Midterm results: Jennifer Wexton hangs on against Hung Cao in Virginia in early sigh of relief for Democrats
Jeremiah Poff
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Incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) has defeated Republican nominee Hung Cao in a closely watched race for the seat representing Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.
The race was widely considered to be a bellwether of how big the expected Republican wave could end up being, and Wexton’s victory is an early indicator that the Democrats may not be headed for a total electoral wipeout, even as the party is expected to lose control of the House of Representatives.
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Wexton, a former prosecutor and Virginia state senator, defeated Cao with 53% of the vote Tuesday, securing a third term in Congress after first winning the seat in the 2018 midterm.
The district’s boundaries include portions of the northern Virginia counties of Loudoun and Fairfax, which are among the wealthiest in the nation. In 2021, Loudoun County served as a backdrop for the winning campaign of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) that emphasized parental rights and education following COVID-19-related school closures.
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Cao, a Navy veteran and refugee from Vietnam, was considered a long shot to flip the northern Virginia seat, which has a heavy Democratic lean. His campaign emphasized economic concerns such as inflation but also leaned into the Youngkin playbook and pressed Wexton on parental rights. Youngkin campaigned regularly with Cao throughout the waning days of the campaign.
Cao’s electoral defeat was by a thin margin in the Democratic-leaning district.