WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — Eyes are on Mike Clancy (R) and Virginia State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (D) as the candidates face off to see who will fill the 10th Congressional District seat.
Since 2019, United States Representative Jennifer Wexton (D), held the office; however, in September 2023, she announced that she would not seek reelection, due to health reasons.
Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is comprised of Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock counties and includes parts of the City of Manassas and Manassas Park. The district also covers areas in Prince William and Fairfax counties.
On Sept. 20, Clancy and Subramanyam squared off during a debate hosted by the Loudoun Chamber. The candidates went head-to-head about the cost of living for families in Virginia, inflation, border security, gun violence and more.
Here are a few things you should know about the candidates.
Mike Clancy (R)
Mike Clancy (R) is a husband, dad, lawyer and business executive. He and his wife, who is a paramedic with a volunteer fire department, live in Loudoun County and have four sons. Clancy is the son of an Air Force sergeant and a school teacher.
He grew up on military bases across the country. Clancy studied at the University of Notre Dame where he obtained his B.A. with High Honors in Government and Philosophy. After undergrad, he continued his education at law school and obtained his juris doctor from George Washington University’s Law School. He later went on to complete the Executive Education Program on Cyber Security Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
One of the issues that Clancy is passionate about is health care. While studying at the University of Pennsylvania Perelam School of Medicine he received a master’s degree in Bioethics and completed the Harvard Medical School Executive Education program on Artificial Intelligence solutions for health care.
Since Clancy won the GOP nomination, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) endorsed him as well as Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), Theresa Coates Ellis (R) and Yesli Vega (R).
According to Clancy’s website, his campaign, “Fighting to Restore America” focuses on eight issues; inflation and the economy, fiscally responsible government, national sovereignty, safe communities, strong national defense and individual liberty.
If elected, Clancy said he wants to start with the economy, adding that he wiill work to boost it through business and entrepreneurship.
“Our economy is broken. Inflation is crushing Americans’ paychecks. Hardworking families are struggling to pay for gas and groceries, and can’t afford to buy a home,” stated Clancy on the website.
During a debate, he said bringing down the high costs of traveling on roads, including the Dulles Toll Road, will benefit families when traveling to and from work.
His campaign promises stronger border policies and curbing government spending. He said he supports ending the Catch and Release Program and fixing the immigration system.
Suhas Subramanyam (D)
State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam’s (D) family story began in 1979 at Washington Dulles International Airport when his mom immigrated to America from India.
He is a husband, dad of two girls, and former volunteer firefighter and EMT who lives in Ashburn.
Subramanyam attended college at Tulane University in New Orleans, La. His experience of Hurricane Katrina motivated him to work to improve the health, safety and prosperity of Virginians and Americans.
After earning his law degree with honors from Northwestern University, Subramanyam served in the Barack Obama Administration as a White House technology policy advisor. In 2019, he was elected to the Virginia General Assembly.
According to his website, when Virginia consumers were overcharged by millions on energy bills, he built a coalition across party lines to fight back, resulting in more than $300 million in refunds to families.
Former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R), who held the 10th Congressional District seat from 2014 to 2018, endorsed Subramanyam. U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, whose seat Subramanyam hopes to win, also announced her endorsement for her fellow Democrat.
According to his website, Subramanyam said he will continue to fight for families across Virginia. His focus is on the economy and job creation, protecting women’s health care, responsible gun ownership, environmental protection, boosting health care access and more.
He also promised to stand strong against “MAGA extremists” and defend abortion rights.
During a debate in September, Subramnyam said border security and immigration are some of Virginians’ top issues he hears as a state senator. He said the immigration system is broken and there needs to be more funding and security for the border.
“We need to actually support legal immigration,” said Subramnyam, during the debate. “Congress, that’s exactly what I am going to do. I am going to make sure that we work in a bipartisan way to solve these issues.”
Voting in Virginia
Early voting ends on Nov. 2 in Virginia. Absentee ballots must be returned by mail and postmarked by Nov. 5. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.
