Virginia’s Rep. Wexton endorses Subramanyam to succeed her in Congress

The endorsement is likely to boost the state senator’s chances as he battles 11 other Democrats in the party’s primary for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District.

By: Teo Armus

U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.) is backing state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam to succeed her in Congress, she announced Monday, an endorsement that is likely to give the Loudoun County Democrat significant momentum in a crowded primary race.

“Suhas is a principled, effective leader who has a long commitment to service, and he is rooted right here in our community,” she said in an emailed statement to The Washington Post. He “will continue my legacy of getting things done for Northern Virginians.”

Wexton, who has represented Virginia’s 10th Congressional District since 2019, is not running again because of health reasons. Her impending exit from Congress has drawn a packed field of 12 Democrats in the party’s primary, making it hard for any of them to emerge as a clear front-runner.

But an endorsement from the sitting congresswoman — a well-known figure who flipped the seat in 2018 — is likely to help separate Subramanyam from the rest of the pack.

The 10th District race is expected to be among the more competitive ones in the commonwealth this year. Anchored in Loudoun County and stretching into Prince William and Fairfax counties, the district has grown increasingly blue as those localities have boomed in population.

The seat also includes more rural territory in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, and Republicans hope the lack of an incumbent can allow them to flip it back to GOP control.

Political analysts have identified Subramanyam and three others — state Del. Dan Helmer (Fairfax), former state House speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax) and state Sen. Jennifer B. Boysko (Fairfax) — as the four candidates best positioned to win the Democratic nomination, given their broad name recognition or how much money they have raised.

A spokesperson for Wexton previously indicated she would not be endorsing in the race. But the congresswoman said she felt it was important for her to weigh in on the contest to succeed her as a way to leave a “lasting impact in Congress.”

“While there are many wonderful Democrats and friends in the race, I’ve now had some time to reflect and hear from the candidates,” she wrote. “I trust that Suhas will be the leader of the future to best carry my legacy forward for VA-10.”

Subramanyam, who had served two terms in the state House of Delegates, won election to the state Senate in the fall to succeed a retiring lawmaker. The son of immigrants from India, he has pitched himself as a bipartisan-minded problem-solver and cited his experience working on Capitol Hill and as a tech policy adviser in the Obama White House.

Wexton, in emailed answers, highlighted his work on “tough fights” for liberal causes such as gun violence prevention and abortion rights, but also suggested he was willing to work with Republicans when necessary.

“He is a leader who will work across the aisle to make progress on the issues we care most about, just like he has in Richmond,” she wrote.

Subramanyam represents a booming, increasingly diverse swath of eastern Loudoun that is home to many of the 10th District’s most solidly blue precincts. He was the first person of South Asian descent elected to the Virginia General Assembly.

The 10th District has inched in Democrats’ favor in recent cycles, but national Republican groups have targeted the seat as one that can help them expand their slim majority in the House.

Four candidates are seeking the Republican nomination: tech company executive Mike Clancy; Aliscia Andrews, a former official in Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration; defense industry contractor Alex Isaac; and Manga Anantatmula, whose website says she has worked with the departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

The other Democratic candidates are: Krystle Kaul, the owner of a defense technology company; Dels. David A. Reid (Loudoun) and Michelle Lopes Maldonado (Prince William); former state education secretary Atif Qarni; former CIA officer Adrian Pokharel; Travis Nembhard, who oversees D.C.’s Department of For-Hire Vehicles; Marion Devoe Sr., Northern Virginia Community College’s director of campus operations; and Mark Leighton, a head librarian at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

Subramanyam has raised more than $670,000 — the fourth-highest amount in the race, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project — and has also been endorsed by several prominent state senators, including Majority Leader Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) and President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth).

Antonio Olivo contributed to this report.