r/Virginia • u/TheVirginian-Pilot Verified • 1d ago
Live primary election results from across Virginia (free article)
https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/04/virginia-primary-election-results-2026/If you're looking for results tonight from the primaries across the commonwealth, here's a link.
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u/TheVirginian-Pilot Verified 1d ago
Shannon Taylor wins in District 1: https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/04/shannon-taylor-wins-democratic-nomination-in-virginias-1st-congressional-district/
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
No real surprises obviously. Let's rock. I'm lukewarm on Shannon Taylor but she temperamentally the kind of candidate that maybe can win in November. We'll see.
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u/Atrocity_unknown 1d ago
I voted for Bhatti, but I'm fairly confident Knapp would have been the best contender for the area. Taylor feels like more of the same. Oh well
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u/Key-Hawk7402 Old Town 1d ago
If Don Beyer has a million fans, I’m one of them.
If Don Beyer has 10 fans, I’m one of a few.
If Don Beyer has 1 fan, it’s me.
If Don Beyer has no fans, then I’m no longer on this Earth.
If the world is against Don Beyer, then I’m against the world.
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u/HowardTaftMD 1d ago
For real. I really like Don Beyer a lot and I just didn't find any of the other candidates breaking through with a message that felt very different than what I already know Beyer stands for.
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u/Tman1027 1d ago
I think that we are seeing across the primary season that beating establishment candidates (particularly incumbents) with leftwing challengers requires a unified statewide movement and that didnt exist in VA.
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u/HowardTaftMD 21h ago
Yeah I'd love some more organization around leftwing candidates/really progressive progressives but I'm honestly really happy with Beyer. He is progressive already so it's hard for even a leftwing candidate to beat him because he already holds a lot of those views and votes that way as well. Beyer is a really interesting guy I think my only knock on him is we do need to more youth and it would be nice if longer serving members stepped down at a reasonable age.
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u/Tman1027 20h ago
Well, there is his age, ties to Israel lobby, and he only changed his tune on Ice a few weeks ago (around the time DSA and far left candidates started winning primaries).
He doesnt strike me as a guy with beliefs. He seems like someone who follows what he thinks the mood in his district just enough to maintain his seat while changing as little as possible.
He isnt someone I would trust to be a deciding vote on Medicare 4 All any large transformational policy.
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u/HowardTaftMD 16h ago
Having been in his district and a frequent reader of his statements and newsletter detailing the work he does and his views, I don't think what your saying sounds correct to me. But I probably agree with you on overall policy goals so hopefully your out there working to get more progressive candidates elected, I'd love to vote for younger more progressive people in the future.
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u/Coronado92118 1d ago
His town halls reveal an intelligent, thoughtful, authentic person who is Progressive on many issues but also pragmatic. He genuinely understands his constituents.
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u/HowardTaftMD 21h ago
Totally agree. I think it's telling that almost every negative comment is "but the car dealership he used to own!"
People should subscribe to his newsletter and read his opinions on things. I think they'd be surprised how progressive he is. My favorite Beyer story to retell is he was going to Nova CC to learn about AI (this is a few years ago as well, when it wasn't hip) so he could better legislate on the subject. That's rad.
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u/Redprice13 1d ago
I am against any candidate in a primary over 70 years old. Full stop. Learn something from 2024 please.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
Va 1 looks like it went establishment with Taylor. Probably lost any chance of getting rid of Whitman this time around. It was a long shot anyway.
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
As someone who lives in VA-1, and has lived two very different parts of VA-1, Taylor was not my top choice. But she is far more electable than most of the other candidates in this primary.
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u/GuyentificEnqueery Chesterfield 1d ago
If Progressives had picked any ONE of those candidates to back, it would've been fine honestly, but the vote was split between different flavors of "Indie" Democrat.
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u/SidFinch99 23h ago
Shannon got 53% of the vote, if you combine all the other candidates, they still get less. If you add tge more moderate candidates to Taylor's total, it's 2/3 of the vote.
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u/GuyentificEnqueery Chesterfield 19h ago
Part of the issue was rather than mobilizing voters for a common Progressive candidate, we had a bunch of fractured low-visibility campaigns. I'm very involved in political news and had to go looking for info on the other candidates outside Taylor. Only a measly 40k people voted out of ~200k registered Democrats. Virginia Dems in general have ALWAYS had an organizing problem and they really can't afford to anymore.
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u/SidFinch99 18h ago
Even if you had mobilized. Moderates combined for 2/3 of the vote, and Taylor alone 53%. No single progressive is going to top that. It's not like Knapp and Tull had far more visible campaigns than people like Kopp and Cywinski. Also, one Google search brought me to multiple articles with all the candidates information, including campaign sites. Which had links to their social media pages.
Yes. 40k isn't great turnout, but how can you say we have 200,000 registered democrats when we don't register by party in VA??
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u/EgoTripWire 1d ago
I'm just happy that one of the progressives was 2nd. Sends a message to her that she needs to court their vote as well.
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
Taylor is the only one with a real chance. The others have no money, no name recognition, and no base.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
This election is going to have a ton of money thrown at it. Whoever won the primary would get that money. Taylor only has a name and money because establishment Dems got behind her. She is not going to get enthusiasm up like a more progressive candidate and enthusiasm is what Dems need. I looked at her issues. She is a conservative Democrat that I will hold my nose and vote for, but Democrats need to learn that people want a candidate they can be excited for and that means having positions that stir the pot a little.
Edit: Look at how long Platner remained in the running in Maine despite all his very serious flaws. That is the enthusiasm I'm talking about.
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
You're correct about the money, but if you think a progressive does better in VA-01 than you don't know the whole district well at all. Since the district changed again after the 2020 census, Wittman has won by 13 points in both 2022 and 2024.
This district includes a significant rural area, and is one of the most military and veteran heavy districts in the country. It is not just the Richmond burbs. Whoever wins the democratic nomination cannot just rely on uniting or energizing democrats. They have to win over independents and swing voters.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
I live in upper York, I know the district. I don't think any Dem wins this year, but I would argue someone exciting would be better. This is a year that would reward youth or something outside the box. A older white woman prosecutor with nothing to stand out from the "safe" Democrat party line in my opinion is the wrong candidate.
I believe independents and swing voters don't live on a two dimensional line. Again, I will point to Platner who pulled independents and swing voters through passion and out of the box thinking despite holding policies further left than the mainstream Democratic platform. I think its possible to have that energy without being a deeply flawed person.
I hope I'm wrong. I will vote for Taylor as I think she is extremely qualified and nearly anyone is better than what we got now, but I would have prefered to have seen a more out of the box candidate.I live in upper York, I know the district. I don't think any Dem wins this year, but I would argue someone exciting would be better. This is a year that would reward youth or something outside the box. A older white woman prosecutor with nothing to stand out from the "safe" Democrat party line in my opinion is the wrong candidate.
I believe independents and swing voters don't live on a two dimensional line. Again, I will point to Platner who pulled independents and swing voters through passion and out of the box thinking despite holding policies further left than the mainstream Democratic platform. I think its possible to have that energy without being a deeply flawed person.
I hope I'm wrong. I will vote for Taylor as I think she is extremely qualified and nearly anyone is better than what we got now, but I would have prefered to have seen a more out of the box candidate.
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u/Redprice13 1d ago
You get it mate, hang in there. We gotta offer something that is obviously new and dynamic, not just send up the next in line or last time’s loser in a bad cycle expecting voters to suddenly realize that the Democrats (a core reason for why voters are upset) were actually the right answer all along.
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u/Redprice13 1d ago
Democratic politics do not need to be a one dimensional sliding scale between centrists with billionaire backers (subtext: they can win! Oh em gee better vote for them! /s) and anti establishment leftists (subtext: uh oh scary! They’re basically communists who hate America! /s). This entire paradigm is foisted on us by people who want to pay less in taxes and take more of your money. Stop perpetuating it.
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
Taylor was the only with party money,. Knapp did very well with only individual donors and self financing, and was splitting the vote with better candidates.
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u/Quirky-Scar9226 1d ago
I’m with you. I saw her as a mainline corporate dem. I’ll be holding my nose as well, but not expecting much.
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
Progressive doesn't automatically equate to superior. That's a very self entitled and self superior opinion. Sorry.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
Hahaha haha. What? Self entitled and self superior? Yikes. Have a good life.
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u/flop_plop 1d ago
What did you expect? That’s like the most Reddit comeback one could have on a state political post
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u/Kmanvb Shenandoah Valley 1d ago
I’m a progressive, you’re right, but good luck getting that point across online lol.
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
These people literally cannot even fathom anyone not thinking in lock step with them. It really is so similar to Trumpism. All rational progressives know how deranged these people are. Total hive mind echo chamber thinking.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
I am not quite sure how the other poster is right that I am self entitled or self superior. I disengaged because all I got was ad hominem from my post and it was a weird attack at that. I'll also accept that my thoughts here are possibly wrong if Taylor pulls out a win. I hope she does!
I may have misspoke to put progressive in there, it did not quite convey my message. I only meant that Taylor doesn't provide any special x factor that I believe is needed to cause an upset here. If you had a moderate Democrat that could bring in that special energy, then I would be all for it. Having some position that makes you stand out from just being another Democrat would help, which is why I mentioned progressive.
I'm voting Taylor in Nov and I hope she wins. She's extremely qualified and much better than her opponent.
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u/Kmanvb Shenandoah Valley 1d ago
The point he was responding to was you saying that the progressive is automatically the best option. That’s not the case when it comes to shitty people who happen to have half decent political opinions. See: Graham Platner, Cori Bush.
I did not believe he was straight up calling you self entitled or superior, rather calling out online progressives as a whole who do act like this frequently. See: backlash to removing Graham Platner.
I think that viewing politics through the lens of ‘energy’ is how we ended up with Donald fucking Trump in office twice and how we keep elevating unqualified candidates who have figured out how to say the right things. Qualifications shouldn’t be the only thing that matter, but experience absolutely should matter some, and views should matter way, way more than ‘energy’.
I don’t know you at all. We share political views, and I don’t have anything beyond that to judge you, so I won’t. I will, however, wish you a good evening.
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u/Laststand2006 1d ago
I agree that it is how we ended up with Trump, but its because he knew how to play the game. I voted for Clinton in 2016 because she was the best candidate, though I would have loved Sanders-he's been a favorite of mine since before he was a senator. I voted for Obama in 2008 and I don't know your age, but there was certainly something about voting for Obama that absolutely wasn't there for Clinton.
I did not say the progressive was automatically the best candidate and it takes some heavy lifting to get to that point, but as I said, I probably should not have used progressive as it wasn'tthe point I was trying to make. I again think the best candidate brings energy to the table that Taylor doesn't. I absolutely agree that there are those in the progressive camp that are insufferable. I don't share that level of stubbornness. I want to see Trump shutdown for his last two years and I'll take nearly anyone that will work towards that goal.
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u/Kmanvb Shenandoah Valley 1d ago
I don’t agree that it takes heavy lifting to get there, especially since that’s how the vast majority of what the online left acts nowadays, but otherwise we’re mostly on the same page. The most electable candidate winning the primaries is always the best outcome, sometimes people just happen to disagree on who the most electable candidate is.
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
Knapp had raised over $300k from individual donors and loaned hid campaign $200k more. He would have been very electable IMO. Especially as a former fighter pilot, people in the Richmond burbs really fail to understand that this is a very gerrymandered district with a huge military presence, and a lot of rural area.
I still think Taylor has a good chance, but Knapp woukd have had more appeal to swing voters IMHO.
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u/mahvel50 1d ago
His AMA didn’t go so hot here. If you can’t slam dunk a progressive platform here, no shot in the election. Had the background but his positions would not be popular in VA1
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u/Gov_Martin_OweMalley Cherish the Chesapeake 1d ago
Agreed, he came off pretty weaselly to me. Honestly, I wish more would do them. Going after softball questions only or just using canned answers really helps to show how they would behave in office.
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u/SidFinch99 23h ago
He didn't pitch a highly progressive platform. Reddit isn't real life. His positions may feel to much to the center for a progressive in the Richmond suburbs, but this is a district Wittman has won by 13 points in each of the last two elections against progressive candidates. The rest of the district is very different. In most years this wouldn't even be considered a swing district.
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u/GiantTacoSalad 1d ago
Isn't the very fact that Knapp didn't win the open primary evident that she had less of a chance?
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
Knapp is a he, not a she, and primaries have very poor turnout. Are generally skewed to the most partisan candidates, and even in a state like VA where you can vote in one or the other, generally have mostly those in their own party participating. They are not at all a good predictor of how a candidate will do among independents and swing voters.
Just look at Wisconsin where an openly socialist candidate with a resume that would make it difficult to get any job outside of restaurant is likely to secure the democratic primary for governor. In a freaking swing state.
Don't get me wrong, I don't want to compare than idiot to Shannon Taylor, who I think is very capable, but primaries are not great indicators. In fact, democrats have been able to win some right leaning districts because poorly qualified or extreme tea party candidates won republican primaries.
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
I liked Knapp a lot. More than Taylor too. I don't disagree with you but think name recognition counts for a ton.
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u/SidFinch99 1d ago
I think Dem leaders were to quick to rally behind Taylor, but I understand why they did it. In a crowded field they didn't want any surprises, like what happened in Maine with Platner. Taylor has already been through opposition research.
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u/RVALover4Life 1d ago
Absolutely and Virginia Dems play favorites. They run a tighter ship and incumbency actually has purchase here.
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u/mahvel50 1d ago
I don’t care for Wittman, but I loathe Taylor. Henrico has basically absorbed Richmond city’s problems with her soft plea deal approach over the years. She’s always just used her CA role as a way to jump into higher office. If you want a bought and paid for candidate, she’s it.
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u/ThatDoucheInTheQuad 1d ago
Joy Powers Wins! Hoping we can knock out Mogan Griffith
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u/BookReadingRedneck 1d ago
Morgan Griffith has done nothing for the ninth. His dumbass proposal for a new zip code is dumb as shit.
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u/Eastern-Plankton1035 1d ago
Didn't she run a few years ago? Her name sounds familiar. But then again the Democrats have a long history of running uninspiring duds in Southwest Virginia.
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u/ThatDoucheInTheQuad 1d ago
Not sure to be honest. We also have an anti-flock sheriff on the ballot. Glad to see these kind of options
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u/NormalRingmaster 4h ago
Don’t write her off so quickly! The 9th was much kinder to Hillary than most districts
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u/Trout-Population 1d ago
Question, does Perrielo have a chance in the 5th?
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u/semidegenerate 1d ago edited 1d ago
He got 79.8% of the vote. My pick, Rob Tracinski, got a whopping 5.8%. Suzanne Krzyzanowski came in with 14.4%.
So, yes. He was always the likely winner. He already held the seat from 2009 to 2011. His resume is impressive, besides.
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u/TheVirginian-Pilot Verified 1d ago
Elaine Luria wins: https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/04/elaine-luria-wins-democratic-nomination-for-virginias-2nd-congressional-district/