2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia explained

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the 11 U.S. representatives from Virginia, one from each of the state's 11 congressional districts. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 113th Congress from January 2013 until January 2015. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial presidential election, and a U.S. Senate election.

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2012[1]
Party	Votes	Percentage	Seats Before	Seats After	+/–
	Republican	1,876,760	50.17%	8	8	-
	Democratic	1,806,025	48.28%	3	3	-
	Independent Greens	21,712	0.58%	0	0	-
	Green	2,195	0.06%	0	0	-
	Independents/Write-In	33,762	0.90%	0	0	-
Totals		3,740,455	100.00%	11	11	-

District 1

See also: Virginia's 1st congressional district. Republican Rob Wittman, who has represented the 1st District since December 2007, ran for re-election.^[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Rob Wittman, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Adam Cook, lawyer and Air Force reservist^[3]

Independent Greens primary

Gail Parker is the nominee of the Independent Greens of Virginia.

General election

Results

External links

District 2

See also: Virginia's 2nd congressional district. Republican Scott Rigell, who represented the 2nd District since January 2011, ran for re-election.^[4]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Scott Rigell, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Paul Hirschbiel, businessman^[5]

Declined

• Glenn Nye, former U.S. Representative^[6]

General election

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Scott Rigell (R)	Paul Hirschbiel (D)	Undecided
Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion[7]	October 1–2, 2012	766	±3.5%	align=center	44%	32%	24%
Public Opinion Strategies (R-Rigell)[8]	October 1–2, 2012	400	±4.9%	align=center	54%	39%	15%
Benenson Strategy Group (D-Hirschbiel)[9]	September 20–23, 2012	400	±4.9%	align=center	49%	40%	11%

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report[10]		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg[11]		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call[12]		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball[13]		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times[14]		November 4, 2012
RCP[15]		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill[16]		November 4, 2012

Results

External links
Paul Hirschbiel

District 3

See also: Virginia's 3rd congressional district. Democrat Bobby Scott, who has represented the 3rd District since 1993, ran for re-election.^[17]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bobby Scott, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Dean Longo, businessman and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel^[18]

General election

Results

District 4

See also: Virginia's 4th congressional district. Republican Randy Forbes, who has represented the 4th District since 2001, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Randy Forbes, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Bonnie Girard, businesswoman^[19]

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Ella Ward, Chesapeake City Council member^[20]

Eliminated in primary

• Joe Elliott, minister from Surry.^[19]

Primary results

General election

Results

District 5

See also: Virginia's 5th congressional district. Republican Robert Hurt, who has represented the 5th District since January 2011, ran for re-election.^[21]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Robert Hurt, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

John Douglass defeated Peyton Williams in a series of caucuses for the Democratic nomination.^[22]

Candidates

Nominee

• John Douglass, retired United States Air Force brigadier general and former Assistant Secretary of the Navy

Eliminated in primary

• Peyton Williams, defense systems engineer and retired Army Special Forces lieutenant colonel^[23]

Declined

• Tom Perriello, former U.S. Representative^[24]

Independent Greens primary

Kenneth J. Hildebrandt was the nominee of the Independent Greens of Virginia.^[25]

General election

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
align=left	The Cook Political Report		November 5, 2012
align=left	Rothenberg		November 2, 2012
align=left	Roll Call		November 4, 2012
align=left	Sabato's Crystal Ball		November 5, 2012
align=left	NY Times		November 4, 2012
RCP		November 4, 2012
align=left	The Hill		November 4, 2012

Results

District 6

See also: Virginia's 6th congressional district. Republican Bob Goodlatte, who has represented the 6th District since 1993, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Bob Goodlatte, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Karen Kwiatkowski, farmer and retired Air Force lieutenant colonel^[26]

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Andy Schmookler, author and radio talk show host^[27]

General election

Results

External links

• Point/Counterpoint: Meet your congressional candidates: 6th district, Roanoke Times, September 23, 2012

District 7

See also: Virginia's 7th congressional district. Republican Eric Cantor, the U.S. House Majority Leader who has represented the 7th District since 2001, ran for re-election.

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Eric Cantor, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Floyd Bayne, Independent Green candidate for this seat in 2010^[28]

Primary results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Wayne Powell, lawyer and former Army officer

Withdrawn

• David Hunsicker, real estate businessman and Vietnam War veteran^{[29] [28]}

Independents

Vivek Jain, a medical doctor affiliated with the Occupy movement, ran as an independent.

General election

Debates

• Complete video of debate, October 1, 2012

Results

External links

• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets'

Floyd Bayne

Wayne Powell

District 8

See also: Virginia's 8th congressional district. Democrat Jim Moran, who has represented the 8th District since 1991, ran for re-election.

Democratic primary

A controversy erupted when the Democratic Party of Virginia disqualified Moran's primary challenger Shuttleworth, saying he had fallen 17 signatures short of the 1,000 threshold required. Shuttleworth filed a federal lawsuit; the party then changed course without explanation and allowed Shuttleworth on the ballot.^[30]

Moran won the primary against Shuttleworth by a sizable margin.

Candidates

Nominee

• Jim Moran, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

• Bruce Shuttleworth, business consultant and former Navy pilot^{[31] [32]}

Withdrawn

• Will Radle, a financial advisor^{[33] [34]}

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Jay Patrick Murray, retired army colonel nominee for this seat in 2010^[35]

Independent Greens primary

Janet Murphy was the nominee of the Independent Greens of Virginia.

Independents

Jason Howell, accountant and author, ran as an Independent.^[36]

General election

Results

District 9

See also: Virginia's 9th congressional district. Republican Morgan Griffith, who has represented the 9th District since January 2011, ran for re-election.^[37]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Morgan Griffith, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Anthony Flaccavento, farmer and sustainability consultant

Withdrawn

• Jeremiah Heaton, Independent candidate for this seat in 2010^[38]
• Jim Werth, psychology professor at Radford University,^[39]

General election

Results

External links
Anthony Flaccavento

District 10

Republican Frank Wolf, who has represented the 10th District since 1981, ran for re-election.^[40]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Frank Wolf, incumbent U.S. Representative

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Kristin Cabral, attorney^[41]

Withdrawn

• John Douglass, retired United States Air Force brigadier general and former Assistant Secretary of the Navy^[42] (running in the 5th district)^[43]

Declined

• Jeff Barnett, retired Air Force colonel and nominee for this seat in 2010.^[44]

Independents

Kevin Chisholm, an independent and practicing engineer, also qualified for the ballot as an independent candidate.

General election

Results

External links
Kristin Cabral

Kevin Chisholm

District 11

Democrat Gerry Connolly, who has represented the 11th District since 2009, ran for re-election.^[45] Connolly won the 2010 election by just 981 votes (0.4%).

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Gerry Connolly, incumbent U.S. Representative

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Christopher Perkins, retired army colonel

Eliminated in primary

• Ken Vaughn, traffic engineer^[46]

Declined

• Keith Fimian, property inspection company founder and nominee for this seat in 2008 & 2010^[47]

Primary results

General election

Results

External links

• Virginia State Board of Elections
  • Official candidate list
• United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, 2012 at Ballotpedia
• Virginia from OurCampaigns.com
• Virginia Congressional Races in 2012 from Open Secrets (campaign contributions)
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation

Notes and References

1. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.aspx Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives
2. Web site: Republican chair whistling in city. April 7, 2012. April 23, 2012. The Virginia Gazette. Steve. Vaughan.
3. Web site: Democrat joins race for House against Wittman. January 10, 2012. January 20, 2012. Northern Neck News. Colston. Newton. https://web.archive.org/web/20120203155316/http://www.northernnecknews.com/?p=617. February 3, 2012. dead.
4. Web site: Virginia 2nd Congressional District gets new look, Peninsula additions. April 22, 2012. April 23, 2012. Virginia Daily Press. Austin. Bogues.
5. Web site: Va. Beach businessman seeks U.S. House seat. July 19, 2011. July 19, 2011. The Virginian-Pilot. Bill. Bartel. https://web.archive.org/web/20110722095924/http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/va-beach-businessman-hirschbiel-seeks-us-house-seat. July 22, 2011. dead.
6. Web site: Nye says he won't run for Congress in 2012. July 7, 2011. July 15, 2011. The Virginian-Pilot. Lauren. King. https://web.archive.org/web/20110707195902/http://hamptonroads.com/2011/07/nye-says-he-wont-run-congress-2012. July 7, 2011. dead.
7. https://web.archive.org/web/20140825092415/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/rigell-leads-democratic-opponent-latest-poll-shows Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion
8. https://web.archive.org/web/20121009022120/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/poll-released-rigell-shows-strong-lead-over-hirschbiel Public Opinion Strategies (R-Rigell)
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20121009022120/http://hamptonroads.com/2012/10/poll-released-rigell-shows-strong-lead-over-hirschbiel Benenson Strategy Group (D-Hirschbiel)
10. Web site: The Cook Political Report — Charts – 2012 House Competitive Races . Cookpolitical.com . November 5, 2012 . November 6, 2012.
11. Web site: House Ratings . Rothenbergpoliticalreport.com . November 2, 2012 . November 4, 2012.
12. http://www.rollcall.com/politics/race-ratings-chart-2012-house-elections.html
13. http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/articles/category/2012-house/ Crystal Ball
14. http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/ratings/house House Race Ratings
15. http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2012/house/2012_elections_house_map.html
16. Web site: House Ratings . The Hill . November 4, 2012. November 3, 2012 .
17. Web site: Scott will not run for U.S. Senate race; endorses Kaine. September 5, 2011. April 23, 2012. The Washington Post. Anita. Kumar.
18. Web site: Newport News Republican to challenge Bobby Scott for House seat. January 16, 2012. January 20, 2012. Virginia Daily Press. Austin. Bogues. February 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120220022625/http://articles.dailypress.com/2012-01-16/news/dp-nws-longo-scott-challenger-20120116_1_house-seat-bobby-scott-health-reform-law. live.
19. Web site: Names set for U.S. senate, local U.S. house races. March 30, 2012. April 23, 2012. The Virginian-Pilot. Bill. Bartel.
20. Web site: Chesapeake councilwoman to challenge Rep. Forbes. January 21, 2012. January 24, 2012. The Virginian-Pilot. Marjon. Rostami.
21. Web site: 5th District Candidates Make Stops in Charlottesville. April 5, 2012. April 23, 2012. Charlottesville Newsplex. Chris. Stover. April 7, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120407093411/http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/5th_District_Candidates_Visit_Charlottesville_146357015.html. dead.
22. Web site: With Williams out, Douglass is presumed 5th District Democratic nominee. April 28, 2012. May 4, 2012. The Daily Progress. https://web.archive.org/web/20120507185711/http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/apr/28/williams-out-douglass-presumed-5th-district-democr-ar-1876842/. May 7, 2012. dead.
23. Web site: 2 Democrats seek 5th District seat in Congress. https://archive.today/20120908105602/http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/305871. dead. September 8, 2012. March 7, 2012. March 19, 2012. The Roanoke Times. Amy. Matzke-Fawcett.
24. Web site: Perriello: No plans for 2012 campaign. June 17, 2011. July 15, 2011. The Daily Progress. Graham. Moomaw. https://web.archive.org/web/20110623160853/http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2011/jun/17/perriello-no-plans-2012-campaign-ar-1116725/. June 23, 2011. dead.
25. Web site: Candidates ought to be heard . . October 10, 2012 . October 18, 2012 . https://archive.today/20130120061332/http://www2.dailyprogress.com/news/2012/oct/10/candidates-ought-be-heard-ar-2270262/ . January 20, 2013 . dead . mdy-all .
26. Web site: Goodlatte runs like he's unopposed. April 22, 2012. April 23, 2012. The Roanoke Times. Mason. Adams. April 25, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120425053142/http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/307817. dead.
27. Web site: Democrat Schmookler announces bid for 6th District congressional seat. April 14, 2011. July 15, 2011. The Roanoke Times. Mason. Adams. December 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111222112800/http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/283268. dead.
28. Web site: Democrats select attorney Powell to oppose Cantor. April 14, 2012. April 23, 2012. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Olympia. Meola. https://web.archive.org/web/20120420135453/http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/apr/14/tdmet01-democrats-select-richmond-attorney-powell--ar-1841436/. April 20, 2012. dead.
29. Web site: Orange County Dem seeks party nomination in race against Cantor. January 17, 2012. January 20, 2012. Culpeper Star-Exponent. Allison Brophy. Champion.
30. Web site: Pershing . Ben . After initial rejection, Moran challenger will be on primary ballot . The Washington Post . April 9, 2012 . 2012-09-30.
31. Web site: UPDATED: Arlington Democrat Shuttleworth challenges Moran for 8th District seat. February 3, 2012. February 6, 2012. Alexandria Times. David. Sachs.
32. Web site: UPDATE: After initial rejection, Moran challenger will be on primary ballot. April 9, 2012. April 23, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
33. Web site: Democrat Will Radle to challenge Jim Moran for 8th District House seat. January 5, 2012. February 6, 2012. Alexandria Times. David. Sachs.
34. Web site: Radle ends bid for Congress. April 3, 2012. April 23, 2012. Alexandria Times. David. Sachs. April 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120406183602/http://alextimes.com/2012/04/radle-ends-bid-for-congress/. dead.
35. Web site: Patrick Murray to seek rematch with Jim Moran. November 11, 2011. February 6, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
36. Web site: Independent Candidate Howell Hopes to Unseat Moran. April 5, 2012. April 23, 2012. Ballston-Virginia Square, VA Patch. Rachel. Leonard. https://web.archive.org/web/20120410042716/http://ballston.patch.com/articles/howell-runs-for-va-8th-district-as-independent. April 10, 2012. dead.
37. Web site: Griffith announces re-election bid. April 2, 2012. April 23, 2012. Bristol Herald Courier. Debra. McCown. https://web.archive.org/web/20120912074628/http://www2.swvatoday.com/news/2012/apr/02/griffith-announces-re-election-bid-ar-1813475/. September 12, 2012. dead.
38. Web site: Democratic contender for 9th District drops out. May 2, 2012. May 3, 2012. The Roanoke Times. Mason. Adams. May 5, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120505125928/http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/308261. dead.
39. Web site: 2 want to take Griffith's seat. March 29, 2012. April 23, 2012. The Roanoke Times. Mason. Adams. May 11, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120511153139/http://www.roanoke.com/politics/wb/306748. dead.
40. Web site: Frank Wolf to formally launch reelection bid. January 19, 2012. January 19, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing.
41. Web site: McLean attorney to challenge Wolf in 10th Congressional District. April 18, 2012. April 23, 2012. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Trevor. Baratko. https://web.archive.org/web/20140709004556/http://www.fairfaxtimes.com/article/20120418/NEWS/704189308/1064/mclean-attorney-to-challenge-wolf-in-10th-congressional-district%26template%3DfairfaxTimes. July 9, 2014. dead.
42. Web site: Retired General to Challenge Frank Wolf in Virginia. May 10, 2011. June 23, 2011. Roll Call. Kyle. Trygstad.
43. Web site: Douglass Drops Out of 10th District Congressional Race. February 26, 2012. March 19, 2012. Clarke Daily News. Edward. Leonard.
44. Web site: Barnett won't run for Congress in 2012. January 23, 2012. January 24, 2012. Loudoun Times-Mirror. Crystal. Owens. January 27, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120127135749/http://www.loudountimes.com/index.php/news/article/barnett_wont_run_for_congress_in_2012123. dead.
45. Web site: Rep. Connolly rules out 2012 Senate run; hopes for Kaine. March 4, 2011. July 18, 2011. The Hill. Shane. D'Aprile.
46. Web site: Perkins: Ryan plan needs better sales pitch. June 17, 2011. July 18, 2011. Politico. David. Catanese.
47. Web site: Corey Stewart, Keith Fimian among hopefuls weighing 2013 run for Va. lieutenant governor. November 16, 2011. April 23, 2012. The Washington Post. Ben. Pershing. Anita. Kumar.