A Friendly, Informative Guide to Every Republican Candidate in Virginia’s 2026 Congressional Primaries
Today, June 18, 2026, marks the first day of early voting in the Republican Primary for the 2026 U.S. Congressional races. Many of you have asked for a clear, factual breakdown of every Republican candidate running in Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Because most voters never meet these candidates personally, I’ve put together a straightforward, district by district overview of:
•Who they are
•What they stand for
•Their public positions
— or lack of them — on
Abortion
Same sex marriage
Religious liberty
This is not an endorsement of any candidate. It is simply information to help you vote with clarity and confidence.
📍 DISTRICT 1 — Republican Primary
Rob Wittman (Incumbent)
Background
•Serving in Congress since 2007
•Former state delegate
•Holds a Ph.D. in public policy
•Known for military and veterans’ advocacy
Platform
•National defense
•Veterans’ services
•Fiscal responsibility
•Chesapeake Bay stewardship
•Workforce development
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Wittman is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 2 — Republican Primary
Jen Kiggans (Incumbent)
Background
•Navy helicopter pilot
•Nurse practitioner
•Former Virginia state senator
Platform
•Military readiness
•Border security
•Fiscal discipline
•Healthcare reform
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro life, with exceptions
•Same Sex Marriage:
No recent public statements- although is not as strong a traditional marriage candidate as we would like.
•Religious Liberty:
Supportive
Kiggans is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 3 — Republican Primary
Edwin Rivera
Background
•Retired disabled U.S. Army veteran
•Former police officer
•Community advocate
Platform
•Education improvement
•Public safety
•Healthcare access
•Youth development
•Economic opportunity
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Rivera is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 4 — Republican Primary
No declared Republican candidates
The GOP nominee will be determined if a candidate files later.
📍 DISTRICT 5 — Republican Primary
John McGuire (Incumbent)
Background
•Navy SEAL veteran
•Former state senator and delegate
Platform
•Border security
•Election integrity
•Parental rights
•Pro life protections
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Melanie Lucero
Background
•Marine Corps veteran
•Small business owner
•Conservative activist
Platform
•Border security
•Election integrity
•Parental rights
•Fiscal restraint
•Veterans’ issues
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Firmly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Lucero is one of the few challengers statewide with explicit, public positions on these issues.
📍 DISTRICT 6 — Republican Primary
Ben Cline (Incumbent)
Background
•Former Virginia delegate
•Attorney
•Serving in Congress since 2019
Platform
•Fiscal conservatism
•Border security
•Religious liberty
•Pro life protections
•Limited government
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Cline is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 7 — Republican Primary
Philip Harding
Background
•Pastor
•Community leader
Platform
•Faith based leadership
•Parental rights
•Public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Doug Ollivant
Background
•Former National Security Council director
•Army veteran
•Policy analyst
Platform
•National security
•Government reform
•Fiscal responsibility
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Ricky Smithers
Background
•Businessman
•Political newcomer
•Pastor
Platform
•Economic growth
•Public safety
•Border security
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public postion
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
📍 DISTRICT 8 — Republican Primary
Tony Sabio
Background
•U.S. Navy veteran
•Former police officer (Puerto Rico)
•Former U.S. Secret Service agent
•Former CIA officer
•Founder/CEO of a security protection firm
•Christian
Platform
•National security
•Border security
•Public safety
•Parental rights
•Constitutional freedoms
•Government accountability
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Sabio is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 9 — Republican Primary
Morgan Griffith (Incumbent)
Background
•Serving since 2011
•Former Virginia House Majority Leader
•Attorney
Platform
•Energy policy
•Healthcare transparency
•Rural development
•Constitutional governance
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Griffith is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 10 — Republican Primary
David Beckwith
Background
•U.S. Army veteran
•Small business owner
Platform
•Border security
•Fiscal responsibility
•Public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro-Life
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
Strongly Support
Julie Perry
Background
•High school history teacher
•Former state senate candidate
Platform
•Education reform
•Parental rights
•School safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Anthony Suttles
Background
•Army veteran
•Former law enforcement officer
Platform
•Crime and public safety
•Border security
•Fiscal restraint
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Sam Wong
Background
•Army veteran
•Cybersecurity professional
Platform
•National security
•Cybersecurity
•Government accountability
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
📍 DISTRICT 11 — Republican Primary
Arthur Purves
Background
•Former president, Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance
•Long time conservative activist
•Retired software developer
Platform
•Fiscal restraint
•Education reform
•Parental rights
•Crime and public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Today, June 18, 2026, marks the first day of early voting in the Republican Primary for the 2026 U.S. Congressional races. Many of you have asked for a clear, factual breakdown of every Republican candidate running in Virginia’s 11 congressional districts.
Because most voters never meet these candidates personally, I’ve put together a straightforward, district by district overview of:
•Who they are
•What they stand for
•Their public positions
— or lack of them — on
Abortion
Same sex marriage
Religious liberty
This is not an endorsement of any candidate. It is simply information to help you vote with clarity and confidence.
📍 DISTRICT 1 — Republican Primary
Rob Wittman (Incumbent)
Background
•Serving in Congress since 2007
•Former state delegate
•Holds a Ph.D. in public policy
•Known for military and veterans’ advocacy
Platform
•National defense
•Veterans’ services
•Fiscal responsibility
•Chesapeake Bay stewardship
•Workforce development
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Wittman is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 2 — Republican Primary
Jen Kiggans (Incumbent)
Background
•Navy helicopter pilot
•Nurse practitioner
•Former Virginia state senator
Platform
•Military readiness
•Border security
•Fiscal discipline
•Healthcare reform
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro life, with exceptions
•Same Sex Marriage:
No recent public statements- although is not as strong a traditional marriage candidate as we would like.
•Religious Liberty:
Supportive
Kiggans is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 3 — Republican Primary
Edwin Rivera
Background
•Retired disabled U.S. Army veteran
•Former police officer
•Community advocate
Platform
•Education improvement
•Public safety
•Healthcare access
•Youth development
•Economic opportunity
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Rivera is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 4 — Republican Primary
No declared Republican candidates
The GOP nominee will be determined if a candidate files later.
📍 DISTRICT 5 — Republican Primary
John McGuire (Incumbent)
Background
•Navy SEAL veteran
•Former state senator and delegate
Platform
•Border security
•Election integrity
•Parental rights
•Pro life protections
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Melanie Lucero
Background
•Marine Corps veteran
•Small business owner
•Conservative activist
Platform
•Border security
•Election integrity
•Parental rights
•Fiscal restraint
•Veterans’ issues
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Firmly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Lucero is one of the few challengers statewide with explicit, public positions on these issues.
📍 DISTRICT 6 — Republican Primary
Ben Cline (Incumbent)
Background
•Former Virginia delegate
•Attorney
•Serving in Congress since 2019
Platform
•Fiscal conservatism
•Border security
•Religious liberty
•Pro life protections
•Limited government
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Cline is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 7 — Republican Primary
Philip Harding
Background
•Pastor
•Community leader
Platform
•Faith based leadership
•Parental rights
•Public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Doug Ollivant
Background
•Former National Security Council director
•Army veteran
•Policy analyst
Platform
•National security
•Government reform
•Fiscal responsibility
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Ricky Smithers
Background
•Businessman
•Political newcomer
•Pastor
Platform
•Economic growth
•Public safety
•Border security
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public postion
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
📍 DISTRICT 8 — Republican Primary
Tony Sabio
Background
•U.S. Navy veteran
•Former police officer (Puerto Rico)
•Former U.S. Secret Service agent
•Former CIA officer
•Founder/CEO of a security protection firm
•Christian
Platform
•National security
•Border security
•Public safety
•Parental rights
•Constitutional freedoms
•Government accountability
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Sabio is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 9 — Republican Primary
Morgan Griffith (Incumbent)
Background
•Serving since 2011
•Former Virginia House Majority Leader
•Attorney
Platform
•Energy policy
•Healthcare transparency
•Rural development
•Constitutional governance
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
Griffith is unopposed in the GOP primary.
📍 DISTRICT 10 — Republican Primary
David Beckwith
Background
•U.S. Army veteran
•Small business owner
Platform
•Border security
•Fiscal responsibility
•Public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Pro-Life
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
Strongly Support
Julie Perry
Background
•High school history teacher
•Former state senate candidate
Platform
•Education reform
•Parental rights
•School safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Anthony Suttles
Background
•Army veteran
•Former law enforcement officer
Platform
•Crime and public safety
•Border security
•Fiscal restraint
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
Sam Wong
Background
•Army veteran
•Cybersecurity professional
Platform
•National security
•Cybersecurity
•Government accountability
Public Positions
•Abortion:
No public position
•Same Sex Marriage:
No public position
•Religious Liberty:
No public position
📍 DISTRICT 11 — Republican Primary
Arthur Purves
Background
•Former president, Fairfax County Taxpayers Alliance
•Long time conservative activist
•Retired software developer
Platform
•Fiscal restraint
•Education reform
•Parental rights
•Crime and public safety
Public Positions
•Abortion:
Strongly pro life
•Same Sex Marriage:
Supports traditional marriage
•Religious Liberty:
Strong supporter
