Republicans won reelection in Virginia’s two most conservative congressional districts, but the race is still too close to call in the 5th District, where incumbent Republican Rep. John McGuire is fighting off a challenge from former Democratic Congressman Tom Perriello.
Democrats flipped Virginia’s two closely watched congressional races on election night. Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor bested incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in the 1st District and former Congresswoman Elaine Luria beat incumbent Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans in the 2nd District.
But Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, a historically solidly Republican district, was still too close to call as of 11:30 p.m. on election night.
“Welcome to overtime,” Perriello said. The response he got was a roaring cheer from a few dozen supporters who still remained at Kardinal Hall in Charlottesville just after 11 p.m.
“We are so incredibly excited about the votes today. We have built an incredible coalition that nobody thought was possible,” he added. “I know a little something about close elections, I know a little something about elections that don’t get decided the night of, and those elections have worked out pretty well for me in the past.”
Perriello won election to represent the 5th District in 2008 by a margin of 727 votes.
Across town, McGuire told reporters that he won the election, however. After thanking God, his wife, children and staff, he said, “we won this race.”
The Associated Press had not called the race in McGuire’s favor as of 11:45 p.m. on election night, though the Republican incumbent held a lead of 5,626 votes over his Democratic challenger with 98% of the votes counted.
Economic woes driven by tariffs and the conflict in Iran have emerged as the top issue for voters during the midterm elections, according to multiple Virginia polls. Regardless, McGuire has maintained his support of President Donald Trump as some Republicans in tight midterm contests across the country worked to distance themselves from the party leader in the months leading up to the election.
The first-term congressman has remained one of Trump’s staunchest supporters out of the cadre of Virginia’s Congressional Republicans. That support has turned into an anchor for the incumbent as a district that saw Republicans win in 2024 and 2025 by 15- and 7.6-point margins, respectively, became too close to call on election night.
Perriello’s campaign saw a path forward in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District paved with the support of voters from all political stripes, largely due to economic hardship. Throughout his campaign, the Democrat from Charlottesville has attributed that hardship to the actions of the Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress — including his opponent — that has not checked the executive branch.
Perriello had consistently outraised McGuire, of Goochland County, throughout the campaign, with the Democratic candidate bringing in $3.7 million to the Republican’s $2.4 million as of Oct. 14, according to the Federal Election Commission.
Large turnout in college towns across the 5th District as well as disillusionment with the current presidential administration and Congress may be factors in the closer-than-normal race.
Cook Harvey, the independent candidate, trailed behind the two major party candidates in the 5th District.
Cline defeats Macy
Incumbent Republican Rep. Ben Cline, of Botetourt County, beat a formidable challenge from former journalist and best-selling author Beth Macy. The race was called by The Associated Press around 9:15 p.m. Polls closed across the commonwealth at 7 p.m.
The Virginia Department of Elections website showed Cline with 54% of the vote and Macy with 44%, with 21 of 23 localities reporting in the district as of 9:15 p.m.
“Democrats may have tried to silence the voices of rural Virginia through their failed, illegal gerrymander, but tonight the people made it clear that their voices cannot be ignored,” Cline said in a statement Tuesday. “I will never stop fighting for our conservative values, particularly at a time in this nation’s history when radical leftists have made it clear that they will never stop trying to destroy what has made this country strong for two and a half centuries.”
Macy, of Roanoke, had launched her campaign for Congress in November 2025, after the question of whether Virginia would redistrict its congressional map was first posed and before the first prototypes of what that new map could look like had been released.
The General Assembly had drawn Macy into a new, salamander-shaped 6th District in early 2026 that would have been competitive for Democrats. In May, the Virginia Supreme Court overturned the referendum and returned Macy to the original 6th to face Cline in a solidly Republican district.
Despite facing an uphill battle in a district that Cline won with a 28-point margin in 2024, Macy chipped that comfortable margin down considerably and outraised the incumbent $2.9 million to $1.9 million as of Oct. 14, according to the FEC. This upcoming Congress will be Cline’s fifth term in federal office.
“I am so proud of the movement we built, proud of the campaign we ran, and proud that we focused on the issues that mattered to folks from Roanoke through the Highlands and the Shenandoah Valley to Winchester,” Macy said in a concession statement. “I know this is not the outcome we hoped for, but it has been the honor of my lifetime to be your candidate. I carry your stories and experiences with me every day. Thank you for your support, and I wish Congressman Cline success in guiding the 6th District through the challenges facing our community. He will be in the House minority now and will need our thoughts and prayers more than ever if he is to deliver for the people of this district.”
Throughout his campaign, Cline focused his line of attack against Virginia’s Democratic lawmakers and the recent effort to redistrict the commonwealth and away from his support of Trump.
Recent increases in grocery, fuel and energy costs — largely driven by U.S. involvement in the conflict in Iran as well as tariffs levied by the Trump administration against trade partners — were not enough to flip the crimson district to a soft periwinkle.
Griffith beats Powers
Republican Rep. Morgan Griffith fended off a challenge from Joy Powers to win reelection to represent the 9th Congressional District. The race for the 9th Congressional District was called in Griffith’s favor by the Associated Press around 8:30 p.m. The Virginia Department of Elections website showed Griffith with 65% of the vote and Powers with 33%, with 26 of 28 localities reporting in the district as of 9 p.m.
During the campaign, Powers, a cattle farmer and Democrat from Bedford County, had blamed rising costs on Griffith’s party and claimed that the incumbent had been unavailable to his constituents. Griffith, of Salem, ran on his record of protecting “conservative family values.” This upcoming Congress will be Griffith’s 9th term.
The district has been reliably Republican since 2010, when Griffith ousted former Democratic Rep. Rick Boucher, who had held the seat for 28 years.
