Voters in the Greater Williamsburg area chose candidates in a handful of races Tuesday, including three for the U.S. House of Representatives and one for the U.S. Senate.
In the 1st Congressional District, which includes part of James City County, voters in the Democratic primary picked Vangie Williams to face incumbent Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in November’s general election.
Williams carried the district with 39.9 percent of the vote. Challengers Edwin Santana and John Suddarth finished with 32.7 percent and 27.4 percent, respectively.
Democrats in James City County, however, preferred Suddarth, who received 38.4 percent of the vote. Williams was second with 26.4 percent, while Santana garnered 25.2 percent.
In the 2nd Congressional District — which includes Williamsburg, York County and part of James City County — incumbent Rep. Scott Taylor easily defeated Mary Jones in the Republican primary, 76.9 percent to 24.1 percent.
Jones, a former chairwoman of the James City County Board of Supervisors, also finished a distant second to Taylor in the Greater Williamsburg area.
Taylor defeated Jones 75.9 percent to 33.3 percent in James City County, 69.2 percent to 30.9 percent in Williamsburg and 72.5 percent to 27.5 percent in York County.
In the district’s Democratic primary, Elaine G. Luria won with 62.3 percent of the vote over Karen Powers Mallard with 37.7 percent.
Republicans also chose Corey Stewart, the chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, to face incumbent Democrat Tim Kaine in November’s race for U.S. Senate.
Stewart earned 44.9 precent of the vote to narrowly defeat Del. Nick Freitas, who received 43.1 percent. E.W. Jackson, a Chesapeake pastor who was the Republican nominee for Virginia lieutenant governor in 2013, finished with 12 percent.
Voters in Greater Williamsburg, though, preferred Freitas over Stewart. Freitas received 52.4 percent of the vote in James City County, compared with 34.9 percent for Stewart. In Williamsburg. Freitas edged Stewart 39.5 percent to 38.8 percent. In York County, Freitas came out on top with 51.3 percent, while Stewart finished with 34.7 percent.
This year’s general election will be on Nov. 6.