Rick Smithers is not currently a resident of Virginia’s 7th District—but he says he’ll move the day after the primary if voters choose him. In this Potomac Local News interview, the pastor, veteran, construction business owner, and recent public-policy doctoral graduate lays out why he’s running in the Republican primary for the seat that includes Stafford, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Prince William and surrounding localities.
Philip Harding, Harvard grad, Republican, former presidential fellow and founder of Impact Junkie, is running in the August 4 Republican primary for Virginia’s 7th District against Eugene Vindman, a Democrat.
In this Potomac Local interview, he hammers on government overreach, rising taxes under the current state leadership, parental rights in schools, and the moral case for cutting waste rather than piling more debt on our kids. He wants stronger families, less red tape, and a return to the American dream he says the rest of the world still envies.
Republican candidates for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District faced off Wednesday evening, June 17, 2026, at a candidate forum hosted by the Fredericksburg GOP at VFW 3103 Post in Fredericksburg.
The 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. private, member-rented event drew local party members as the three contenders vying for the GOP nomination to challenge incumbent Democrat Rep. Eugene Vindman in November sought to distinguish their platforms.
InsideNoVa reported that three Republicans — Dave Beckwith, Julie Perry, and Anthony Suttles — will compete in the Aug. 4 primary for the GOP nomination to face U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (D) in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. A fourth candidate, Sam Wong, has withdrawn despite leading in fundraising.
The district covers all of Loudoun County, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties, Manassas and Manassas Park, western Prince William County, and parts of Fairfax, with the primary decided by plurality vote. Beckwith, a Loudoun resident and Air Force veteran, and Perry, a teacher focused on education spending, debated Wednesday in Ashburn.
Prince William County police investigated shots fired at a Dumfries residence and an attempted burglary in Woodbridge. Stafford authorities also handled multiple fraud reports and public intoxication cases.
This daily police blotter compiles the latest incidents from area law enforcement agencies.
“People start to feel like, ‘What does it matter?’ I tried, and we’re doing all these things, and we even voted, and we used our voice, and it still didn’t work,” Vox reported. “From my experience with everyday people — Republican, Democrat, left, right, everyone between — it’s all about affordability and corruption.”
“You don’t have to know the nuances of the stock market. You just see that they are getting wealthier, while at the same time everybody else is getting…it’s harder to live,” candidate Tim Cywinski told the outlet.
“The issue is this: We’re not going to stop artificial intelligence. We have to put guardrails on it. But I also think we need guardrails on data centers,” the Fredericksburg Free Press reported. “I think it’s a good first step.”
“The data center industry wants to pay its fair share for power,” attorney Charlie Payne, who represents several data center clients in the Fredericksburg region, said.
Samuel Chisolm Jr., chairman of the Prince William County Democratic Committee (PWCDC), announced his resignation effective June 12, 2026, pointing to intense internal party divisions exacerbated by the recent loss of the Woodbridge District supervisor seat in a special election.
In a resignation letter dated June 1, Chisolm described a party fractured by self-interest, ego, and disagreements over its core mission.
“Today the majority of State Central Committee, which essentially acts as the elected board of directors for the Republican Party of Virginia, voted to remain neutral and abstain from taking a position on the 3 horrendous amendments that will be on your ballot this November,” Virginia Scope reported. “There is no doubt everyone in the room Saturday opposes the radical constitutional amendments,” First Congressional District SCC representative David Botkins said.
Republican Party of Virginia Chair Jeff Ryer clarified in an email to members that the State Central Committee did not vote to stay neutral but instead referred the issue of the three constitutional amendments to the Resolutions Committee by a 32-30 standing vote. The committee was instructed to consult local units and report back, with the matter possibly returning as soon as the June 13 meeting.
Colin Turner, a longtime Old Town Manassas resident, historic preservation advocate, and business consultant, announced today that he will seek a seat on the Manassas City Council as an independent candidate in the November 3, 2026, general election.
Turner’s candidacy adds to a competitive field for three open at-large seats on the seven-member council, which operates under a council-manager form of government in the independent city of Manassas.
