2018 United States Senate election in Virginia

The 2018 United States Senate election in Virginia took place on November 6, 2018, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia, concurrently with other elections to the U.S. Senate, elections to the United States House of Representatives, and various state and local elections. Incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, who had been his party's unsuccessful nominee for vice president two years earlier, was re-elected to a second term in office, winning this seat by the largest margin since 1988. This was the first election since 1994 that anyone had been re-elected to this seat.

2018 United States Senate election in Virginia

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Turnout	59.14%
Nominee Tim Kaine Corey Stewart Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,910,370 1,374,313 Percentage 57.00% 41.01%
County and independent city results Congressional district results Precinct results Kaine:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Stewart:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
U.S. senator before election Tim Kaine Democratic Elected U.S. Senator Tim Kaine Democratic

The Republican Party of Virginia central committee voted to select the Republican nominee for Senate by a primary rather than a convention. Corey Stewart, chair of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, won the Republican nomination on June 12, 2018, after defeating Delegate Nick Freitas and Christian minister E. W. Jackson.^[1]

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Tim Kaine, incumbent U.S. senator, former governor, and Democratic nominee for vice president in 2016^[2]

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

• Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013 and candidate for governor in 2017^[3]

Eliminated in primary

• Nick Freitas, state delegate^[4]
• E. W. Jackson, pastor, attorney, veteran, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2012 and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2013^[5]

Failed to qualify

• Minerva Diaz, veteran, businesswoman, and Christian minister^[6][7]
• Bert Mizusawa, former Deputy Undersecretary of the Army, retired U.S. Army major general, and candidate for VA-02 in 2010^[8]
• Ivan Raiklin, veteran and businessman^[9]

Declined

• Dave Brat, U.S. representative^[10][11][12]
• Eric Cantor, former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives^[10]
• Barbara Comstock, U.S. representative^[10][11][12]
• Ken Cuccinelli, former attorney general and nominee for governor in 2013^[10][11]
• Tom Davis, former U.S. representative^[10][11]
• Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, nominee for the U.S. Senate from California in 2010 and candidate for president in 2016^[13]
• Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014,^[11] and nominee for governor in 2017
• Jim Gilmore, former governor, nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2008 and candidate for president in 2008 and 2016^[14][12][15]
• Shak Hill, candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014 (running for VA-10)^[16]
• Laura Ingraham, talk radio host, author, and conservative political commentator (endorsed Corey Stewart)^[17]
• Jimmie Massie, former state delegate^[11][14][12]
• Bob McDonnell, former governor of Virginia (endorsed Nick Freitas)^[18][19]
• John Moore, University of Virginia law professor and former diplomat^[20][21]
• Pete Snyder, technology entrepreneur and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013^[10][14][12]
• Scott Taylor, U.S. representative^[12]
• Frank Wagner, state senator and candidate for governor in 2017^[11]
• Rob Wittman, U.S. representative^[10][22]

Endorsements

Nick Freitas

U.S. senators

• Mike Lee (R-UT)^[23]
• Rand Paul (R-KY), and 2016 U.S. presidential candidate^[23]

U.S. representatives

• Paul Broun, former U.S. representative (R-GA)^[24]
• Ron Paul, former U.S. representative (R-TX), candidate for president in 1988, 2008 and 2012^[25]

U.S. governors

• Bob McDonnell (R-VA), former governor of Virginia^[26]

State senators

• Bill DeSteph, state senator^[27]
• Mark Obenshain, state senator and 2013 Republican nominee for Attorney General of Virginia^[28]
• Bryce Reeves, state senator and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2017^[29]
• David Suetterlein, state senator^[30]

State delegates

• Rob Bell, state delegate and candidate for Attorney General of Virginia in 2013 and 2017.^[31]
• Todd Gilbert, Virginia House Majority Leader^[32]
• Greg Habeeb, state delegate^[33]
• Steve Landes, state delegate^[34]
• Dave LaRock, state delegate^[35]
• Jason Miyares, state delegate^[36]
• Brenda Pogge, state delegate
• Mike Webert, state delegate^[37]

Local officials

• Susan Lascolette, member of the Goochland County Board of Supervisors^[38]
• Jeremy McCleary, mayor of Woodstock^[39]
• Ron Meyer, Loudoun County Supervisor^[40]
• Andrew Pullen, member of the Fluvanna County School Board^[41]
• Jon Russell, member of the Culpeper town council^[38]
• Josh Thiel, Leesburg town councilmen^[42]

Individuals

• Hugh Hewitt, conservative talk radio host^[43]
• Kyle Kashuv, Parkland shooting survivor and conservative activist^[44]
• Charlie Kirk, founder and executive director of Turning Point USA^[45]
• Kelley Paul, political consultant and activist^[46]
• Austin Petersen, Libertarian candidate for President of the United States in 2016 and candidate for U.S Senate in Missouri for 2018^[47]
• Cabot Phillips, media director for Campus Reform^[48]
• Denver Riggleman, businessman, candidate for governor in 2017, and Republican nominee for VA-05 in 2018^[32]
• Richard Viguerie, conservative activist and chairman of ConservativeHQ.com^[49]

Party leaders

• Morton Blackwell, Republican National Committeeman for Virginia^[50]

Organizations

• Americans For Prosperity^[51]
• FreedomWorks^[52]
• National Association for Gun Rights PAC^[53]
• NRA Political Victory Fund^[54]
• Republican Liberty Caucus^[55]
• Students For Trump^[56]

Newspapers and other media

• 71 Republic^[57]
• Arlington Sun Gazette^[58]
• The Reagan Battalion^[59]

E. W. Jackson

Cabinet-level officials

• William G. Boykin, executive vice president at the Family Research Council, retired lieutenant general, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence^[60]
• Dr. Sebastian Gorka, former deputy assistant to President Donald Trump, military and intelligence analyst, FOX News contributor

U.S. governors

• Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas^[61]

Statewide office holders

• Ken Blackwell, National Rifle Association of America board member, former Ohio Secretary of State, former Ohio State Treasurer, former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio

Local officials

• Suzy Kelly, Chesapeake city councilwoman, chairman of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, CEO of Jo-Kell

Individuals

• Rafael Cruz, pastor and father of Ted Cruz^[62]

Organizations

• Family Research Council Action PAC^[63]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Nick Freitas	E. W. Jackson	Corey Stewart	Other	Undecided
Atlantic Media & Research (R-Stewart)[64]	May 14–18, 2018	355	± 5.2%	9%	5%	32%	–	–
Christopher Newport University[65]	February 5–28, 2018	422	± 2.5%	6%	7%	16%	5%[66]	66%

Hypothetical polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Dave Brat	Corey Stewart	Scott Taylor	Other	Undecided
University of Mary Washington[67]	September 5–12, 2017	562 LV	± 5.2%	11%	15%	20%	12%	38%
		867 RV	± 4.1%	9%	12%	20%	9%	45%

Results

Results by county and independent city:

  Stewart—70–80%

  Stewart—60–70%

  Stewart—50–60%

  Stewart—40–50%

  Stewart—<40%

  Tie

  Freitas—<40%

  Freitas—40–50%

  Freitas—50–60%

  Freitas—60–70%

  Freitas—70–80%

Republican primary results^[68]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Corey Stewart	136,610	44.87%
	Republican	Nick Freitas	131,321	43.14%
	Republican	Earl Jackson, Sr.	36,508	11.99%
Total votes			304,439	100.00%

Third party candidates

• Winsome Sears, a Republican former state delegate, ran as a write-in candidate.^[69]
• Matt Waters, director of development at Students For Liberty,^[70] received the Libertarian Party nomination on March 10, 2018.^[71][72] On June 28, 2018, he also received the endorsement of the Constitution Party of Virginia.^[73]

General election

The election featured a match-up of two Minnesota-born Virginians: Republican Corey Stewart was born in Duluth, Minnesota, and Democrat Tim Kaine was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota.^[74] 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

Source	Ranking	As of
The Cook Political Report[75]	Safe D	October 26, 2018
Inside Elections[76]	Safe D	November 1, 2018
Sabato's Crystal Ball[77]	Safe D	November 5, 2018
Fox News[78]	Likely D	July 9, 2018
CNN[79]	Safe D	July 12, 2018
RealClearPolitics[80]	Safe D	August 14, 2018

Debates/townhalls

Host network/sponsors	Date	Link(s)	Participants
			Tim Kaine (D)	Corey Stewart (R)	Matt Waters (L)
PBS NewsHour/Virginia Bar Association	July 21, 2018	[81]	Invited	Invited	—
Hampton University/Liberty University	September 20, 2018	[82]	Invited	Invited	—
WRC-TV	September 26, 2018	[83]	Invited	Invited	—
Liberty University	October 3, 2018	[84]	Invited	Invited	—

Endorsements

Corey Stewart (R)

U.S. executive branch officials

• Donald Trump, president of the United States^[85]

U.S. representatives

• Virgil Goode (VA-5) (former)^[86]

State officials

• Ken Cuccinelli, former Attorney General of Virginia^[87]
• E.W. Jackson, former Republican nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia^[88]

Individuals

• Maria Espinoza, founder of the Remembrance Project^[89]
• Jerry Falwell Jr., president of Liberty University^[90]
• Laura Ingraham, talk radio host, author, and conservative political commentator^[17]
• Malik Obama, half-brother of former president Barack Obama^[91]

Tim Kaine (D)

U.S. executive branch officials

• Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States^[92]

U.S. senators

• Dick Durbin, U.S. senator (D-IL) and Senate Minority Whip^[93]
• Doug Jones, U.S. senator (D-AL)^[94]
• John Warner, former U.S. senator (R-VA)^[95]
• Mark Warner, U.S. senator (D-VA)^[96]

U.S. representatives

• Don Beyer (D-VA-8)^[97]
• Gerry Connolly (D-VA-11)^[98]
• Donald McEachin (D-VA-4)^[99]
• Tom Perriello (D-VA-5) (former)^[100]

State officials

• Justin Fairfax, lieutenant governor of Virginia^[101]
• Terry McAuliffe, former governor of Virginia^[102]
• Ralph Northam, governor of Virginia^[103]

Labor unions

• United Automobile Workers^[104]
• United Mine Workers of America^[105]

Organizations

• Coalition to Stop Gun Violence^[106]
• Council for a Livable World^[107]
• Feminist Majority Political Action Committee^[108]
• JStreet^[109]
• League of Conservation Voters Action Fund^[110]
• National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare^[111]
• National Organization for Women^[112]
• Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund^[113]
• Population Connection^[114]
• Sierra Club Virginia Chapter^[115]

Matt Waters (L)

Local officials

• Joe Walton, Libertarian nominee for VA-07 in 2018 and former chairman of the Powhatan County Board of Supervisors^[116]

Party leaders

• Wes Benedict, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee^[117]
• Carla Howell, political director of the Libertarian Party^[117]
• Bill Redpath, Libertarian National Committeeman, former treasurer and former chairman of the Libertarian National Committee^[117]
• Nicholas Sarwark, chairman of the Libertarian National Committee, candidate for Mayor of Phoenix in 2018^[118]

Individuals

• Cliff Hyra, lawyer and Libertarian nominee for governor of Virginia in 2017^[119]
• Daniel McAdams, executive director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity^[120]
• Dan McLaughlin, lawyer and columnist at National Review^[121]
• Chris Rufer, founder of The Morning Star Company^[117]
• Jon Utley, publisher of The American Conservative and son of Freda Utley^[119]

Organizations

• Constitution Party of Virginia^[122]
• Libertarian Youth Caucus^[123]

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Corey Stewart (R)	Matt Waters (L)	Other	Undecided
University of Mary Washington/SSRS[124]	September 4–9, 2018	512 LV	± 5.8%	52%	36%	5%	0%	4%
		704 RV	± 5.0%	51%	33%	5%	1%	7%
		801 A	± 4.6%	49%	30%	6%	1%	9%
Cygnal/POOLHOUSE (R)[125]	August 22–24, 2018	1,119	± 2.8%	50%	46%	–	–	4%
Roanoke College[126]	August 12–19, 2018	512	± 4.3%	51%	34%	4%	–	11%
Virginia Commonwealth University[127]	July 10–30, 2018	757	± 3.6%	49%	26%	5%	–	20%
Quinnipiac University[128]	June 21–25, 2018	1,082	± 3.7%	54%	36%	–	0%	9%
Roanoke College[129]	May 20–30, 2018	555	± 4.2%	44%	33%	–	–	23%
Christopher Newport University[65]	February 5–28, 2018	1,562	± 2.5%	56%	32%	–	1%	11%
University of Mary Washington/PSRAI[130]	September 5–12, 2017	562 LV	± 5.2%	53%	36%	–	–	7%
		867 RV	± 4.1%	54%	39%	–	1%	4%

Hypothetical polling

with Nick Freitas

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Nick Freitas (R)	Other	Undecided
Roanoke College[129]	May 20–30, 2018	555	± 4.2%	45%	30%	–	25%
Christopher Newport University[65]	February 5–28, 2018	1,562	± 2.5%	56%	33%	1%	10%

with E. W. Jackson

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	E. W. Jackson (R)	Other	Undecided
Roanoke College[129]	May 20–30, 2018	555	± 4.2%	45%	30%	–	25%
Christopher Newport University[65]	February 5–28, 2018	1,562	± 2.5%	56%	32%	1%	11%

with Dave Brat

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Dave Brat (R)	Undecided
University of Mary Washington[67]	September 5–12, 2017	562 LV	± 5.2%	54%	36%	7%
		867 RV	± 4.1%	54%	41%	3%

with Barbara Comstock

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Barbara Comstock (R)	Undecided
Gravis Marketing[131]	March 14–19, 2017	3,097	± 1.6%	53%	41%	6%

with Carly Fiorina

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Carly Fiorina (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University[132]	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	57%	33%	–	7%
Gravis Marketing[131]	March 14–19, 2017	3,097	± 1.6%	53%	41%	–	7%
Quinnipiac University[133]	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	57%	36%	2%	5%

with Laura Ingraham

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Laura Ingraham (R)	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University[132]	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	56%	35%	–	7%
Quinnipiac University[133]	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	56%	36%	2%	7%

with Scott Taylor

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tim Kaine (D)	Scott Taylor (R)	Undecided
University of Mary Washington[67]	September 5–12, 2017	562 LV	± 5.2%	52%	37%	7%
		867 RV	± 4.1%	53%	41%	4%

Results

Kaine won the election by a wide margin.^[134]

Results by House of Delegates

United States Senate election in Virginia, 2018^[135]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Kaine (incumbent)	1,910,370	57.00%	+4.17%
	Republican	Corey Stewart	1,374,313	41.01%	−5.91%
	Libertarian	Matt Waters	61,565	1.84%	N/A
	Write-in		5,125	0.15%	-0.10%
Total votes			3,351,373	100.00%	N/A
	Democratic hold

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 (no municipalities)
• Waynesboro (independent city)

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Buckingham (largest town: Dillwyn)

By congressional district

Kaine won seven of 11 congressional districts.^[136]

District	Kaine	Stewart	Representative
1st	48%	50%	Rob Wittman
2nd	54%	44%	Elaine Luria
3rd	70%	28%	Bobby Scott
4th	64%	34%	Donald McEachin
5th	48%	50%	Denver Riggleman
6th	41%	56%	Ben Cline
7th	52%	46%	Abigail Spanberger
8th	78%	19%	Don Beyer
9th	35%	64%	Morgan Griffith
10th	60%	38%	Jennifer Wexton
11th	73%	25%	Gerry Connolly

See also

• United States House of Representatives election in Virginia, 2018