Virginia 2026 primary elections: Who's running in the Republican primary for Virginia's 7th District?

WASHINGTON - Three Republicans are on the ballot in Central Virginia this August, hoping to secure the nomination for the commonwealth’s 7th Congressional District and flip the district red for the first time in nearly a decade.

The 7th District reaches from parts of Prince William County down to Fredericksburg. The three Republicans are all hoping to unseat Democratic incumbent Eugene Vindman.

Here’s who’s running:

Philip Harding

Philip Harding is an entrepreneur, and the founder of Impact Junkie, a company that helps people start businesses.

Harding has centered his campaign around three pillars: lifting small businesses, "[strengthening] families" and wrangling in the national debt.

"The strength of America is not in Washington. It is in its people," Harding writes on his campaign website. "Builders. Families. Communities. That is where we begin. Builders over bureaucracy."

His policies focus on cutting costs, both for people and the government. Harding wants to cut regulations on small businesses, introduce tax breaks for middle-class families and cut government spending.

Socially, Harding says he wants to crack down on crime and immigration, and "strengthen parental involvement" in schools.

Doug Olivant

Doug Olivant is a U.S. Army veteran who went on to teach at West Point and serve as a director for the National Security Council.

Olivant’s platform centers around local industry, defense and affordability.

"I’m committed to policies that support working parents, expand opportunity, and make it easier to build a good life right here at home," Olivant’s campaign website says. "That means reducing the cost of living, encouraging job creation, and cutting red tape that holds back small businesses."

Olivant says he’s focused on crime and defense. Locally, Olivant says he wants to crack down on illegal immigration and drug trafficking and invest in law enforcement. He describes his foreign policy as "peace through strength."

His other policies also include creating more manufacturing jobs, supporting local farmers, increasing government transparency and "protecting girls in sports."

Rick Smithers

Rick Smithers is a U.S. Army veteran-turned-pastor who has spent decades working in construction.

Smithers says he’s running for Congress because "I see a government full of people who’ve never had to swing a hammer, balance a family budget, or wonder if the work would be there next month." He believes leadership should be "built on faith in God, honesty and real hard work."

Smithers’ platform calls for investments in law enforcement, infrastructure, farmers and veterans as well as lower taxes and fewer regulations for small businesses.

November general election

The eventual Republican nominee will go up against Vindman in November. Vindman was elected in 2024, winning by just three points. Before Vindman, Gov. Abigail Spanberger held the seat for three terms, never winning by more than five points.

While recent district history says the 7th District might be close, before Spanberger took office in 2019, Republicans controlled the district going back to the early '70s.

The general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

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