by Brandon Jarvis
Fredericksburg, VA – During a press conference Tuesday, Derrick Anderson, the Republican candidate in Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District, says he accepted six general election debates. He also responded to attacks over residency from his Democratic opponent, Eugene Vindman.
“The people of the seventh, my home, the place that raised me, deserve to hear from both candidates in a thoughtful discussion of the issues, not once, not just in TV ads or on social media, but multiple times across the district,” Anderson said. “Anything less is a disservice to this district.”
The Vindman campaign says they have accepted four event invitations, but only one has been officially announced. The format of those events, whether a debate or just a candidate forum, has not been finalized according to the Vindman campaign.
Shortly before Tuesday’s press conference, Vindman accused Anderson of committing either tax fraud or voter fraud.
The accusation comes in response to the Richmond Times-Dispatch reporting that Anderson is renting a home within the Seventh Congressional District while also owning a home in Fairfax with an Alexandria mailing address.
“Unfortunately, it looks like my opponent is either committing tax fraud or voter fraud — and I think that the voters of this district deserve to know the truth,” he posted on social media.
Anderson’s house in Fairfax was purchased with a Veterans Administration loan intended to be used for the recipient’s primary address and provides for tax breaks.
“Are you committing voter fraud by living in Alexandria even though you’re registered and vote in Spotsylvania, or are you committing tax fraud by claiming tens of thousands of dollars in tax exemptions for a house you don’t live in?” Vindman posted.
When asked Tuesday, Anderson said it was the first time he had heard of Vindman’s accusations.
“This is the fear-mongering that Vindman continues to do. I have been completely above board on all of the things that he is accusing me of,” he said. “This is what he does; he hides behind Twitter and social media rather than doing things like this. That is why we are asking for debates.. for him to come to events like this and answer tough questions like that.”
Vindman and Anderson are seeking the open VA-07 seat, as the incumbent, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, opted to seek the Democratic nomination for governor instead.
Anderson was an Army Ranger deployed to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Jordan, Israel and Lebanon during his time in the armed services.
He is now a practicing lawyer living in Spotsylvania, where he grew up and graduated high school.
A newcomer to the political scene in 2022, he sought the Republican nomination that year. He finished second in a six-person race. Yesli Vega won the nomination and eventually lost to Spanberger.
Vindman was born in Soviet Ukraine and moved to New York with his family when he was three.
He served in the Army as a paratrooper and infantry officer before earning his law degree and joining the Jag Corps.
Vindman, a key figure in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, has become a national figure and raised a large sum of money using his profile.
While on the National Security Council (NSC), his twin brother, Alexander, also on the NSC, listened to Trump’s phone call with Ukraine’s president when he attempted to extort information about Joe Biden. Alexander and Eugene reported the call together, which resulted in Trump’s first impeachment hearing.
After the Senate acquitted Trump, he fired the Vindmans.
Since launching his campaign, Vindman has raised significant cash from Democrats nationwide.
Trump endorsed Anderson and took shots at Vindman for his involvement in the impeachment.
“Derrick is America First all the way, and he is running against a weak and pathetic Democrat named Yevgeny ‘Eugene’ Vindman who, along with Adam ‘Shifty’ Schiff and others, lied to push the Ukraine Impeachment Hoax, a continuation of the greatest and most dangerous Political WITCH HUNT in the History of our Country,” Trump wrote on social media.
As of June 30, Anderson has raised $1,414,277 and reported having $460,802 cash on hand.
Vindman has raised $7,487,429 and reported having $2,284,458 cash on hand.
This race is expected to be close, and Republicans are hoping to flip it and keep their majority in the House.
Spanberger won reelection in 2022 by five points, but analysis from VPAP shows that Glenn Youngkin won the district by five points in 2021.