Beginning when it was re-created in 1952, the 10th district was in Republican hands for 60 of 66 years, including long stints in office by
Joel Broyhill (1953–74) and
Frank Wolf (1981–2014).
Barbara Comstock, a former aide to Wolf, succeeded him after the 2014 election.
Jennifer Wexton defeated Comstock in the
2018 midterms, becoming only the second Democrat to win the district. Subramanyam ran in 2024 after Wexton did not seek re-election. The modern 10th congressional district was formed in 1952. For the next two decades, it consisted of Arlington, Alexandria, and most of Fairfax County. As a result of redistricting following the 1970 census, it lost Alexandria and was pushed westward to take in Loudoun County. Virginia's 10th congressional district used to be a Republican stronghold, having once voted by double-digit margins for Republican candidates. In 2000, ten-term incumbent Republican Congressman
Frank Wolf won over 80% of the vote and did not face a Democratic opponent. Two years later, Wolf defeated his Democratic challenger John Stevens by 43 points. In 2004, President
George W. Bush won the district by 11 points. In recent years, the district has become much friendlier to Democrats due to population growth in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. In 2012,
Mitt Romney narrowly carried the district by a point, while in 2016,
Hillary Clinton won the district by 10 points. In 2017, Democrats scored major gains in the state legislative elections, leaving Comstock as the only elected Republican above the county level in much of the district.
Ralph Northam also easily carried the district in the gubernatorial race. This proved to be a precursor to Comstock's defeat by Wexton a year later. As of 2022, VA-10 is the third-wealthiest congressional district in the country, with a
median household income of $140,889. ==Demographics==