Former Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe is officially running for Congress.
The onetime state department official and wife of former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced today (Wednesday) that she will campaign for the proposed 7th Congressional District seat, which would include Annandale, Burke, West Springfield, West Falls Church and Pimmit Hills in Fairfax County.
“We need a leader who has a record of delivering and can finally bring down costs for families, who will increase access to affordable healthcare, and who will never back down from holding Donald Trump and ICE accountable,” McAuliffe said in a statement.
Early voting is now underway for an April 21 referendum on a state constitutional amendment that would let the General Assembly adopt a new Congressional map proposed by Virginia Democrats to counter Republican-led gerrymandering efforts elsewhere in the country.
In addition to encompassing a slice of Fairfax County, the sprawling 7th District stretches from Arlington to western Augusta County. Most of the district’s voters would live just outside D.C., and it’s one of four new districts that are intended to favor Democrats.
“I look forward to traveling this district — from Arlington to Augusta and Prince William to Powhatan — and sharing that vision for this community that I’ve long called home,” she said.
An attorney and mother of five who has lived in Fairfax County for 34 years, McAuliffe was Virginia’s first lady from 2014 to 2018. During that time, she pushed for childhood nutrition programs and helped tackle a backlog of untested rape kits in the state.
In 2017, the former first lady weighed challenging former Republican U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, though opted against a bid. She became the U.S. State Department’s special representative for global partnerships in 2022 under President Joe Biden’s administration.
McAuliffe is entering a crowded primary. Last month, four-term Virginia Del. Dan Helmer and former federal prosecutor J.P. Cooney, who served as a deputy to special counsel Jack Smith and was fired by Trump, launched campaigns in the district. State Del. Elizabeth Guzman, who was elected the first Latina immigrant in the General Assembly, also said she was weighing a run.
McAuliffe and other candidates would have an opportunity to change their plans if the redistricting effort is not approved or is thrown out by the state Supreme Court.
Because of the redistricting referendum, Virginia has already postponed the June primary elections for Congress to Aug. 4.
