Five incumbent Virginia lawmakers lose primary challenge

(The Center Square) – One Republican and four Democratic incumbents in the Virginia House of Delegates lost in primary challenges in their bid to represent their party for reelection, including the only lawmaker who identifies himself as a socialist.

The following are the delegates who lost: Del. Lee Carter, D-Manassas; Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria; Del. Steve Heretick, D-Portsmouth; Del. Ibraheem Samirah, D-Herndon; and Del. Charles Poindexter, R-Glade Hill.

Carter, the lone socialist in the Democratic caucus, lost his bid to represent the party in the House race to a political newcomer, Michelle Lopes-Maldonado. She successfully won, earning about 44% of the district’s vote, compared to Carter’s 38%.

The Manassas Democrat suffered a second loss yesterday in his bid to be the Democratic nominee for governor, garnering only 2.8% of all votes, finishing last in a five-person race. With 98% of the votes tallied, he only received 13,470 votes, compared to former Gov. Terry McAuliffe who won the nomination with more than 303,500 votes and more than 62% of the electorate.

“This job has made me miserable for the last [four] years,” Carter told his nearly 111,000 Twitter followers. “I made a lot of people’s lives objectively better, but the constant assassination threats and harassment were terrible for my family and my health. I’m relieved to say that I’ve done my part, and now it’s someone else’s turn.”

This job has made me miserable for the last 4 years.I made a lot of people's lives objectively better, but the constant assassination threats and harassment were terrible for my family and my health.I'm relieved to say that I've done my part, and now it's someone else's turn.— Lee J. Carter (@carterforva) June 9, 2021

He criticized the Democratic Party of Virginia on Wednesday and said “there are still a few elected officials who are willing to go out on a limb and tell the party that their actions are harmful, but far fewer than there were yesterday.”

Lopes-Maldonado said she is excited and energized, looking to move forward to the Nov. 2 general election. She will run against Republican nominee Steve Pleickhardt.

Another big-name Democrat, Levine, who unsuccessfully tried to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, was defeated by Alexandria Vice Mayor Elizabeth Bennett-Parker. She secured 59% of the vote, compared to his 41%. He also lost his bid to run for lieutenant governor, earning less than 12% of the total vote.

Bennett-Parker will run against Republican nominee Justin Maddox.

Heretick was narrowly defeated by his primary challenger, Nadarius Clark, a first-time candidate who received funding from critics of Dominion Energy. Clark earned 46% of the vote compared to Heretick’s 42%.

Clark will run against Republican nominee Lawrence Mason.

The other Democrat to lose his seat was Samirah, who narrowly lost to his primary challenger, Irene Shin. Shin received 52% of the vote compared to Samirah’s 48%. She will run against Republican nominee Julie Perry.

Poindexter, the only Republican to lose to a primary challenger, also suffered the most decisive loss. The seven-term delegate secured only 37% of the vote, compared to his challenger Wren Williams, who received 63%. Williams worked on former President Donald Trump’s recount in Wisconsin.

He will run against Democratic nominee Bridgette Craighead.

Democrats hold a relatively narrow majority in the House of Delegates with 55 seats compared to the Republican 45 seats. Republicans held a slim majority in the two years prior. Every House seat will be on the ticket in November.

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