Virginia Sen. Salim launches congressional campaign

Sen. Saddam Salim (center) meets with members of the Falls Church chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group that promotes legislation to curb gun violence.

Virginia Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim on April 6 announced his candidacy for the 7th Congressional District.

Salim joins a crowded field of candidates from both parties.

The Democratic Primary is scheduled for Aug. 4, according to Ballotpedia. However, the composition of the district could change, pending the outcome of the special election on a constitutional amendment on redistricting on April 21.

Related story: Dorothy McAuliffe launches congressional campaign

Salim, a Democrat, has represented Virginia’s 37th Senate District – covering Tysons, Vienna, Fairfax, and Oakton – since 2024.

His congressional campaign is “rooted in a message of empathy, justice, progress and bold leadership for working families across the Commonwealth.”

In the Virginia Senate, Salim says he led efforts to promote housing affordability and end abuses by ICE.

Salim’s family immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh when he was 10. After graduating from Falls Church High School and George Mason University, he worked as a financial manager and consultant for several federal agencies and private companies.

Related story: Virginia Supreme Court approves referendum on redistricting

The 7th District currently includes all or parts of Stafford, Culpeper, Spotsylvania, King George, Caroline, Orange, Madison, and Greene counties.

Under the proposed redistricting map, the lobster-shaped 7th District would include parts of Fairfax and Arlington and stretch south all the way to Powhatan County and west to Buckingham and Augusta counties.

The current representative of the 7th Congressional District, Eugene Vindman, plans to run for the redrawn 1st Congressional District assuming the constitutional amendment is approved.

Early voting on redistricting starts Friday, April 11 at satellite locations, including the Mason District Government Center and the Thomas Jefferson Library.

Among the other Democrats vying for the 7th District:

• Former Virginia First Lady Dorothy McAuliffe, an attorney and former special representative for global partnerships at the State Department.

• J.P. Cooney, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., where he led the criminal prosecutions of President Trump for the retention of classified documents and efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

• Del. Dan Helmer, a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and Iraq and was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2019.

• Del. Adele McClure of Arlington, the former executive director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.

• Jonathan Shmeelk, a federal contractor from Arlington.

• Alex Thymmons, an Army veteran.

Related story: Early voting underway on redistricting

Republican candidates for the 7th Congressional District include:

• Douglas Ollivant, an Army veteran with a background in international consulting.

• Tara Durant, who has represented the Fredericksburg area in the Virginia Senate since 2024.

• Darius Mayfield, a business consultant and founder of several charities.

• John Gray, a Vietnam War veteran who describes himself as a “proud MAGA Republican and makes no apology for it.”