Virginia's 10th Congressional District election, 2016

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Virginia's 10th Congressional District

General Election Date November 8, 2016

Primary Date June 14, 2016

November 8 Election Winner: Barbara Comstock

Incumbent prior to election: Barbara Comstock

Race Ratings Cook Political Report: Toss-up Sabato's Crystal Ball: Toss-up Rothenberg & Gonzales: Toss-up/Tilt R

Virginia U.S. House Elections District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11

2016 U.S. Senate Elections

The 10th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 8, 2016.

Virginia's 10th Congressional District was a battleground district in 2016. Incumbent Barbara Comstock (R) defeated LuAnn Bennett (D) in the general election on November 8, 2016. Neither candidate faced an opponent at the party nominating conventions.

Candidate Filing Deadline	Primary Election	General Election
March 31, 2016	June 14, 2016	November 8, 2016

Primary: 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.

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Incumbent: Heading into the election the incumbent was Barbara Comstock (R), who was first elected in 2014.

Virginia's 10th Congressional District is located in the northern portion of the state and includes Clarke, Frederick, and Loudoun counties as well as Manassas Park city, Manassas city, and Winchester city. Portions of Fairfax and Prince William counties are also included in the district.

Election results

General election

U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Barbara Comstock Incumbent	52.7%	210,791
	Democratic	LuAnn Bennett	46.9%	187,712
	N/A	Write-in	0.4%	1,580
Total Votes				400,083
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

Candidates

General election candidates:

Barbara Comstock a
LuAnn Bennett
J.D. Thorpe (Write-in)

Filed candidates:

Democratic

LuAnn Bennett - Real estate executive a

Republican

Barbara Comstock - Incumbent a

Third Party/Other

J.D. Thorpe (Libertarian write-in)

Race background

Incumbent Barbara Comstock was a member of the NRCC's Patriot Program. The program is designed to help raise money and assist vulnerable incumbents seeking re-election.

LuAnn Bennett was one of the initial members of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee's Red to Blue Program. The program "highlights top Democratic campaigns across the country, and offers them financial, communications, grassroots, and strategic support."

Polls

Iowa's 3rd District - Barbara Comstock vs. LuAnn Bennett
Poll	Barbara Comstock	LuAnn Bennett	Margin of Error	Sample Size
Expedition Strategies (D October 10-12, 2016	44%	48%	+/-4.9	400
Expedition Strategies (D) September 19-21, 2016	47%	45%	+/-4.9	400
Note: A "0%" finding means the candidate was not a part of the poll. The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected]

Media

Barbara Comstock

Support

"Bipartisan Leader" - Comstock campaign ad, released October 2016

Opposition

"Represent" - House Majority PAC ad opposing Comstock, released October 2016

LuAnn Bennett

Support

"Table" - Bennett's first ad, released August 2016

"Stand Up" - Bennett ad tying Comstock to Trump, released September 2016

Opposition

"Parking Lot" - NRCC ad opposing Bennett, released October 2016

"LuAnn Bennett will be happy to take your money" - Congressional Leadership Fund ad

Campaign themes

Barbara Comstock

“	Leading on Tax Relief: $600 Billion in Tax Relief for Families and Businesses: Congresswoman Comstock supported the $600 billion tax relief package that was signed into law which helps middle class families and makes the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent. This important bill also makes the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent, which will help fuel the technology, defense and healthcare jobs of the 21st Century that helps our region grow. Leading on National Security: We live in a very unpredictable world where ISIS and other terrorist groups continue to be on the march against the freedoms America stands for. That is why we need leaders who recognize the threat and understand what it will take to defeat the enemy. Congresswoman Comstock has consistently voted for our men and women in uniform and has supported the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a budget that would increase defense spending by $40 billion and ease the devastating defense sequester cuts. Leading on Healthcare Measures to Fight Chronic Diseases and to Develop 21st Century Cures: The House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which Congresswoman Comstock has strongly advocated and worked for as well as cosponsored. This legislation puts our country on a path toward working on earlier detection, better treatment, and faster cures for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and more. Leading on Long Term Transportation Solutions: Congresswoman Comstock cosponsored the bipartisan five-year transportation bill that was signed into law and provides for more funding for infrastructure without raising taxes and has provisions written by the Congresswoman focusing on relieving traffic congestion and using technology for better traffic solutions. This legislation also includes reforms demanding more accountability and transparency from Metro. Working for our Many Small Businesses: As a former small business owner, Congresswoman Comstock understands what it means to sign the front of a paycheck. In Congress she has been a champion for small businesses earning a 100% from the National Federation of Independent Businesses and a 100% from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for her votes in the 114th Congress. Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is home to many small businesses that are the foundation of our economy and Congresswoman Comstock will continue to work to make sure our small businesses prosper.	”
—Barbara Comstock's campaign website

LuAnn Bennett

“	Education: LuAnn wants to make sure our public education system is providing every child with the skills and the knowledge they need to go on and compete and win in our 21st century global economy. Transportation & Development: LuAnn will always support bipartisan solutions to improve our transportation infrastructure and get Northern Virginians out of traffic and home to their families. In addition to supporting major new investments in our roads and bridges, LuAnn supports multi-modal transportation planning. She’ll be a strong advocate pressing for continued improvement of safety, management, and oversight at Metro while supporting increased federal funding to expand and make necessary upgrades to the system. Jobs & The Economy: As a successful small business executive, LuAnn knows what is needed to improve Northern Virginia’s economy and create good jobs. Her company helped create job opportunities for more than 1,000 workers and generated millions of dollars in economic development, while promoting energy efficient and environmentally sustainable development projects throughout the Metro region. Growing & Revitalizing our Middle Class: While our country has made much progress since the Great Recession, LuAnn knows there is more work to be done. While large corporations and those at the top have largely recovered, our country cannot fully realize its promise without a large and robust middle class. National Security, Foreign Policy & our Veterans: The United States is still the most dominant military and economic force in the world. LuAnn believes that America must continue to be engaged in the world and be a leader when it comes to ensuring our own national security and promoting security and stability throughout the world. Large-scale military intervention should always be the last resort. We must continue to keep our country safe and secure through the use of smart power, aggressive diplomacy, and by projecting our values of diversity and equal opportunity.	”
—LuAnn Bennett's campaign website

Campaign contributions

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

Barbara Comstock

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

LuAnn Bennett

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Source: This graphic was generated using data from the FEC.

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The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may not represent all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer, and campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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District history

2014

See also: Virginia's 10th Congressional District elections, 2014

The 10th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 4, 2014. Virginia state delegate Barbara Comstock (R) defeated Fairfax County Supervisor John Foust (D), Bill Redpath (L), Dianne Blais (G) and Brad Eickholt (I) in the general election.

U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	John Foust	40.4%	89,957
	Republican	Barbara Comstock	56.5%	125,914
	Libertarian	Bill Redpath	1.5%	3,393
	Green	Dianne Blais	0.4%	946
	Independent	Brad Eickholt	1.1%	2,442
	N/A	Write-in	0.1%	258
Total Votes				222,910
Source: Virginia Department of Elections

2012

See also: Virginia's 10th Congressional District elections, 2012

The 10th Congressional District of Virginia held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012. Incumbent Frank Wolf won re-election in the district.

U.S. House, Virginia District 10 General Election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Kristin Cabral	38.8%	142,024
	Republican	Frank Wolf Incumbent	58.4%	214,038
	Independent	Kevin Chisholm	2.7%	9,855
	Write-In	N/A	0.1%	527
Total Votes				366,444
Source: Virginia State Board of Elections "Official Election Results, 2012 General Election"

Important dates and deadlines

See also: Virginia elections, 2016

The calendar below lists important dates for political candidates in Virginia in 2016.

Dates and requirements for candidates in 2016
Deadline	Event type	Event description
March 31, 2016	Ballot access	Filing deadline for primary candidates
April 15, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
June 6, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
June 14, 2016	Election date	Primary election
June 14, 2016	Ballot access	Filing deadline for general election candidates
July 15, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
September 15, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
October 17, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
October 31, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
November 8, 2016	Election date	General election
December 8, 2016	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
January 17, 2017	Campaign finance	Campaign finance report due
Sources: Virginia Department of Elections, "November 8, 2016 Elections Candidacy Requirements," accessed January 11, 2016 Virginia Department of Elections, "2016 Candidate Reporting Deadlines," accessed January 11, 2016

See also

• United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2016
• United States House of Representatives elections, 2016
• Virginia elections, 2016

Footnotes

For information about public policy issues in the 2016 elections, see: Public policy in the 2016 elections!

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Virginia's current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Tim Kaine (D)

Mark Warner (D)

Representatives

District 1

Rob Wittman (R)

District 2

Jennifer Kiggans (R)

District 3

Bobby Scott (D)

District 4

Jennifer McClellan (D)

District 5

John McGuire (R)

District 6

Benjamin Lee Cline (R)

District 7

Eugene Vindman (D)

District 8

Donald Sternoff Beyer (D)

District 9

H. Morgan Griffith (R)

District 10

Suhas Subramanyam (D)

District 11

Gerald Edward Connolly (D)

Democratic Party (8)

Republican Party (5)