The Winner

If you live in Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) will keep representing you after winning a ninth term. The Associated Press called the race for Griffith around 8:30 p.m. on election night, Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to Cardinal News. ​

Griffith had 194,134 votes, or 65.9%, to 99,924 votes, or 33.9%, for Democrat Joy Powers, a margin of about 32 points. The figures are from unofficial Virginia Department of Elections results with all 28 localities reporting. Write-in candidates received 599 votes.

The Race

Powers is a fourth-generation cattle farmer from Bedford County. She won the Aug. 4 Democratic primary with 49.3%, defeating software developer Adam Murphy and pastor and attorney Douglas Crockett, while Griffith had no primary opponent, according to the Virginia Mercury.

Griffith’s margin narrowed from 2024, when he beat Democrat Karen Baker by about 45 points, 72.5% to 27.3%. Before this election, Cook Political Report and Inside Elections rated the seat Solid Republican, and Sabato’s Crystal Ball rated it Safe Republican, according to Ballotpedia.

The district covers most of Southwest Virginia, from the coalfields to the New River Valley, including Blacksburg and Radford, according to Virginia Mercury election coverage. It also includes Bristol, Martinsville and parts of Bedford and Roanoke counties. The race used the lines the Supreme Court of Virginia drew in 2021, after the court struck down the redistricting amendment voters approved in April.

The district has about 780,100 residents, a median household income of $58,400 and a median age of 44. About 23.9% of adults hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, unemployment is 3.8% and 16.3% of residents live below the poverty line. Residents are 87.4% white, 5.6% Black, 3.3% Hispanic and 1.6% Asian.

What’s Next

Griffith’s new term begins Sunday, Jan. 3, and he will serve in the minority after Democrats won control of the House. After his win, he said he thinks Republicans and Democrats can work together on some issues, including rural health care, according to WHRO.

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