policies.
The deadline to register to vote, update registration or apply for a ballot to be mailed is on July 24. In-person early voting ends Aug. 1.
Primary Election Day is Aug. 4 and winning candidates will face off in midterm elections this fall.
