Virginia primaries: Taylor gets rematch with Luria, Gade to face Warner in Senate race

by: Associated Press

Posted: Jun 23, 2020 / 06:30 PM EDT

Updated: Jun 24, 2020 / 08:33 AM EDT

HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY/AP) — Virginians picked their Republican and Democratic nominees for various congressional races Tuesday in primary elections.

The races included:

The race to determine Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Warner’s Republican challenger
The Democratic candidates for the 1st and 4th districts of the House of Representatives
The Republican candidates for the 2nd and 3rd districts of the House of Representatives

Click here for live election results on the number of votes and percentage for each candidate.

Scott Taylor to face Rep. Elaine Luria in rematch

Scott Taylor is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.

Elaine Luria is running for the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia’s 2nd District.

Republicans in Hampton Roads decided that former congressman Scott Taylor will get a rematch with U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria in the 2nd Congressional District.

The stage is set for a fierce rematch for what was one of the most hotly contested congressional seats in the country two years ago. Taylor won the Republican primary for his Virginia Beach-area district Tuesday, positioning him to face Luria again this fall.

Luria defeated Taylor by about two percentage points in 2018, helping Democrats take majority of the the U.S. House and flipping a district that President Donald Trump won in 2016.

Luria responded with a statement Tuesday night:

“Be good, do good work: that philosophy has guided me throughout my Navy career and service in Congress,” said Luria. “I remain committed to serving Coastal Virginians and advocating for the issues that matter most to them. That’s why I am fighting for quality and affordable healthcare, and to ensure that our servicemembers and military families have the resources they need and that veterans receive the benefits they’ve earned.”

“Scott Taylor doesn’t have Coastal Virginia’s best interests at heart and his record reflects that. Taylor voted to gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions, gave the wealthiest a tax break on the backs of the middle class, and missed critical votes,” said Luria Campaign Manager Veronica Ingham. “The last thing Virginians need is a failed Congressman who focuses on Twitter fights while trying to sweep his election fraud scandal under the rug.”

Sen. Mark Warner will be challenged by Republican Daniel Gade

Mark Warner is running for the U.S. Senate.

Virginia Republicans picked Daniel Gade to be their nominee and face off against incumbent Sen. Mark Warner for a Senate seat later this year.

Gade won a low-key primary Tuesday against two other opponents. Gade raised by far the most money and has the highest profile of the three.

Virginia was once a hotly contested swing state where Senate elections were decided by small margins. But the state has swung solidly blue in the Trump era as voters in the state’s growing suburbs reject the president’s agenda. Republicans haven’t won a statewide election in more than a decade.

Gade is a retired Army officer who was seriously injured in Iraq in 2005, losing a leg after his Humvee was hit by a roadside bomb.

Gade advised President George W. Bush on military and disability issues and was President Donald Trump’s appointee to serve on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but withdrew his nomination after a lengthy delay in the Senate over his confirmation.

Gade previously taught at West Point and now teaches at American University.

Other Hampton Roads area races

For the House of Representatives Democratic primary for the 1st District, Qasim Rashid was poised to take the nomination with 52.5 percent with 19,823 votes. Lavangelene Williams has 47.5 percent with 17,964 votes.