Tuesday, Aug. 4, Shannon Taylor, the commonwealth’s prosecutor for Henrico County, won the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. She received 53.1% of the vote as of 9:45 p.m., with over 99% of votes counted.
Taylor faced several challengers, who positioned themselves to her left on issues of social welfare, immigration enforcement and the United States-Israel relationship. Salaam Bhatti, a public interest attorney, trailed with 19.7% of the vote, followed by Navy veteran Jason Knapp with 10% and Army veteran Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs with 7.1%.
Taylor’s campaign fundraising surpassed all other candidates in the race by a significant margin. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Taylor’s campaign raised $2,140,930 — around $1.6 million more than her closest competitor.
Taylor was supported by the Congressional Democrats’ campaign arm. She also scored endorsements from top Virginia Democrats — including Gov. Abigail Spanberger D.P.S ’26 and U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner.
The seat for Virginia’s 1st Congressional District has been held by Republican Rep. Rob Wittman since 2007. The Nov. 3 race is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country and will be key to Democrats regaining control of the House.
