Virginia's 10th congressional district (from 2023)

Virginia's 10th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...

. It is currently represented by Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who was first elected in

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

. The district includes all of Clarke County, Frederick County and Loudoun County, parts of

Fairfax County Fairfax County, officially the County of Fairfax, is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is part of Northern Virginia and borders both the city of Alexandria and Arlington County and forms part of the suburban ring of Washington, D.C. ...

and Prince William County, as well as the

independent cities An independent city or independent town is a city or town that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity (such as a province). Historical precursors In the Holy Roman Empire, and to a degree in its successor state ...

of Manassas, Manassas Park and Winchester. The district closely matches Virginia's voting patterns in statewide races with nearly identical margins as the final statewide results. Beginning when it was re-created in 1952, the 10th district was in Republican hands for 60 of 66 years, including long stints in office by Joel Broyhill (1953–74) and Frank Wolf (1981-2014).

Barbara Comstock Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...

, a former aide to Wolf, succeeded him after the 2014 election. Wexton defeated Comstock in the 2018 midterms, becoming only the second Democrat to win it. As of 2022, VA-10 is the third-wealthiest Congressional district in the country, with a median income of $140,889.

Demographics

According to Larry Sabato's Crystal Ball, this district has many " wealthy and highly-educated voters" as of 14 April 2016. Specifically, whites represent about 61% of the population, and immigrants (largely Hispanic and Asian) represent over 20%. Just over half of adults hold at least a four-year college degree. The median income is $120,384. The 10th district has 35,500 federal workers. By comparison, the 1st district has 46,900; the 11th has 51,900; and the 8th has 81,100. The eastern part of the district is home to Dulles Airport and technology, telecom and aerospace companies including Verizon Business Global LLC and Aeronautical Systems Inc.

History

The modern 10th congressional district was formed in 1952. For the next two decades, it consisted of Arlington, Alexandria and most of Fairfax County. As a result of redistricting following the 1970 census, it lost Alexandria and was pushed westward to take in Loudoun County.

Joel T. Broyhill Joel Thomas Broyhill (November 4, 1919 – September 24, 2006) was an American politician aligned with the Republican Party who served as a Congressman from Virginia for 11 terms, from 1953 to 1974. He represented Virginia's 10th congression ...

had represented it since its creation, but lost in the 1974 wave to Democrat Joseph L. Fisher. Fisher held the seat for three terms before losing to Republican Frank Wolf in 1980. Wolf easily held the seat until his retirement in 2014. That year, the seat was won by fellow Republican

, a state delegate and former aide to Wolf. Comstock served for two terms before losing to Democratic State Senator Jennifer Wexton in 2018.

Voting

Virginia's 10th congressional district used to be a Republican stronghold, having once voted by double-digit margins for Republican candidates. In 2000, ten-term incumbent Republican Congressman Frank Wolf won over 80% of the vote and did not face a Democratic opponent. Two years later, Wolf defeated his Democratic challenger John Stevens by 43 points. In 2004, President George W. Bush won the district by 11 points. In recent years, the district has become much friendlier to Democrats due to population growth in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. In 2012, Mitt Romney narrowly carried the district by a point, while in 2016,

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

won the district by 10 points. In 2017, Democrats scored major gains in the state legislative elections, leaving Comstock as the only elected Republican above the county level in much of the district. Ralph Northam also easily carried the district in the gubernatorial race. This proved to be a precursor to Comstock's defeat by Wexton a year later.

Recent election results

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

List of members representing the district

Historical district boundaries

References

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Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

VA Democratic 10th CD website

VA Republican 10th CD website
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