Vindman rallies in Dumfries ahead of key Virginia congressional matchup

Federal and state leaders urged voters on Sunday to help Democrats take control of the US House of Representatives and “stop Project 2025 dead in its tracks.”

Big names from national and state politics rallied in Dumfries on Sunday in support of Eugene Vindman’s bid for Congress. 

Vindman is running as the Democrat in Virginia’s hyper-competitive 7th congressional district against Republican Derrick Anderson. The seat is open because current 7th district Rep. Abigail Spanberger is running for governor next year and not seeking another term in Congress. 

Spanberger, along with Virginia US Sen. Mark Warner, Speaker of Virginia’s House of Delegates Don Scott, and US House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jefferies urged volunteers to pound the pavement to get Vindman elected and help Democrats secure a majority in the US House. 

Vindman tried to draw a contrast with the Democratic speakers on Sunday campaigning for him and the Republican surrogates stumping for Anderson, like Rep. Jim Jordan, who Vindman dubbed “Mr. Project 2025.”

“You want to know how my opponent will lead? Think about the people he associates with,” Vindman said. “We don’t want that.” 

Warner commended Vindman for playing a key role, along with his twin brother, Alexander Vindman, in Donald Trump’s first impeachment. The Vindman brothers held senior positions on Trump’s national security council when they raised alarms about Trump’s alleged attempt to pressure Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Both were dismissed in the days after Trump’s impeachment trial finished. 

 Warner said it would be sweet, positive revenge to send Vindman to Congress. 

“He stood up,” Warner said of Vindman. “He did the right thing.

Spanberger said supporting Vindman was personal for her and recalled how she flipped the 7th District blue in 2018 when many did not think it was possible. She urged the crowd to remind voters about the importance of down-ballot races this year like Vindman’s run for the 7th District seat. 

“They know what they’re doing at the top of the ticket,” Spanberger said. 

Jefferies called on people to take the extremism of Trump’s Republican Party seriously. 

“One of the reasons why we need to elect Eugene Vindman, why we need to flip control of the US House of Representatives, is we are going to stop Project 2025 dead in its tracks,” Jefferies said. 

Read more: Project 2025 threatens thousands of Virginia workers