Five candidates seek the chance to take on Sen. Tim Kaine in November
With the filing deadline passed and campaigns ramping up on their spending, the June primary race is well underway for federal office in Virginia.
All of Virginia's 11 U.S. House of Representatives seats, along with Democratic U.S. Senator Tim Kaine - who occupies one of two U.S. Senate seats in the commonwealth - will be up for election in November.
Six U.S. House districts will have contested primary elections on June 18. Kaine does not have a Democratic primary challenger and will not appear on the June ballot. Five Republicans who are seeking their party's nomination to challenge the incumbent Senator will appear on the ballot in June.
Early voting for the June 18 primaries will start on May 3. Here is the list of the candidates who are running in the June primary, listed in the order in which they will appear on the ballot.
U.S. Senate Republican Primary candidates
Hung Cao: A retired Navy Captain, Cao ran an unsuccessful campaign to unseat Rep. Jennifer Wexton in the 2022 race for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. He launched a super PAC, Unleash America, in early 2023 and announced his bid for Senate in July of that year. He has raised $2,036,423 so far for his Senate campaign, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Edward “Eddie” Garcia:A newcomer to campaign politics, Garcia retired out of the Pentagon in 2022. A 22-year Army veteran and former ranger with 6 combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Garcia spent a cumulative three years in combat zones. He launched his campaign in January 2023. He has raised $298,802 so far for his Senate campaign, according to FEC filings.
Jonathan Emord: Emord is a constitutional lawyer who lives in Clifton. He served as an attorney for the Federal Communications Commission during the Reagan Administration and has authored several books about politics. He has raised $808,722.67 so far for his Senate campaign, according to FEC filings.
C.L. “Chuck” Smith: Smith is a former Marine and current lawyer. He narrowly lost the Republican nomination for Virginia Attorney General in 2021. He has raised $509,949.83 so far for his Senate campaign, according to FEC filings.
Scott Parkinson: Parkinson is the Vice President for Government Affairs at the conservative Club For Growth. He worked as Chief of Staff in 2018 for Gov. Ron DeSantis, when he was a U.S. House Representative and before he was elected governor of Florida. He has raised $841,133.11 so far for his Senate campaign, according to FEC filings.