Why Should I Care?


Washington DC's jaw hit the floor when Former Virginia Rep. Eric Cantor—the former House majority leader seen as a sure-thing for re-election— got beat by Tea Party-backed David Brat. Meanwhile, a popular Democratic senator is getting challenged by one of the most connected men in the GOP. Bottom line? Virginia's lost that lovin' feelin'.

Who Do I Need to Know?


Senate
Sen. Mark Warner (D, Incumbent): Former VA gov. and co-founder of the company that became Nextel. Rode the Obama wave all the way to DC in '08, but now he's slowly backing away from Mr. President.

Ed Gillespie (R): Former Republican National Committee chairman and senior adviser to President George W. Bush. Man knows how to network. Now, he's popping his candidate cherry.

House
David Brat (R): David took down Goliath when he sent Cantor packing in the Republican primary. It was the first time a majority leader had ever lost a primary. BFD. Brat's an Economics professor at Randolph-Macon College with the Tea Party in his pocket.

Jack Trammell (D): Also a professor at Randolph-Macon College. Trammell won the nomination for this Democratic long-shot race by a landslide...because he was the only one in the race.

What Are the Issues?


Obama: Gillespie's favorite strategy is pegging Warner to President Obama, and his policies, as often as possible. Warner's arguing he's really a centrist in Democratic clothing, willing to work with anybody.

Immigration: Brat won the primary by tapping into conservatives' anger against Cantor for supporting certain immigration reforms. Making it Da Brat's favorite issue.

I'm from Virginia. What Do I Need to Know About Voting?


October 14th is your deadline to register to vote, if you're voting in person. Download this, print it and mail it in to your voter registration office (you’ll find it on the application).

October 28th is your deadline to request an absentee ballot if you're going to be out of state on Election Day. Download this, and mail it in to your voter registration office (you'll find it on the application).

November 4th is Election Day. Get it done before Happy Hour—voting closes at 7 p.m. local time.

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