Rep. Eugene Vindman on Thursday announced that he intends to run for re-election — but in what could be a new congressional district for him.
The Democrat represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, which includes the Fredericksburg area. But his announcement said he would run in the 1st Congressional District if voters approve a mid-decade redrawing of political boundaries “to confront Trump administration corruption.”
The 1st District is now the political home of GOP Rep. Rob Wittman, who has represented much of the Fredericksburg region in the past under old boundaries. But Democrats who control the Virginia General Assembly want to redraw the lines in response to President Donald Trump’s efforts to reconfigure the House of Representatives to create more Republican-friendly districts in other states. The Virginia Democrats’ plan would take the state’s 11 districts, now represented by six Dems and 5 Republicans, and create a 10-1 Democratic advantage.
That would result in a scenario where Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County and much of Stafford County would be in the 1st District, and part of Stafford and the entire counties of Caroline and King George would be in the 8th District, now represented by Democrat Don Beyer.
“My story is rooted in the American Dream,” Vindman said in a prepared statement. “I came to the United States as a refugee from Soviet Ukraine. I served this country for 25 years in the U.S. Army and later continued that service in Congress.
“In one lifetime, I went from refugee to Representative — and I’m not finished. With our rights and freedoms under attack, I am running to represent Virginia’s First Congressional District.”
Vindman said he’s worked every day to deliver for Virginians: by lowering costs, standing up for the federal workforce, protecting access to health care and holding the Trump administration accountable.
“I’ve passed bills to support military families, invest in our students’ futures and address housing affordability,” he said. “I’m proud of that work, and I know there is more ahead.”
Before the redistricting could happen, though, voters in a special election proposed for April would have to approve a state constitutional amendment to allow the boundary moves.
And, to complicate matters further, the issue of redrawing lines is now before the Virginia Supreme Court. After the General Assembly and Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed off on the amendment going before voters, a Tazewell County Circuit Court judge ordered legislators to stop the redistricting, arguing it violated the state Constitution. Democratic leaders then appealed that decision.
“If Virginians stand up and approve this temporary and necessary measure to protect free and fair elections from being undermined by President Trump,” Vindman said, “I am ready to continue serving Central and Northern Virginia in Congress in VA-01 — grounded in the values that brought my family here and committed to the future we owe the next generation.”
