2026 VA-01 Democratic primary candidates: info, interviews, & appearances

Read, watch, and listen to get to know them

Early voting for the 2026 VA-01 Democratic primary is underway. For your convenience, we’ve assembled resources to help you learn about the candidates running to unseat Congressman Rob Wittman. The more informed you are about what they bring to the table, the more powerful your vote will be. Our guide to all the VA-01 candidates is here.

This page contains links to candidate forums, interviews, podcasts, and articles about the candidates. As new interviews and articles emerge, we’ll keep this as current as possible; let us know if you notice that something is missing.

Key voting dates

June 18 – August 1:
Early in-person and absentee voting

Through July 24:
Register to vote; update registration; request mail-in ballot

August 4, 2026:
Election Day

You can register, check your status, or request an absentee ballot at elections.virginia.gov.

Candidate contact information

Videos of candidate forums

• June 28 - Henrico Dems 2026 Candidate Forum: Virginia’s First Congressional District
  Candidates: Beggs, Bhatti, Cywinski, Knapp, Kopp, Taylor, Tull

• June 19 - Candidate Forum: Virginia’s 1st Congressional District
  Candidates: Beggs, Bhatti, Cywinski, Taylor

• June 6 - 2026 Williamsburg JCC CD-01 Candidate Forum
  Candidates: Beggs, Bhatti, Cywinski, Knapp, Kopp, Tull

• June 4 - Virginia’s 1st Congressional District Democratic Candidate Forum via Gloucester VA Democrats
  Candidates: Beggs, Bhatti, Cywinski, Knapp, Kopp, Tull

• January 15 - Speed Dating District 1 Candidates via Historic Triangle Dems
  Candidates: Beggs, Bhatti, Cywinski, Knapp, Kopp, Littlepage, Taylor, Tull
  (Note: Lewis Littlepage has since dropped out of the race)

Neighbors for Change candidate interviews

(Note: Lewis Littlepage dropped out of the race after the third round of interviews; Shannon Taylor declined to participate.)

• In Their Own Words: CD1 Candidates (3/24)

• In Their Own Words: Legislative Agenda (4/6)

• In Their Own Words: What Truly Differentiates Me (4/27)

• In Their Own Words: What Keeps Me Going (5/18)

• In Their Own Words: Endorsements (5/18)

• In Their Own Words: Bi-Partisan Collaboration (5/18)

• In Their Own Words: Congressional Authority Over War Powers (5/18)

Media appearances

The candidates have been interviewed across print media, video, and podcasts. Here we collect their appearances, in reverse chronological order.

Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (6/19)

• Virginia Scope podcast (6/2)

• Breaking the Meta Podcast (2/20)

• The Seneca Project podcast (2/5)

• Breaking The Meta Podcast (1/15)

• ABC News (1/12)

Salaam Bhatti

• Alex Cascio podcast (6/24)

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (6/10)

• Virginia Scope podcast (5/28)

• Banner & Backbone podcast (5/21)

• RVA Magazine (5/10)

• Walter Rhein podcast (4/2)

Tim Cywinski

• Lorena Serantes podcast (6/25)

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (6/19)

• Kate Powell podcast (5/12)

• RVA Magazine (part 1) (4/1), (part 2) (4/27)

• Left Out Loud Podcast (3/10)

• Tim Cywinski via Style Weekly (11/8/25)

Jason Knapp

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (6/4)

• Henrico Citizen (11/20/25)

Ericka Kopp

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (6/18)

• Miss Immigrant USA podcast (6/18)

• Ericka Kopp via Lejune Magazine (6/4)

• Carlos R. Gomez of Coconut Justice Podcast (5/28)

• Chelsea Yigan of Political Makeup podcast (5/12)

Shannon Taylor

• Lauren Underwood podcast (6/3)

• Virginia Scope podcast (5/21)

• Simon Rosenberg podcast (4/13)

• Virginia Mercury (9/8/25)

Mel Tull

• Foggy Bottom Line podcast (4/29)

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Know about any candidate coverage we missed? What else would you like to learn about them? Let us know by sending us a message or drop a comment here or on any of our social media channels: BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit.