MEMORANDUM

TO: Interested Parties

FROM: Elizabeth Renda, DNC Women’s Media Director

DATE: June 13, 2018

RE: Democratic Women Soar to Victory in Virginia Primaries

Women aren’t just running in 2018, they’re winning. It’s been 26 years since Virginia put a Democratic woman in the U.S. House of Representatives, but in last night’s Democratic primary races, women dominated. In every Virginia Democratic primary where a woman was on the ballot in yesterday’s elections, a woman won the nomination.

Last year, newly elected Democratic women were responsible for flipping 11 of the 15 seats that went from red to blue in the Virginia House of Delegates. And now, in 2018, Democratic women are headed to the general election in 6 out of 7 Republican-held congressional districts in Virginia.

America is hungry for female Democratic leadership, and women are rising up across the country to deliver it. In a country where the Attorney General denies asylum to victims of domestic violence, where the administration puts an essential ‘gag rule’ on Title X funding, where the president fights to allow insurers to deny health coverage to Americans with pre-existing conditions — now more than ever, we need their leadership.

Democrats know that when women succeed, America succeeds. Look no further than the landmark legislative success Virginia accomplished thanks to the surge of Democratic women who took office in the House of Delegates: Medicaid expansion for 400,000 Virginians. The DNC is proud to continue to partner with the Democratic Party of Virginia to fight to lift last night’s nominees and Democrats up and down the ticket in the Commonwealth to victory in November.

The following Democratic women are headed to the general election in Republican-held congressional districts in Virginia:

VA-01: Vangie Williams

VA-02: Elaine Luria

VA-05: Leslie Cockburn

VA-06: Jennifer Lewis

VA-07: Abigail Spanberger

VA-10: Jennifer Wexton

Here’s a look at some of the coverage across the country highlighting Democratic women’s historic victories in Virginia last night:

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Women candidates soar in Virginia's U.S. House primaries

“Female candidates found success at the polls in Virginia’s Tuesday primary, notching wins in five Democratic primary races.”
 

AP: Women dominate in Va. Democratic House primaries

“Women roared to victories Tuesday in Democratic primaries across Virginia on Tuesday, falling in line with what has been a national trend. In every Democratic primary where a woman was on the ballot in Virginia, a woman won the nomination.”

Washington Post: Democrats pick women in four targeted Virginia races

“Virginia’s Democrats, who have not elected a woman to the House of Representatives since 1992, nominated six women in Republican-held districts today — four of them in races the party is targeting in November.”

Vox: Women dominated the Virginia Democratic primary on Tuesday

“The winning streak continues. Women snagged wins in almost every one of Virginia’s most contested House races on Tuesday, capturing victories in key swing districts including the 10th. These wins mark the continuation of a broader trend that’s been observed in the primary season thus far, which has featured a record number of women candidates vying for the Democratic nominations in the House and Senate.”

CNN: Democratic women win big in key Virginia House primaries

“The year of women continues. In the four Virginia competitive US House races in November, female candidates have all won the Democratic nominations, the latest example of the party turning to women to unseat vulnerable Republicans in the President Donald Trump era.”

Washington Post (VIDEO): Women triumph in Virginia's Democratic primaries

“Virginia Democrats overwhelmingly nominated women candidates on June 12, setting up six GOP districts to have female challengers in the fall.”

Huffington Post: Women Score Big Wins In Virginia House Primary Elections

“These female victories reflect the momentum that’s propelled an unprecedented number of women to run for public office. More than 500 women have so far filed to run in primaries this year, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. That number represents a 67 percent jump from 2016.”

Vox: 4 winners and 3 losers from the June 12 primary elections

“We’ve seen again and again this year that Democratic primary voters want women to be their candidates. Virginia is maybe the starkest evidence yet.”