Republican Party primaries in Virginia, 2022
2024 → ← 2020 |
| Republican Party primaries, 2022 |
 |
| Primary Date |
| June 21, 2022 |
| Federal elections |
| Republican primaries for U.S. House |
| State party |
| Republican Party of Virginia |
| State political party revenue |
This page focuses on the Republican primaries that took place in Virginia on June 21, 2022.
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Federal elections
U.S. House
The U.S. House of Representatives elections in Virginia were on November 8, 2022. Voters elected 11 candidates to serve in the U.S. House from each of the state's 11 U.S. House districts.
District 1
Republican primary candidates
This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
- Robert J. Wittman (Incumbent) ✔
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 2
Republican primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 3
Republican primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 4
Republican primary candidates
This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 5
Republican convention candidates
District 6
Republican primary candidates
- Benjamin Lee Cline (Incumbent) ✔
- Merritt Hale
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 7
Republican primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 8
Republican convention candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 9
Republican primary candidates
This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:
- H. Morgan Griffith (Incumbent) ✔
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 10
Republican primary candidates
Did not make the ballot:
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
District 11
Republican primary candidates
= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey
State elections
No statewide offices in Virginia were up for election in 2022.
Primary election competitiveness
This section contains information about the primary election competitiveness of election in Virginia. For more information about this data, click here.
Virginia's primary filing deadline was on April 7, 2022. Candidates filed to run for U.S. House. The table below shows cumulative primary competitiveness and incumbency statistics by office in this state.
| Virginia primary competitiveness, 2022 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Districts/ offices |
Seats | Open seats | Candidates | Possible primaries | Contested Democratic primaries | Contested Republican primaries | % of contested primaries | Incumbents in contested primaries | % of incumbents in contested primaries |
| U.S. House | 11 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 16[3] | 1 | 4 | 31.3% | 2 | 18.2% |
| Totals | 11 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 16 | 1 | 4 | 31.3% | 2 | 18.2% |
U.S. House competitiveness
| Virginia U.S. House competitiveness, 2014-2022 | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Office | Districts/ offices |
Seats | Open seats | Candidates | Possible primaries | Contested Democratic primaries | Contested Republican primaries | % of contested primaries | Incumbents in contested primaries | % of incumbents in contested primaries |
| 2022 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 33 | 16[4] | 1 | 4 | 31.3% | 2 | 18.2% |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 31 | 15[5] | 4 | 2 | 42.9% | 2 | 18.2% |
| 2018 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 37 | 17[6] | 6 | 3 | 52.9% | 2 | 20.0% |
| 2016 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 29 | 20[7] | 1 | 4 | 25.0% | 2 | 22.2% |
| 2014 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 32 | 20[8] | 1 | 3 | 20.0% | 2 | 22.2% |
Post-filing deadline analysis
The following analysis covers all U.S. House districts up for election in Virginia in 2022. Information below was calculated on June 7, 2022, and may differ from information shown in the table above due to candidate replacements and withdrawals after that time.
Thirty-three candidates filed to run for Virginia's 11 U.S. House districts, including 12 Democrats and 21 Republicans. That's three candidates per district, more than the 2.36 candidates per district in 2020 and less than the 4.09 in 2018.
This was the first election to take place under new district lines following the 2020 census. Virginia was apportioned 11 districts, the same number it was apportioned after the 2010 census.
All 11 incumbents filed to run for re-election, meaning there were no open seats this year for the first time since 2012.
There were five contested primaries — one Democratic and four Republican — this year. That's the fewest contested primaries since 2014, when four primaries were contested.
Two incumbents — Rep. Ben Cline (R) from the 6th district and Rep. Don Beyer (D) from the 8th district — faced primary challengers, the same number as every year since 2014, except for 2016, when only one incumbent faced a primary challenger.
Republican and Democratic candidates filed to run in all 11 districts, so no seats were guaranteed to either party this year. Seven candidates, including incumbent Abigail Spanberger (D), filed to run in the 7th district, the most candidates who ran in a district that held primaries this year.
Context of the 2022 elections
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | D |
State party overview
Republican Party of Virginia
- See also: Republican Party of Virginia
State political party revenue
State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.
The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Republican state party affiliates.
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Virginia utilizes an open primary process in which registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[9][10]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
Poll times
In Virginia, all polls open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Time. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[11]
Registration requirements
- Check your voter registration status here.
To vote in Virginia, one must be a United States citizen, a resident of Virginia, and at least 18 years of age.[12]
Registration can be completed online, in person at a local voter registration office, or by mail. Voters can also register at the following locations:[12]
| “ |
|
” |
| —Virginia Department of Elections |
The deadline to register is 22 days before a primary or general election.[12]
Automatic registration
On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed SB219 into law, establishing automatic voter registration for individuals conducting business with the Department of Motor Vehicles.[14]
Online registration
- See also: Online voter registration
Virginia has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.
Same-day registration
Virginia allows same-day voter registration in-person at local registrars' offices, satellite early voting sites during the early voting period, and at the precinct on Election Day.[12]
Residency requirements
To register to vote in Virginia, you must be a resident of the state. State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.
Verification of citizenship
Virginia does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who makes a materially false statement may be "sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, or up to 12 months in jail and/or fined up to $2,500."[15]
All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[16] As of January 2025, six states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, and New Hampshire — had passed laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration. However, only two of those states' laws were in effect, in Arizona and New Hampshire. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allowed noncitizens to vote in some local elections as of November 2024. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.
Verifying your registration
This page, run by the Virginia Department of elections, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.
Voter ID requirements
According to the Department of Elections website, "All voters casting a ballot in-person will be asked to show one form of identification. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification may instead sign a statement, subject to felony penalties, that they are the named registered voter who they claim to be. Any voter who does not present acceptable identification or sign this statement must vote a provisional ballot."[17][18]
The following documents were considered acceptable identification for voting as of May 2023:[17]
- Virginia driver's license or DMV-issued ID card
- Valid employee ID, containing a photo, issued by the voter's employer in ordinary course of business
- U.S. military ID
- Valid student ID, containing a photo, issued by any public or private school college, or university
- Valid student ID issued by a public or private school high school, college, or university in Virginia (with or without a photo)
- Valid U.S. passport or passport card
- ID card issued by the federal government or a Virginia state or local authority.
- Voter ID card issued by the department of elections
- Voter confirmation documents
- Valid tribal enrollment or ID issued by one of the 11 tribes recognized in Virginia
- Government nursing home resident ID
- Any other current government document containing the name and address of the voter
- Signed ID Confirmation Statement
Early voting
Virginia permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website. Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
As of February 2024, 47 states and the District of Columbia permitted no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
All Virginia voters are eligible to vote absentee/by mail. There are no special requirements to be eligible to vote absentee/by mail. Voters may request an absentee ballot online or complete a paper absentee ballot request form and return it to their local voter registration office by mail, fax, or email. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. at least 11 days before Election Day.[19][20]
Completed ballots must be returned to the local registrar's office or an official drop off location by 7 p.m. on Election Day. If mailed, completed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received within three days of the election in order to be counted.[19]
On April 12, 2020, Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed HB1 and SB111 into law, establishing no-excuse absentee voting 45 days prior to an election. The legislation was in effect for the November 3, 2020 election.[14]
On the same day, Northam also signed HB238 and SB455, providing for absentee ballots postmarked on or before the date of an election to be counted if received by noon on the third day after the election.[14]
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
Five of 133 Virginia counties—3.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 |
| Buckingham County, Virginia | 11.28% | 2.43% | 0.87% |
| Caroline County, Virginia | 5.02% | 8.24% | 11.97% |
| Essex County, Virginia | 2.14% | 7.30% | 10.35% |
| Nelson County, Virginia | 5.59% | 2.72% | 9.15% |
| Westmoreland County, Virginia | 7.14% | 6.95% | 10.24% |
Note: Although it is highlighted in the map above, the city of Chesapeake is not considered a county and not included in our calculations as such.
In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections,"Casting a Ballot," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Six district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Six district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Seven district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Five district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total for number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
- ↑ Two district parties chose to hold nominating conventions or caucuses instead of primaries. Those are not included in the total number of possible primaries.
- ↑ NCSL,"State Primary Election Types," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections,"Casting a Ballot," accessed October 7, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Election and Voter FAQ," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 Virginia Department of Elections, "How to Register," accessed May 3, 2023 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "vareg" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Office of the Governor of Virginia, "Governor Northam Signs Sweeping New Laws to Expand Access to Voting," April 12, 2020
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Virginia Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Voter identification, "Voting on Election Day," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Voting on Election Day," accessed May 3, 2023
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "Absentee and Early Voting," accessed October 4, 2024
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Virginia Absentee Ballot Application Form,"accessed October 7, 2024
