 Pam Kirschner, 52, from Stephens City, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Pam Kirschner, a 52-year-old farm worker in Stephens City, voted for Democrat Jennifer Wexton in the 10th Congressional District as a statement against President Donald Trump.“I think we have got to get these people out who are supporting everything he is,” she said. Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock, fighting to keep her seat, has been closely aligned with Trump’s policies. Kirschner especially noted the she opposes the Trump administration’s environmental policies. |
 Carol Casey, 74, Stephens City, Va. Another Stephens City resident, 74-year-old Carol Casey, said she was upset that many of the GOP statements about Wexton were “lies.”“She did not make it so that the tolls increased like they said and she is for Planned Parenthood.” Casey said. She also said Comstock’s support for Trump was a reason not to vote for her. “Honestly, he’s trying to run this country like a company and if you disagree with him he complains and whines,” she said. |
 Michael Rogers, 60, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Michael Rogers, a 60-year-old Washington firefighters who lives in Berryville, voted for embattled incumbent Rep. Barbara Comstock because of “her strong voice and her professionalism behind the desk and just everything she stands for.” |
 Toni Horn, 64, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Like Rogers, 64-year-old Toni Horn of Berryville, voted for Comstock and usually votes Republican. She said she supports Trump “to a degree.” |
 Amy Sarch, 52, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Amy Sarch, 52, also voted for Wexton. “I’m really liberal and I live in a pretty conservative area, and we need some change,” she said. |
 Gregory Wooddell, 48, from Winchester, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Winchester resident Gregory Wooddell, 48, said his vote was “against Comstock” because “she won’t speak out against Trump for his “bigotry and the racism against our fellow citizens.” |
 Tyler Dashner, 35, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Tyler Dashner, a 35-year-old small businessman in Berryville, said that “anyone who stands up to Trump gets my vote.”“I just feel like it’s a culture of racism and bigotry in the Trump administration, that I just don’t, can’t agree with.” He voted for Comstock’s Democratic opponent, Jennifer Wexton. “I feel like Republican voters just tend to support the party because that’s what their pastors tells them to and they don’t really think about it too much because they have to vote for the pro-life candidate and that’s the only thing they care about really.” |
 Jason Funkhauser, 34, from Goochland, Va. (Patty Nieberg/MNS) “There’s anger boiling underneath the surface and people want to see change. This is the way to do it,”said Jason Funkhauser, a 34-year-old high school government teacher in Goochland, Virginia. |
 Martha Howard, 57, and her son, Billy Martins, 35 from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) In Berryville, Martha Howard and her son, Billy Martins, voted for Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock because they support Republicans, especially President Donald Trump.Howard, 57, said that “we should have the rights of our amendments, of our constitution” especially the right to own guns.“I believe everything Trump has done is wonderful,” she said “I knew he should be president the minute he came up and said he might be. … Something very different that the United States really needed.” Martins, a 35-year-old teacher, said he was voting for the first time because he has lived in Brazil for years. Like his mother, he is concerned about ensuring “the right to bear arms.” He said it’s time for new ideas rather than dynasty politics and that why he supports Trump. “It just opens up the range for different style of politics.” |
 Elizabeth Powers, 68, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) In Berryville, Elizabeth Powers and Tom Miller voted for Rep. Barbara Comstock, the northern Virginia Republican who’s in a tight race to stop Democrat Jennifer Wexton from taking her seat.Both said they feared a Democratic return to power in the House. “I do believe that if Democrats were to take office, all they would be doing is trying to get Donald Trump impeached and (Supreme Court Justice Brett) Kavanaugh impeached and I think that’s wrong” said Powers, 68. “I agree with the way the resident is working hard for us,” she said. “He’s brought jobs into the country. He’s brought jobs back from different countries. He’s had tax reductions. Miller, 67, said if Wexton wins, “she’s going to vote for Nancy Pelosi to be speaker of the House. I don’t see anything positive there.” “She’s interested in spending more tax money to give more things to the people,” he said.  Tom Miller, 67, from Berryville, Va. (Beverly Banks/MNS) |
 Ben Slone, head of Republican Committee in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. (Patty Nieberg/MNS) The head of the Republican Committee in the 7th Congressional District, not surprisingly voted for Republican Rep. David Brat, who facea a serious challenge from Democrat Abigail Spanberg.“I don’t look at politicians and their messages. I look at what they bring in support of a bill,”Ben Slone said. Slone also praised Brat’s background in economics. “Are there any economists in Congress? No.” |
 Scott Brown, 68, from Charlottesville, Va. (Jessica Floyd/MNS) Scott Brown, 68, a retired high school teacher, also voted for Kaine and Cockburn. His driving issue was health care. |
 Marilyn Duling, 82 from Charlottesville, Va. (Jessica Floyd/MNS) Marilyn Duling, 82, a retired dental hygienist, voted Tuesday as she traditionally does – for Democrats. But this year she had a particular mission. |
 Kathy Leuhman, 57, Virginia Beach (Brock Hall/MNS) Republican Kathy Leuhman said she voted for Democratic newcomer Elaine Luria to unseat Republican Rep. Scott Taylor in Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District because of his close alignment with President Donald Trump and his campaign scandal.Former campaign staffers for Taylor are accused of forging signatures to help an independent candidate get on the ballot, in hopes that would draw votes away from Luria. Leuhman, a 57-year-old from Virginia Beach , said racism is a big problem that “is dividing the country. “I am not proud with where Republicans are taking us,” she said. |
 Susan Francis, 59, from Richmond, Virginia (Patty Nieberg/MNS) Susan Francis, 59, from Richmond, Virginia, works at a local travel agency and is a volunteer for Democratic congressional candidate Abigail Spanberger in VA-07. Susan started volunteering for the campaign after Spanberger visited her office. “She was so genuine,” Susan said.The issues that concern Susan the most are health care and education, and she “wants to see racism addressed in a meaningful way.” “I worry about someone who says they’re a nationalist,” she said. |
 Shekinah Veeravalli and Lillian Piett, 18, students in Short Pump. (Lucas Robinson/MNS) Shekinah Veeravalli and Lillian Piett, 18, students in Short Pump, both voted for the first time Tuesday. Each said they voted for Democrat first-time candidate Abigail Spanberger for the congressional seat now held by Republican Rep. Dave Brat, who is trying to win a second term. “She had a big mix of Democrat and Republican,” Piett said, and used “the best of both.” |
 Ed Jaffee, 85, from Winchester, VA. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Winchetser voter Ed Jaffee cast his ballot for Democratic challenger Jennifer Wexton, who hopes to unseat Rep. Barbara Comstock . “I like what she stands for, I like her reasoning,” Jaffee said of Wexton. “I like especially the fact that she is willing to reach across the aisle to get things done.” The 85-year-old retired journalist and public relations professional said he and his wife contact Comstock’s office several times, but got “the usual nonresponse responses. ‘Thank you for giving us your thoughts, be assured that we will take them into consideration,’ but no response to the specifics.” Wexton, a state senator, “responded, course that’s easy to say because she’s running but she did a good job in the state also so that’s the principle reason.” Jaffee said of President Donald Trump: “I think like the great majority of Americans, of either party, we wish he were more prudent, more judicious in his comments, and give up with the tweets.” |
 Julia Conte, 20, Richmond, Va. (Daniel Grimes/MNS) Julia Conte is a 20-year-old student at the University of Virginia from Richmond, Virginia. She’s voting for Democrat Leslie Cockburn to replace retiring Republican Rep. Thomas Garrett,because she says climate change is the defining issue of her generation. |
 Nicholas Johnston, 30, Fairfax County resident. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Nicholas Johnston, a 30-year-old transgender man, said that, “based on Donald Trump’s attacks on the trans community and several prominent Republicans ‘refusal to condemn that, including (Barbara) Comstock, I just can’t bring myself to vote Republican, maybe not ever again.”The Fairfax resident said re voted for state Sen. Jennifer Wexton in her bid to unseat the Republican Comstock. When asked if he had voted for Republicans in the past, he said, ““Not that I’d be willing to.” |
 Chris Ritz, 45, from Winchester, VA. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Another Winchester voter, Chris Ritz, said he voted for Democrat Jennifer Wexton to unseat Republican Rep. Barbaral Comstock because he wants the district to be “back in the Democratic hands.” |
 Charlie Hagan, 68, Winchester, VA resident. (Beverly Banks/MNS) Another Wexton voter, 68-year-old Charlie Hagan of: Winchester, said he couldn’t support Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock’s re-election bid because she “came up far short in her interest in protecting the environment.”“Comstock and the Republicans have been reluctant to take the kind of urgent action that we need to protect the environment.” He said the Trump administration “has been an environmental nightmare.” |
 Sarah Wark, 33, from Short Pump, Va. (Lucas Robinson/MNS) Sarah Wark, 33, a third grade teacher from Short Pump, Virginia, supported Democrat Abigail Spanberger in her effort to unseat Republican Rep. Dave Brat because of her stance on social issues and civil rights.“I feel like she represents everyone,” Wark said. |
 Amy Anderson, 59, Charlottesville, Va. (Daniel Grimes/MNS) Amy Anderson, a 59-year-old educator in Charlottesville, said her vote was a vote against President Donald Trump. She voted for Leslie Cockburn and all Democrats because she wants civility in politics.Cockburn is running against Republican Denver Riggleman in the 5th Congressional District to replace retiring Republican Rep. Thomas Garrett. |
 Deborah Terrell, Virginia Beach resident (Bryan Wood/MNS) Virginia Beach resident Deborah Terrell said she voted from Democrat Elaine Luria to take over the congressional seat of Republican Rep. Scott Taylor. |
 Abby Holland, 21, and her friend Anna Gross. (Jessica Floyd/MNS) Abby Holland, 21, is a fourth-year public policy student at the University of Virginia. In the midterms, she was focused on immigration and the balance of power in Congress. She voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Tuesday, voted fro Democrats Sen. Tim Kaine and Leslie Cockburn, who hopes to take retiring Republican Rep. Thomas Garrett’s seat.Holland’s friend Anna Gross voted for the Democratic ticket as well. Gross prioritized Kaine’s criminal justice reform and education policies. “He represents a more inclusive Virginia,” Gross said. “He treats people with dignity and respect.” |
BATTLE GROUND VIRGINIA: Voices of Voters
Candidate Jennifer Wexton, who is running for the 10th district congressional seat, votes this morning at Loudoun County High School. (Kietryn Zychal/MNS)