FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — After a very close race that took longer to tabulate with provisional, absentee and mail in ballots, after 98% of precincts reporting, the Associated Press Reports that retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Eugene Vindman has defeated military veteran Derrick Anderson in Virginia’s seventh congressional District.  The seat had been vacated by incumbent Abigail Spanberger, who has decided to run for Governor in 2025.

Background from the AP –

In the 7th District, the race between Vindman and Anderson quickly became one of the most competitive in the country, with Republicans hoping to make gains in districts in which they don’t face an incumbent. Vindman, despite being a political newcomer, developed a national profile after blowing the whistle alongside his brother during Trump’s first impeachment. The former Army officer focused his campaign around abortion rights and the threat of MAGA extremism on democracy. Anderson, a fellow veteran and former Green Beret, pitched himself as the more affable candidate, and centered his campaign around the economy.

Republicans steadily represented the district for nearly 50 years until Spanberger defeated former Republican Rep. David Brat in 2018.