Wife of former Gov Terry McAuliffe jumps into crowded Dem congressional primary race

Dorothy McAuliffe, the wife of former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, announced Wednesday that she is entering the Democratic primary race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.

“As a mom of five, grandmother, former State Department official & First Lady of Virginia, I’ve spent my life fighting for children, families, and those without a voice,” she wrote in a post on X.

The Associated Press reported that Virginia voters will decide April 21 whether to approve a constitutional amendment establishing a new congressional map. 

McAuliffe would seek to represent the proposed new 7th District stretching from the D.C. suburbs to western Augusta County if the map is approved.

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Virginia’s primary elections are scheduled to be held Aug. 4 after the General Assembly moved the date from June to August under legislation signed in February.

Early in-person voting begins June 19, with absentee ballots mailed by that date, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

“We need a leader who has a record of delivering and can finally bring down costs for families, who will increase access to affordable healthcare, and who will never back down from holding Donald Trump and ICE accountable,” McAuliffe said in a statement to the AP.

“I look forward to traveling this district — from Arlington to Augusta and Prince William to Powhatan — and sharing that vision for this community that I’ve long called home,” she added.

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McAuliffe was Virginia’s first lady from 2014 to 2018 and was later appointed by former President Joe Biden as the U.S. Special Representative for Global Partnerships in June 2022.

According to Ballotpedia, incumbent Rep. Eugene Vindman is running in the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, along with state Del. Dan Helmer and Alex Thymmons, a U.S. Army veteran.