Competitive races in Virginia could play a decisive role in the race for Congress.

FREDERICKSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s top matchups for U.S. House seats in Tuesday’s elections include tight battles in the district being vacated by three-term Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger and in a district known to , switches between Democratic and Republican control.

In Virginia’s 7th House District, Republican Derrick Anderson and Democrat Eugene Vindman are in a competitive race to replace Spanberger, who is vacating her seat to a candidate for governor next year.

On the coast, Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans is trying to strengthen her position in a district that has been known to swing between candidates nominated by both parties. Kiggans will face Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal in the 2nd District, where Kiggans unseated the Democratic incumbent in 2022.

This year, federal elections are closer than ever — A small number of races could determine which party wins the majority in Congress. In a tight race for several seats, competitive districts in Virginia and elsewhere will play a critical role in the fight for the House of Representatives.

Every U.S. House seat was up for election Tuesday, including eight other Virginia districts. State Sen. John McGuire is facing Democrat Gloria Whitt in Virginia’s 5th District after narrowly defeating incumbent U.S. Rep. Bob Good by less than a percentage point in a closely contested primary. which led to a recount in August.

In the 7th District, the race between Vindman and Anderson quickly became one of the most competitive in the country, with Republicans hoping to make gains in the election. districts in which they do not face the incumbent. Vindman, despite being a political novice, developed a national profile after blowing the whistle alongside his brother during Trump’s first impeachment. The former Army officer focused his campaign on abortion rights and the threat of MAGA extremism to democracy. Anderson, a fellow veteran and former Green Beret, presented himself as a more affable candidate and focused his campaign on the economy.

Republicans consistently represented the district for nearly 50 years until Spanberger defeated former Republican Rep. David Brat in 2018.

In the 2nd Congressional District, Democrats are backing Cotter Smasal to retake the House seat after Kiggans ousted former Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria. The 2nd District has traditionally been a swing district, swinging between Republicans and Navy Democrats in recent years.

The differences between the candidates largely stem from national differences between the two major political parties. In her re-election campaign, Kiggans focused on issues such as the economy and border security, while Cotter Smasal focused her campaign on abortion access and protecting American democracy after January 6 uprising. In a district home to military veterans, both candidates cited the need to help veterans and address the rising cost of living.

And in northern Virginia, Democrats are trying to hold on to their position after Democratic Rep. Jennifer Wexton announced she would not seek re-election after diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy. In an area that leans liberal, Democrat Suhas Subrahmanyam faces Republican Mike Clancy.

Subrahmanyam, a former technology adviser during the Obama administration, began his political career as a state legislator in 2020 and was elected to the Virginia Senate last November. His campaign against Clancy, a corporate lawyer formerly with the Navy’s Office of the General Counsel, began after Subrahmanyam announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in a crowded primary in June.

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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.