State Del. Elizabeth Guzmán on Wednesday launched a campaign for Virginia’s new 7th Congressional District following Tuesday’s redistricting referendum approval.
Guzman, a Prince William resident who represents Virginia’s 22nd House District, joins a crowded field in the new 7th District, including former first lady of Virginia Dorothy McAuliffe, state Del. Dan Helmer and several others.
The new 7th District is dominated by Fairfax and Arlington counties, with over 53% of the district made up of the two counties’ voters, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Prince William voters make up less than 3% of the new, so-called “lobster” district because of its scattered carveout. Altogether the district includes 16 localities.
Prior to being elected to the 22nd District in 2025 – when she defeated incumbent Del. Ian Lovejoy – Guzman represented Prince William and Fauquier counties as the 31st District delegate from 2018-2024.
In her campaign announcement Wednesday, Guzmán, a native of Peru, touted her support of Medicaid expansion, raising the minimum wage, supporting workers and unionization and pushing back against data center expansion.
“I came to this country as a single mom with $300 in my pocket,” Guzmán, a Prince William resident, said in her announcement. “I worked behind the counter at Wendy’s. I worked retail at CVS. I did whatever it took to pay rent and put food on the table. That’s what working people do. We show up, we work hard, and we keep going.”
The delegate said in Congress she would work on a “bold agenda focused on lowering costs and protecting working families.” She said she would advocate for immigration reform, abolish Immigrations and Customs Enforcement and call for an end to “costly wars.”
Here are all the candidates who have announced in the new 7th Congressional District:
Democrats
- Del. Dan Helmer
- Dorothy McAuliffe, former first lady of Virginia
- J.P. Cooney, former federal prosecutor
- Del. Adele McClure
- State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim
- Joe Schiarizzi, entrepreneur and affordable housing activist
- Olivia Troye, former counterterrorism advisor in Democratic and Republican administrations
Republicans
- State Sen. Tara Durant
- John Gray
- Darius Mayfield
- Douglas Ollivant
- Waverly Washington
Maps via Virginia Public Access Project. This article was written by FFXnow’s news partner InsideNoVa.com and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today. Links were added by FFXnow.
