The 2018 United States Senate election in Virginia took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

to represent the

Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator

Tim Kaine Timothy Michael Kaine ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party (United States ...

, who had been his party's unsuccessful nominee for

vice president A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

two years earlier, was re-elected to a second term in office, winning this seat by the largest margin since

1988 1988 was a crucial year in the early history of the Internet—it was the year of the first well-known computer virus, the Morris worm, 1988 Internet worm. The first permanent intercontinental Internet link was made between the United State ...

. This was the first election since 1994 that anyone had been re-elected to this seat. The

Republican Party of Virginia The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. It is based at the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond. As of May 2024, it controls all three statew ...

central committee voted to select the Republican nominee for Senate by a primary rather than a convention.

Corey Stewart Corey Alan Stewart (born August 1, 1968) is an American retired politician who served four terms as at-large chair of the Board of Supervisors of Prince William County, Virginia from December 2006 to December 2019. Stewart was the Republica ...

, chair of the

Prince William Board of County Supervisors The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is the policy-making body for the government of Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the popul ...

, won the Republican nomination on June 12, 2018, after defeating Delegate

Nick Freitas Nicholas J. Freitas (born August 29, 1979) is an American politician and social media influencer. A Republican, he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senat ...

and Christian minister

E. W. Jackson Earl Walker Jackson Sr. (born January 13, 1952) is an American Christian conservative politician, Protestant minister, and lawyer in Virginia who was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries. He was the Republican Party (Un ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

, incumbent U.S. senator, former governor, and Democratic nominee for

in 2016

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

, chairman of the

, candidate for lieutenant governor in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

and candidate for governor in

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Eliminated in primary

, state delegate *

, pastor, attorney, veteran, candidate for the U.S. Senate in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

and nominee for

lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Failed to qualify

* Minerva Diaz, veteran, businesswoman, and Christian minister *

Bert Mizusawa Bert Kameaaloha Mizusawa (born January 1957) is a retired Major general (United States), major general in the United States Army, serving in the Army from 1979 to 2015. Mizusawa also served in the United States Senate as a professional staff membe ...

, former Deputy

Undersecretary of the Army Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

, retired U.S. Army major general, and candidate for VA-02 in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

Ivan Raiklin Ivan Raiklin is an American far-right political operative and former Army reservist. He is the progenitor of the Pence card, which he tweeted to President Donald Trump on December 16, 2020 (who in turn retweeted it), which outlined a dubious lega ...

, veteran and businessman

Declined

Dave Brat David Alan Brat (born July 27, 1964) is an American academic and former politician. A member of the Republican Party, Brat served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congressional district from 2014 to 2019. Brat came to national p ...

, U.S. representative *

Eric Cantor Eric Ivan Cantor (born June 6, 1963) is an American lawyer and former politician who represented Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 2001 to 2014. A Republican, Cantor served as House Mino ...

, former Majority Leader of the

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 ...

, U.S. representative *

Ken Cuccinelli Kenneth Thomas "Cooch” Cuccinelli II ( ; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Pa ...

, former

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and nominee for governor in

* Tom Davis, former U.S. representative *

Carly Fiorina Cara Carleton "Carly" Fiorina (; ; born September 6, 1954) is an American businesswoman and politician, known primarily for her tenure as chief executive officer (CEO) of Hewlett-Packard (HP) from 1999 to 2005. Fiorina was the first woman to le ...

, former CEO of

Hewlett-Packard The Hewlett-Packard Company, commonly shortened to Hewlett-Packard ( ) or HP, was an American multinational information technology company. It was founded by Bill Hewlett and David Packard in 1939 in a one-car garage in Palo Alto, California ...

, nominee for the U.S. Senate from California in

and candidate for

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

Ed Gillespie Edward Walter Gillespie (born August 1, 1961) is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during th ...

, former chairman of the

Republican National Committee The Republican National Committee (RNC) is the primary committee of the Republican Party of the United States. Its members are chosen by the state delegations at the national convention every four years. It is responsible for developing and pr ...

, nominee for the U.S. Senate in

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, and nominee for governor in

Jim Gilmore James Stuart Gilmore III (born October 6, 1949) is an American politician, diplomat and former attorney who served as the 68th governor of Virginia from 1998 to 2002. A member of the Republican Party, Gilmore also chaired the Republican Nation ...

, former governor, nominee for the U.S. Senate in

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and candidate for president in

and

* Shak Hill, candidate for the U.S. Senate in

(running for VA-10) *

Laura Ingraham Laura Anne Ingraham (; born June 19, 1963) is an American conservative television presenter. Gale Biography In Context. She has been the host of '' The Ingraham Angle'' on Fox News Channel since October 2017, and is the editor-in-chief of Li ...

, talk radio host, author, and conservative political commentator (endorsed Corey Stewart) * Jimmie Massie, former state delegate *

Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...

, former governor of Virginia (endorsed Nick Freitas) * John Moore,

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...

law professor and former diplomat *

Pete Snyder Pete Snyder (born August 5, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and marketing executive who is best known as the founder and former chief executive officer of New Media Strategies (NMS), a social media marketing agency that he started in 1999. Sny ...

, technology entrepreneur and candidate for

* Scott Taylor, U.S. representative * Frank Wagner, state senator and candidate for governor in 2017 *

Rob Wittman Robert Joseph Wittman (born February 3, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2007. The district contains portions of the Richmond suburbs and Hampton Roads area, as well as the Northern Neck and Middle ...

, U.S. representative

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Third party candidates

Winsome Sears Winsome Earle-Sears (born March 11, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and Marine Corps veteran serving as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia since 2022. A member of the Republican Party, she is Virginia's first female lieut ...

, a Republican former state delegate, ran as a write-in candidate. * Matt Waters, director of development at

Students For Liberty Students For Liberty (SFL) is an international libertarian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with origins in the United States. Formed in 2008, SFL grew to a network of 1,000 student organizations worldwide by 2014.Students For Liberty"2010–201 ...

, received the Libertarian Party nomination on March 10, 2018. On June 28, 2018, he also received the endorsement of the Constitution Party of Virginia.

General election

The election featured a match-up of two Minnesota-born Virginians: Republican Corey Stewart was born in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, and Democrat Tim Kaine was born in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

. All polls leading up to the election showed Kaine defeating Stewart by a wide margin. When polls closed on election day, Tim Kaine was immediately declared the winner before the votes were counted, based on exit polling alone.

Predictions

Debates/townhalls

Endorsements

Polling

with Nick Freitas
with E. W. Jackson
with Dave Brat
with Barbara Comstock
with Carly Fiorina
with Laura Ingraham
with Scott Taylor

Results

Kaine won the election by a wide margin. 2018 United States Senate election in Virginia by House of Delegates Districts

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic

* Chesterfield (no municipalities) * Fluvanna (largest city: Lake Monticello) * Lynchburg (independent city) * James City (no municipalities) *

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

(no municipalities) * Waynesboro (independent city)

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Buckingham Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...

(largest town: Dillwyn)

By congressional district

Kaine won seven of 11 congressional districts.

References

External links

Candidates
at

Vote Smart Vote Smart, formerly called Project Vote Smart, is an American non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States. It covers candidates and elected offic ...

Candidates
at

Ballotpedia Ballotpedia is a nonprofit and nonpartisan online political encyclopedia that covers federal, state, and local politics, elections, and public policy in the United States. The website was founded in 2007. Ballotpedia is sponsored by the Lucy Bur ...

Campaign finance
at FEC
Campaign finance
at

OpenSecrets OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks and publishes data on campaign finance and lobbying, including a revolving door database which documents the individuals who have worked in both the public sector an ...

Official campaign websites
Tim Kaine (D) for SenateCorey Stewart (R) for SenateMatt Waters (L) for Senate
{{Tim Kaine

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

Tim Kaine

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Eliminated in primary

Failed to qualify

Declined

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Third party candidates

General election

Predictions

Debates/townhalls

Endorsements

Polling

Results

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

By congressional district

See also

References

External links