2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam
Such territorial disputes are particularly affective because they are viewed as challenges and violations of Vietnam’s sovereignty, an especially sore subject when it comes to China given the history of border clashes between the two countries until 1991, such as the two-month bloody Sino-Vietnamese border war not four decades prior in 1979. An op-ed in the Vietnam News sums up the ground sentiments for anti-China protests in a message of solidarity: "The Vietnamese people are angry. The nation is angry. We are telling the world that we are angry. We have every right to be angry. [ … ] The message from all these demonstrations is simple and straightforward: China should stop violating international law and respect Viet Nam's sovereignty. [ … ] We are a small country, but we are not weak. We will stand as one, united in the cause of protecting our motherland's integrity."


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
When it comes to the Vietnam government’s response, observers note that authorities have generally allowed such anti-China protests, only clamping down on protesters in the presence of violence. Appearing compliant to China could harm the political careers of the Vietnamese politicians as being seen as anti-nationalistic and weaken legitimacy. Additionally, scholars have noted that the international coverage and sympathy due to such protests may be used to communicate the extent of outrage in Vietnam and legitimize the country’s pleas for international support.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
In both the 2011 and 2014 instances, authorities clearly tolerated the demonstrations in the beginning, allowing protesters to march the streets and stopping or redirecting traffic several times to let them cross streets throughout the march. The government further took steps to mollify public anger and show support for the protesters by echoing their sentiments in harsh rhetoric and strongly-worded official statements against China using words such as ‘brazen’ and ‘illegal’.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
However, Hanoi walks a very thin line to maintain their careful hedging strategy in relations with China. Given the clear differences in size, capacity, and military power and force, antagonizing China and pushing the issue too far could seriously impact bilateral relations and threaten the existing asymmetrical relationship that has been carefully negotiated throughout the centuries of history. Vietnam’s population size is 7% of China’s; its Gross National Product 3% of China’s; its military budget less than 1% of China’s.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
Vietnam’s total trade with China was 20% of its total trade in 2015, and a quarter of tourists to Vietnam in 2013 were from China. Vietnam is also partially dependent on China for ideological and economic support, with China being Vietnam’s biggest guide and protector in Marxism-Leninism and market socialism. With all of this in mind, both the 2011 and 2014 protests were eventually met with curtailment and suppression, as the authorities ordered a crackdown after deeming the invisible line to be crossed. In 2011, the Hanoi city government issued an order to end the protests that were “undermining national unity” and “complicating diplomatic efforts”, warning demonstrators that authorities would “take necessary measures” against those who disobeyed, and following up on the threat when marches continued.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
It is important to note that the relationship between the two countries is not totally skewed, however – both sides are bound by the 16 Word Guideline, a statement announced by the General Secretary of the CPV and the President of the People’s Republic of China in 1999 as a guide for Sino-Vietnamese relations in the future. Specifically, it stipulated that both countries commit to “long-term, stable, future-oriented, good neighborly and all-round cooperative relations”.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
A study analyzing major diplomatic events from the 1990s to 2018 between the two countries showcase how this official term has been brought up at every single summit meeting since its conception, reminding both sides of their commitment to maintaining bilateral relations. The author thus provides an alternate view to the traditional approach of power politics that emphasize asymmetry between China and Vietnam, instead arguing that the 16 Word Guideline has led to a powerful coercive rhetoric that exerts strong influences on both sides to avoid domestic instability and military conflict.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
Regarding the South China Sea in particular, Vietnam pursues a strategy of ‘cooperation and struggle’ with China – for instance, engaging in a defence self-help programme at home with deliveries of kilo-class submarines while engaging major powers including the United States, Russia, India, and Japan to maintain the power balance in the Sea.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
While the anti-China protests did not change Vietnam’s foreign policy towards China both during the disputes or in the long-term, the pressure was successfully manipulated for Vietnam’s benefit, with the United States acceding the sale of equipment and weapons for maritime defense purposes, India extending a $100 million credit line for defense procurement, and Japan providing six maritime vessels and training to Vietnam’s coast guard (and with improved relations) during the crises.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
All in all, within this trio – the Vietnamese people, the Vietnamese government, and the Chinese government – it is all about preserving a delicate balance between appeasing protests and approving of nationalism while maintaining the negotiated asymmetry and avoiding harm to bilateral relations. A study based based on an analysis of 570 Vietnamese newspaper articles shows how the Vietnamese government was truly balanced in its response to anti-China protests, extensively publicizing the conflict to show opposition to Chinese aggression but also channeling the anger towards China into a “more positive and constructive form of pro-government nationalism”.


2018 Vietnam protests, Context, Past anti-China protests in Vietnam, Vietnamese state response
Scholars ultimately agree on the general approach taken by Vietnam to such anti-China criticism and rallies: that demonstrators were allowed and sometimes even encouraged to protest, with broad media coverage of the demonstrations and issuances of official statements in a sympathetic nature towards protesters that condemned Chinese actions. This permissive stance would continue until events escalated and turned violent, where there would then be a heavy-handed, definitive crackdown often involving arrests and brute force.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background
Major causes of popular agitation in 2018 included issues of land grabs, excessive taxes, and unfair tolls and pollution. However, the year’s largest protests was triggered by the Special Zone Act and the Cybersecurity Law. Across two weekends from 9 to 17 June 2018, members of the public gathered to protest against the passing of both laws. Protests began in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi but soon spread to towns in six provinces including Danang, Nha Trang, Binh Thuan, and Tai Ninh. Mainstream and mass media, which are all state institutions by law, provided minimal information or coverage of the 2018 protests, intentionally using vague terms such as “gathering” or “traffic congestion” to downplay any significant social instability.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background
While the demonstrations were generally peaceful in most cities, there were incidents of violence and destruction in the Binh Thuan province, where protesters stormed government buildings, set vehicles on fire, and grappled with police forces. According to a source from Reuters, the reaction was particularly bitter in Binh Thuan as anger had already been festering for years in the province – its residents blame China for assaulting local fishermen, polluting the area with a Chinese-built power plant, and deforesting the land to mine minerals primarily exported to China. Binh Thuan residents were not only venting fury towards China but also towards the local government, whom they perceived as corrupt and enslaved by destructive Chinese commercial interests.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background
As a facet of the protests targeted Chinese workers and Chinese-owned factories in particular, China’s diplomatic missions in Vietnam held meetings with Chinese business groups, local government and local media. The website of the Chinese Embassy in Vietnam posted that charge d’affaires Yin Haihong “demanded” that Vietnamese authorities protect Chinese businesses and citizens. Yin said the embassy had been informed by the Vietnamese authorities that people with “ulterior motives” had “deliberately misrepresented the situation and linked it to China.”


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
The Special Zone Act was a draft legislation created to spark investment and economic benefits by boosting development in the areas of Van Don, North Van Phong and Phu Quoc and providing “room for institutional experiments”. Infrastructure plans included an international airport in Van Don to establish it as a tourist hub, industrial centers for the logistics and marine industries in Van Phong, and protecting the beautiful beaches and nature in Phu Qoc to attract tourists.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
According to scholar and Professor Alexander Vuving, the act was spearheaded by Pham Minh Chinh (who was a member of the Politburo of the CPV at the time before being appointed Prime Minister of Vietnam in 2021) and Nguyen Tan Dung (who was Prime Minister of Vietnam from 2006 to 2016), with main support coming from then-National Assembly chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and then-Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, then-CPV executive secretary Trần Quốc Vượng and then-Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc were reportedly more hesitant.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
The specific provision that triggered the anti-China protests was a clause in the bill that would allow 99-year leases of land to foreign investors. Although the draft law did not specify any particular country, it was widely presumed that Chinese investors would be the most likely beneficiaries given their deep pockets and close proximity, potentially turning the areas into de facto Chinese territories. Vietnam has also been a preferred treasure hunting ground for Chinese buyers in recent years. Existing anti-Chinese sentiments only served to embolden this connection between the act and China.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
Nguyen Chi Tuyen, a Hanoi-based blogger with 42,500 Facebook followers, was quoted as saying, “We have a long history with the Chinese people, they always want to invade our country, so it is dangerous to allow them to use these SEZs to control our country”.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
Nguyen Quang Dy, an analyst who was a former foreign ministry official, published an article criticizing the proposed SEZs, writing: “While Vietnam’s economic interests and sovereignty in the South China Sea are seriously threatened by China, the decision to set up new SEZs at these critical positions would be inexcusable for either economic or national security reasons.”


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
As the rumor of China’s imminent exploitation of the act continued to spread and public dissatisfaction demonstrated, party officials hastened to rebuke such fears. Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan attempted to calm the outrage by appealing to the protesters, saying that the people should “believe in the decisions of the party and the state, especially in the fact that the National Assembly is always listening to the people’s opinions when discussing the bills”.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that the proposed benefits of the act would only be towards the people, proclaiming that “the party of President Ho Chi Minh (referring to the CPV) is for the country, for people and no other purposes” and specifically addressing the allegations that the country would be lost to China by reportedly saying, “No one is that foolish to hand over land to foreigners for them to mess us up. No one would be that naive.”


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Special Zone Act
The act eventually succumbed to pressure and was postponed indefinitely.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
The Cybersecurity Law, on the other hand, was overwhelmingly passed on 12 June 2018 despite huge local and international opposition, with approving votes from 91% of attending legislators. The law grants the government sweeping powers to control online information and police online activity including potentially forcing technology company to hand over vast amounts of data including personal information and censoring users’ posts, and banning Internet users from organizing for anti-state purposes.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
Many articles are ambiguously worded and allow for broad manipulation and interpretation by authorities – Article 8 and 15 of the law, for example, could lead people to being charged for extremely vague offenses such as “negating the revolution achievement” or giving “misleading information causing confusion among the people”. Before the law was passed, the United States and Canada had urged Vietnam to delay the vote for further review to ensure that it met global standards, voicing concerns that it may hurt digital innovation in Vietnam. Critics warned that it could undermine local firms that rely heavily on the provision of cross-border services online such as cloud-computing services, which may impact the economy.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
The justification provided by the CPV paints the law as a necessity for the protection of the party and the regime; as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong proclaimed, “During this time period of 4.0 industrial revolution, there are many benefits but, on the other hand, management is very difficult. From this come instigations, protests, disruptions, regime overthrows. Therefore, there needs to be law to protect this regime.” The Cybersecurity Law too sparked similar anti-China sentiments as it is commonly criticized as a duplicate of its Chinese counterpart passed in 2017, with Vietnam mimicking China’s approach to internet governance out of a desire to better control online spaces and information flows.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
The law has been strongly criticized by nongovernmental organizations globally. Amnesty International said the law was a “devastating blow” for freedom of expression: “with the sweeping powers it grants the government to monitor online activity, this vote means there is now no safe place left in Vietnam for people to speak freely,” said Clare Algar, Amnesty’s director of global operations. Reporters without Borders urged for the quick repeal of this “draconian new law” in the online pocket of resistance that “the Party’s current leadership wants to crush”.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
The Asia Internet Coalition, an industry group that was leading efforts to soften the proposed legislation, said the law would increase costs of doing business in Vietnam for foreign and local enterprises, and that small and medium businesses in particular would be more negatively impacted, with lesser resources to deal with the new rigorous licensing, audit, and compliance requirements. The Vietnam Digital Communication Association said the requirements could reduce Vietnam’s gross domestic product by 1.7 percent and wipe off 3.1 percent of foreign investment.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Cybersecurity Law
The passing of the law can be seen as a culmination of the CPV’s existing escalating campaign against social media. Smaller individual incidents in the previous year, 2017, had been perceived as a build-up to slowly prepare for the passing of the overarching law. In early 2017, the government banned Vietnamese firms from advertising on YouTube in an effort to pressure Google to remove “toxic content” from its global video-sharing platform. The Ministry of Information and Communication later claimed success, saying that Google had removed 6,423 videos and Facebook had terminated 159 accounts for “defaming Vietnamese leaders”. In December 2017, the Ministry of Defence declared its “cyberwarfare” against the negative impact of the Internet, introducing a unit of 10,000 members entitled “Force 47” that works “every hour, every minute, every second” to fight against “erroneous views” online.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
Social media cannot be overlooked for its two key roles in the 2018 protests: as the platform for informing and organizing, and as the very target of the Cybersecurity Law.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
Social media is widely used among the Vietnamese public. In 2019, the Internet penetration rate is relatively high at about 69%. 2018 Global Digital reports show that about 60% of the population are users of social media and a survey found that Facebook was the most-used platform, with 90% of respondents between 16 and 64 years old stating that they used the platform. Studies in 2021 found that Vietnamese spend an average of 6 hours and 47 minutes each day on the Internet, with an average of 2 hours and 21 minutes on social media in specifically, higher than other Asians such as Singaporeans, Chinese, South Koreans, and Japanese.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
As previously mentioned, traditional media in Vietnam is state-owned and controlled – therefore, social media is virtually the only or most practical way to reach mostly uncensored critical information and knowledge. Not only has its increased use led to better political awareness among the public about key political and economic issues, it has also has enabled a mobilizational effect on policy formulation, public opinion, and overall participation in governance.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
Examples include campaigns from organizations such as the Institute for Studies of Society, Economy and Environment and the Centre for Community Empowerment, which has relied heavily on the social media to reach out to supporters for LGBT rights in Vietnam. Other nongovernmental organizations connect and act through networks such as the Working Group for Public Administration Reform, the People’s Participation Working Group (PPWG), and the Gender and Community Development Network, with the Internet being the main platform for communication and discussion on social issues and collective action.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
Vietnam is not the only country that uses social media as a platform for organizing – this phenomenon is well-documented in literature, studies have shown that activism and political movements have often been mobilized through social media in a great number of other countries such as Egypt, Spain, Tunisia, and China. Social media as a platform allows transnational communication for spread of messages across large territories, which is crucial for large-scale mobilization – in the 2014 anti-China protests, this communication was instrumental for the organization of the factory takeovers in different places at the same time.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
In the 2018 Vietnam protests, the call urging people to rally circulated on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and many posters and activists constantly reported real-time and genuine on-the-ground events. Censorship cannot take posts down as fast as protests are covered on social media through constant updating of statuses, photos, and live videos.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
With the restrictions on mainstream media, and relative freedom of social media, it is no wonder that the platform for political participation and organization is shifting. The government, of course, is more than aware that with the rise of social media comes an increase in public scrutiny – for this reason, there have been noticeable changes in how they interact with the public. A majority of the 18,000 journalists licensed by the state have active personal Facebook accounts and then-Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien and the Office of the Government of Vietnam were among the pioneers of the use of Facebook accounts to promote their activity to the public.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
The 2018 protests too have left their own footprints on government activity on social media. A study that reviewed the social media activity of the Vietnamese government and society, as well as subsequent government responses towards anti-China protests in 2018, found that the 2018 protests left significant imprints on government design and use of social media as a tool to deal with anti-China sentiments – since then, the authorities have become acutely sensitive and even responsive to anti-China sentiments online.


2018 Vietnam protests, Background, Role of social media
Overall, the adoption of the Cybersecurity Law indicates how social media and the online space in general have become urgent concerns for the CPV. The very fact that the Special Zone Act was postponed under public pressure while the Cybersecurity Law was still adopted despite significant dissent suggests that the CPV regards the medium as a major battleground.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
9-10 June (Saturday and Sunday): The demonstrations began with around 50,000 Vietnamese from a footwear factory taking to the streets of Ho Chi Minh City to protest against the two draft bills. This soon spread across provinces in Vietnam. State media reported that protesters in the central province of Binh Thuan threw petrol bombs and bricks at police and damaged local government offices (reportedly the provincial People’s Committee headquarters) and vehicles. Dozens of policemen were injured in the incident.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
Posts by activists on social media reported police beatings and detentions by plainclothes officers. Riot police used tear gas, smoke bombs, and water cannons to disperse protesters in Binh Thuan province, and arrested over a hundred people. In the capital Hanoi, police detained more than a dozen protesters who marched down a busy street, some carrying anti-Chinese banners including one that said “No leasing land to China even for one day”. Dozens of protesters were also detained in the country’s economic hub, Ho Chi Minh City.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
An American citizen who took part in the protests in Ho Chi Minh City, Will Nguyen, was among the arrested. He had posted a series of tweets documenting the protests on Sunday. According to a statement from his family and friends, he was “beaten over the head and dragged into the back of a police truck” as the police cracked down on the protests. A spokesman for the United States Embassy in Hanoi said that the embassy were aware of the arrest and would work to provide the appropriate consular assistance.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
11 June (Monday): Protests in the cities were quickly suppressed, but those in Binh Thuan continued. Police formed barricades with their shields across town roads and tear gas was fired into the crowd. Police arrested another 100 people on the night of 11 June, and it was unclear how many protesters from the weekend were released.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
12 June (Tuesday): State media reported on Tuesday that tensions in Binh Thuan province had subsided. The government regained control of government buildings occupied over the previous weekend. The police-run Ministry of Public Security continued investigations and released a statement that those who had incited people to vandalize and cause disorder would be dealt with strictly.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
15 June (Friday): On Friday, then-house speaker Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan responded vaguely to statements about the protests, saying that the legislature “appreciates the people’s patriotism and their profound concerns about important issues.”


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
17 June (Sunday): In central Vietnam, there were reports of peaceful demonstrations without police clashes; in southern Vietnam, reports were of violent crackdowns.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
Reuters reported that in central Ha Tinh province, thousands of people demonstrated peacefully against both laws. Protesters held signs that said “No leasing land to Chinese communists for even one day” or “Cybersecurity law kills freedom”. This was confirmed by three witnesses and livestream footages on Facebook. The demonstration lasted for two hours on Sunday morning without any clashes with the police.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
In Southern Vietnam however, on the same day, posts on social media and from multiple activists reported that authorities took some 180 people, including active protesters and passive observers, to Tao Dao stadium in Ho Chi Minh City. Some activists said that they were not protesting but were taken by authorities from their homes or cafes to the stadium anyway. Authorities searched and beat the detained. Many of those involved said they sustained injuries to the head, and some lost consciousness. One individual required long-term hospitalization for his injuries.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
18 June (Monday): Vietnamese police arrested eight more people from Binh Thuan, accusing them of disturbing public order, opposing officials and damaging state property.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
12 July: A court in Binh Thuan province jailed six Vietnamese over “disturbing public order” through their participation in the protests, with sentences between two to two and a half years each. All six had admitted guilt during the one-day trial. In the same week, then-US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo encouraged a speedy resolution regarding the issue of Will Nguyen during meetings with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
20 July: A Vietnamese court ordered the release and deportation of Will Nguyen immediately after his one-day trial on the same day. State-run newspaper Ho Chi Minh City Law reported that he was not given a prison sentence due to his admittance to his charged offences and sincerity. A spokesperson at the United States Embassy in Hanoi said in a statement that they were “pleased that the case of U.S. citizen William Nguyen has been resolved”. Mike Pompeo later tweeted that he was “tremendously pleased” that Nguyen would be returning home to his family.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
23 July: A court in Binh Thuan province jailed another ten Vietnamese protesters, aged between 18 and 43, over “causing public disorder”, with sentences between two to three and a half years each.


2018 Vietnam protests, Timeline of events
2 August: Reports stated that a protester, Hua Hoang Anh, died on 2 August after local police officers in Kien Giang Province interrogated him concerning his participation in the protests. Social media and nongovernmental organizations reported that there were many injuries to his body, including to his head, neck, and belly, possibly indicating torture. State-run media only stated that he had died.


2018 Vietnamese Cup
The 2018 National Cup (Vietnamese: Giải bóng đá Cúp Quốc gia) is the 26th edition of the Vietnamese Cup, the football knockout competition of Vietnam organized by the Vietnam Football Federation.


2018 Vietnamese Cup
The schedule of the tournament was announced on 28 March 2018.


2018 Vietnamese Cup, Semi-finals, Second leg
3-3 on aggregate. Becamex Bình Dương won on away goals.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Second League
The 2018 Vietnamese National Football Second League was the 20th season of the Vietnamese National Football Second League. The season began on 25 April 2018 and finished on 15 July 2018.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Second League, Rule changes
In this season, there are 13 teams divided in two groups in qualifying stage according to geographic region. The top 2 teams of each group will be qualified to final round. In final round, 4 teams will play 3 matches:


2018 Vietnamese National Football Second League, Rule changes
The winners of each match will promote to 2019 V.League 2. There are no teams relegated to 2019 Vietnamese Third League.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Second League, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2017 season.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Third League
The 2018 Vietnamese National Football Third League was the 14th season of the Vietnamese National Football Third League. The season began on 22 October 2018 and finished on 31 October 2018.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Third League, Rule
In this season, there are 8 teams divided geographically to 2 groups with 4 teams per group. The winner of each group and the best runner-up of both group  promoted to Second League. The teams play each other once in a centralised venue.


2018 Vietnamese National Football Third League, Team changes
The following teams have changed division since the 2017 season.


2018 Viking FK season
The 2018 season was Viking's 1st year back in 1. divisjon, after 29 consecutive seasons in the top flight of Norwegian football.


2018 Viking FK season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Viking FK season, Transfers, Winter
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Viking FK season, Transfers, Winter
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Viking FK season, Transfers, Summer
In:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Viking FK season, Transfers, Summer
Out:Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Villanova Wildcats football team
The 2018 Villanova Wildcats football team represented Villanova University in the 2018 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Mark Ferrante and played their home games at Villanova Stadium. They were a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. They finished the season 5–6, 2–6 in CAA play to finish in a tie for tenth place.


2018 Villanova Wildcats football team, Previous season
The Wildcats finished the 2017 season 5–6, 3–5 in CAA play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place.


2018 Villanova Wildcats football team, Preseason, CAA Poll
In the CAA preseason poll released on July 24, 2018, the Wildcats were predicted to finish in sixth place.


2018 Villanova Wildcats football team, Preseason, Preseason All-CAA Team
The Wildcats had two players selected to the preseason all-CAA team including quarterback Trevor Knight being selected as offensive player of the year.


2018 Vinaphone Cup
The 2018 Vinaphone Cup (also known as the tenth edition of VFF Cup) is an international Olympic association football friendly tournament, sponsored by Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) with the competition is named after Vinaphone, a subsidiary-mobile network which is part of VNPT. Vietnam as the hosts use the tournament as their preparation for the Asian Games held in Indonesia.


2018 Vinaphone Cup
Vietnam emerged as the tournament champions with 7 points ahead the rest teams.


2018 Vinaphone Cup, Participating teams
The following are the list of teams participating the tournament.


2018 Vinaphone Cup, Match officials
The following referees and their assistants were chosen for the tournament.


2018 Vinaphone Cup, Regulation
The tournament is decided through a round-robin format with team with the highest point will become the winner.


2018 Vinaphone Cup, Venue
All matches were to be played in National Stadium, Hanoi.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games
The 2018 Vintage Yachting Games was the third post-Olympic multi-class sailing event for discontinued Olympic and Paralympic Classes. The event was held from 16–22 September 2018 on Øresund, Copenhagen in Denmark. The organization of this event was executed by a joint venture of the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub and the Hellerup Sejlklub. The Vintage Yachting Games Organization (VYGO) was the governing organization. The competition took place in 3 Vintage Yachting Classes.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, First bidding process
The first bidding process was officially launched on 14 December 2010. The bidding process intended to run till 31 December 2011. This period was extended on request of several candidates.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, First bidding process
Before the bidding process started there was an interest for hosting the event from:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, First bidding process
The Vintage Yachting Games supervisory board finally voted unanimous to accept the bid of the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy and not for reopening or extending the bidding process. The venue of the 2016 Vintage Yachting Games was formally announced during the closing ceremony of the 2012 edition.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Second bidding process
As soon as the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy withdraw from the event a second bidding process was started for a postponed event in 2018. Bids arrived from four countries:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Second bidding process
The classes than had the possibility to vote. As result the Danish bid was chosen unanimously for the third edition (2018) and the Austria for the fourth edition (year t.b.d. 2020–2022). The dates of the 2018 Vintage were announced in 2016 to the Vintage classes.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Prologue, Second bidding process, Voting result
The bonus point system was used over the eight voting classes (no discard)1  Denmark 10 points2  Austria 47.7 points3  Germany 53.4 points4  Italy 64.4 points


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Venue
As Venue for the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games the Øresund for Hellerup chosen. The hostclubs were the Kongelig Dansk Yachtklub and the Hellerup Sejlklub. The clubhouse and harbor of the Hellerup Sejlklub was used to facilitate the event.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Calendar
The program of the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games was as follows:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Competition
In 12' Dinghy: Nicky Arnoldus (CAN), former Dutch Champion, during a race of the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Competition
In O-Jolle:Onno Klazinga (NED), competed against Paul Elvstrøm in 1963, during a race of the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Competition
In Soling:Peter W. Hall (CAN), Committee member World Sailing and three times Soling World Champion (in three continents), during a race of the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Current Vintage Yachting Classes
Due to circumstances that varied by class only three out of 12 of the Vintage Yachting Classes participated in the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games at Hellerup.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Wind conditions
The Øresund in front of the Hellerup Sejlklub was during the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games one of the targets of the remains of the Hurricane Florence. This resulted in South-Westerly winds that varied between 12-38 knots over the period of the Vintage.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Measurement
Since all three classes just had major championships that include measurement, no measurement took place in this Vintage.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony took place in the main hall of the club house of the Hellerup Sejlklub. The formal opening was done by Rasmus Knude of Hellerup Sejlklub.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Closing ceremony
Due to the weather conditions the VIP race could not be started. So the closing ceremony started with the prize giving by Lars Ive and Peter Lübeck Stephenson.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Closing ceremony
During the closing of the event Rudy den Outer handed over stainless remembrance plate with the Vintage logo to Peter Lübeck Stephenson. He also announced that the Union-Yacht-Club Attersee will be the host of the next Vintage Yachting Games. However before the date will be set an evaluation with the classes and organizers will take place. After that the Vintage flag was received from Lars Ive, representing the Copenhagen organization. The flag was subsequently handed over to Stephan Beurle representing Austria as the next host country.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, 2018 Vintage, Media Coverage
Pictures and video footage was received for Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International distribution from:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing
Races in all events were sailed in a fleet racing format of eight scheduled races. The contestants raced around a course in one group, and each boat earned a score equal conform the bonus point system. Due to wind conditions not all scheduled races could be sailed.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing, Reports per event
Per class separate pages reporting the facts are available (see the details section per class in the medals table).


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Sailing, Report Vintage InterPares race
Due to the weather conditions the VIP race could not be sailed. Since all winners came from the Netherlands the decision was made to sail the VIP race on a later date in 2018/2019 somewhere in the Netherlands. This is in line with the history of the 12' Dinghy at the 1920 Summer Olympics were the last race was not sailed in Belgium but in The Netherlands.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games, Medal summary, Country Trophy
The best ranked competitor per class per country scores point for his country based on his overall ranking and the 1964 Olympic scoring system. The highest scored country wins the Country trophy.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule
The 12' Dinghy International Rule was an event on the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games program at Copenhagen, Denmark. Six out of the eight scheduled races were completed. 22 sailors, on 19 boats, from nine nations entered.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Venue overview, Race area and course
Both of the course areas on the Øresund in front of Hellerup were available for the 12' Dinghy event. On the first two days, course Alpha was used. The next day the class moved to course Bravo for less wind and waves.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Venue overview, Wind conditions
The Øresund in front of the Hellerup Sejlklub was during the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games one of the targets of the remains of the Hurricane Florence. This resulted in South-Westerly winds that varied between 12–38 knots over the period of the Vintage. Course area Alpha was more in the open sea. With the South-Westerly winds this meant more wind and more waves. Also the wind was more stable and predictable then closer to shore.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Races, Summary
In the 12' Dinghy six out of the planned eight races were completed.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Races, Summary
The  12' Dinghy class (Olympic in 1920, 1928 and candidate for the 1940 Tokyo Olympics) brought large fleet from nine countries to the Vintage. This was due to the driving force of the class admiral Bert Hamminga. The races were dominated by Wim Bleeker. The big fight was for the other podium places. When there is a lot of wind it is customary that sailors that are not able to handle the conditions start crewing for sailors that are higher ranked. Due to this elegant principle no sailors need to stay ashore on windy days. This shows on the many DNC results.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Races, Victors
Elena Romana GASENZER (l), Jurri ROOYACKERS, Wim BLEEKER, Hans REYERS (r). Missing on the picture are Anïl Cetin (also Silver) and Anneke REYERS (also Bronze).


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Notes
Information about the Vintage Yachting Classes (former Olympic classes) can be verified by:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – 12' Dinghy International Rule, Notes
Information about the organization, conditions, sailors and results can be verified by:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle
The O-Jolle was an event on the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games program at Copenhagen, Denmark. Six out of the eight scheduled races were completed. Seven sailors, on seven boats, from two nations entered.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Venue overview, Race area and Course
Both of the course areas on the Øresund in front of Hellerup were available for the O-Jolle event. In all cases the Alpha course area was used.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Venue overview, Wind conditions
The Øresund in front of the Hellerup Sejlklub was during the 2018 Vintage Yachting Games one of the targets of the remains of the Hurricane Florence. This resulted in South-Westerly winds that varied between 12–38 knots over the period of the Vintage. Course area Alpha was more in the open sea. With the South-Westerly winds this meant more wind and more waves. Also the wind was more stable and predictable then closer to shore.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Races, Summary
In the O-Jolle six out of the planned eight races were completed.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Races, Summary
The O-Jolle class (Olympic in 1936) brought several Dutch and European Champions to the Vintage. The first three races were dominated by Thies Bosch. When Thies encountered some material breakage the races were open again.


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Notes
Information about the Vintage Yachting Classes (former Olympic classes) can be verified by:


2018 Vintage Yachting Games – O-Jolle, Notes
Information about the organization, conditions, sailors and results can be verified by:


2018 Virginia Cavaliers football team
The 2018 Virginia Cavaliers football team represents the University of Virginia during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cavaliers are led by third-year head coach Bronco Mendenhall and play their home games at Scott Stadium. They compete as a member of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).


2018 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Previous season
Virginia ended the 2017 season with a 6–7 overall record, 3–5 in the ACC, to finish in a tie for fourth place in the ACC Coastal Division. They were invited to the Military Bowl, where they were defeated by Navy.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers football team, Preseason, ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team
The 2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team represented University of Virginia during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. The Cavaliers were led by head coach George Gelnovatch, in his twenty-third season. They played home games at Klöckner Stadium. This was the team's 78th season playing organized men's college soccer and their 66th playing in the Atlantic Coast Conference.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team
In addition, the Cavaliers were one of the six college soccer programs that participated in U.S. Soccer's 2018 Spring Men's College Soccer Program, which was held from March 4–April 21. This will be a series of competitive fixtures that use IFAB rules instead of NCAA rules for matches.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team, Previous season
The 2017 Virginia Cavaliers team finished the season with a final overall record of 13–4–5, and final ACC record of 3–2–3. The Cavaliers were seeded sixth-overall in the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament, where they reached the final. In the ACC Championship Game, they lost on penalty kicks to Wake Forest. The Cavaliers earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament, continuing their record streak of consecutive NCAA appearances going at 37 appearances. In the NCAA Tournament, Virginia was seeded 11th overall in the tournament, where they reached third round before losing to Fordham.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team, Previous season
At the end of the season, four Cavaliers men's soccer players were selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft: Jeff Caldwell, Edward Opoku, Pablo Aguilar and Sheldon Sullivan.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Virginia Cavaliers men's soccer team, 2019 MLS Super Draft
Virginia did not have any players selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team
The 2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Tech during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Hokies are led by third-year head coach Justin Fuente and play their home games at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Virginia as members of the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Virginia Tech finished the season with a losing record, the first season since the 1991 and 1992 football seasons when Virginia Tech experienced two such seasons back to back.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Previous season
The Hokies finished the 2017 season 9–4, 5–3 in ACC play to finish in second place in the Coastal Division. The Hokies received an invitation to the Camping World Bowl, marking the school's 25th consecutive bowl bid, the longest active bowl streak that is recognized by the NCAA. There they lost to Oklahoma State 30–21.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Preseason, ACC media poll
The ACC media poll was released on July 24, 2018.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Game summaries, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech scored 7 touchdowns on the night, which is the most in Lane Stadium since the 1970s. They accomplished this feat 100% on the ground, racking up over 460 yards without completing a single pass. This game also marked the second straight time the backup QB for GT got the start on the road in the GT-VT series. GT is now 4-1 against the Hokies over the last 5 years.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Honorary #25 Beamer Jersey
Since the start of the 2016 season, during the week before each game, Head Coach Justin Fuente selects an outstanding player to wear the #25 jersey in honor of former head coach, Frank Beamer, who wore #25 as a player for Virginia Tech. The jersey represents hard work, toughness, good sportsmanship and being a exemplary teammate. At first, the distinction was intended strictly for special teams players, but has since been expanded to include all team members.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team
The 2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team represented Virginia Tech during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the 47th season of the university fielding a program. The Hokies played their home games at Sandra D. Thompson Field in Blacksburg, Virginia. The Hokies were led by tenth year head coach Mike Brizendine.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team, Background
The 2017 Virginia Tech men's soccer team finished the season with a 10–10–0 overall record and a 3–5–0 ACC record. The Hokies were seeded ninth–overall in the 2017 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament. The Hokies won their first round match up against NC State, but fell to eventual champions Wake Forest in the second round. The Hokies earned an at-large bid into the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament. Virginia Tech defeated Air Force in the first round, before losing to Michigan State in the second round.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team, Background
At the end of the season, one Hokie men's soccer player was selected in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft: Ben Lungaard.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team, Player movement, Players arriving
The Hokies announced the signing of nine players on February 8, 2018. The Hokies announced two more signings on March 17, 2018.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2018 Virginia Tech Hokies men's soccer team, 2019 MLS Super Draft
Virginia Tech did not have any players selected in the 2019 MLS SuperDraft.


2018 Virginia ballot measures
The 2018 Virginia State Elections took place on Election Day, November 6, 2018, the same day as the U.S. Senate and U.S. House elections in the state. The only statewide election on the ballot were two constitutional referendums to amend the Virginia State Constitution. Because Virginia state elections are held on off-years, no statewide officers or state legislative elections were held. The referendum was referred to the voters by the Virginia General Assembly. The amendment easily passed, although final vote totals await the final certification of results by the state board of elections.


2018 Virginia ballot measures, Question 1
The amendment reads: "Should a county, city, or town be authorized to provide a partial tax exemption for real property that is subject to recurrent flooding, if flooding resiliency improvements have been made on the property?"


2018 Virginia ballot measures, Question 2
The amendment reads: "Shall the real property tax exemption for a primary residence that is currently provided to the surviving spouses of veterans who had a one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability be amended to allow the surviving spouse to move to a different primary residence and still claim the exemption?"


2018 Virginia elections
During the 2018 election year in Virginia several local, state, and federal elections were held. On May 1, several of Virginia's cities and towns held mayoral, city council, and school board elections. Primary elections for Congress were held on June 12.


2018 Virginia elections
The general election  was on November 6, 2018 for all 11 of Virginia's House of Representative seats, as well as the Class 1 Senate seat. 2018 Virginia's 8th House of Delegates district special election will also be held that day. The seat, being vacated by Greg Habeeb, is being sought by Republican Roanoke County Supervisor Joe McNamara and Radford University associate director Democrat Carter Turner.


2018 Virginia elections
Special elections were held January 16 for Chilhowie town council, on February 6 for Leesburg town council, and on July 24 for Isle of Wight County sheriff.


2018 Virginia elections, Federal elections, United States Senate
On November 6, Virginians re-elected their Class 1 senator Tim Kaine, who will serve from 2019 until 2025. He was challenged by Republican Corey Stewart and Libertarian Matt Waters. The Commonwealth's Green and Constitution parties did not run candidates.


2018 Virginia elections, Federal elections, House of Representatives
Virginians will elect their representatives who will serve from 2019 until 2021. Nine of the 11 incumbent Representatives are running for re-election. The Republican Party is defending seven seats, five of which are incumbents, and the Democratic Party is defending four seats, all of whom are incumbents. Ten of the 11 districts feature at least two candidates running, while three districts have third party candidates running.


2018 Virginia elections, Ballot measures
There are two state constitutional amendments on the ballot. Both proposed ballot amendments received nearly universal, bipartisan support in the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.


2018 Virginia elections, Municipal elections, City mayoral elections
The following towns in Virginia held mayoral elections. Most mayoral elections were held on May 1, 2018. City elections in Virginia are officially nonpartisan, parties are only shown if their affiliated party is known.


2018 Virginia elections, Municipal elections, Town mayoral elections
The following towns in Virginia held mayoral elections. Most mayoral elections were held on May 1, 2018. Town elections in Virginia are officially nonpartisan, parties are only shown if their affiliated party is known.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
Virginia's 10th congressional district election was one of the highest-profile United States House of Representatives elections of 2018, and the most competitive and costly in Virginia, as the Republican incumbent congresswoman Barbara Comstock lost to Democrat Jennifer Wexton.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
On June 12, 2018 Republican primary election, Comstock defeated her rival, Air Force veteran Shak Hill. In the Democratic primary, Wexton, a state senator, defeated scientist Julia Biggins, former State Department official Alison Friedman, Army veteran Dan Helmer, former Department of Veterans Affairs official Lindsey Davis Stover, and former federal prosecutor Paul Pelletier.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
As of April, Comstock had posted one of the largest fundraising hauls of the first quarter of 2018, and four separate Democrats in the district had posted fundraising hauls of more than $200,000. The fact that the field of six Democrats raised more than $4.4 million combined for the Democratic primary was seen as a sign of Democratic enthusiasm. The 10th district race also drew in the most money in the state in the second quarter.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
The general election, along with the other 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia, was held on November 6, 2018. As of May, Roll Call listed Comstock as one of only three incumbents running in districts rated as tossups.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
After the primary election, the Cook Political Report moved the district (along with four other districts) from "Toss Up" to "Lean Democratic," noting Comstock's underwhelming performance against Hill, including in the Shenandoah Valley, and the possibility that Republican senatorial candidate Corey Stewart's nomination could "alienate independents, depress Republican interest in the Senate race and allow Kaine to run up the score in the 10th CD, compounding Comstock's challenge." In particular, Stewart's stances on Confederate monuments and immigration may have lowered turnout among educated suburban Republicans.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election
The University of Virginia Center for Politics made a similar assessment. According to Mark J. Rozell, it seems likely that Comstock's appeals to mainstream and independent voters will be overshadowed by Trump's and Stewart's louder rhetoric directed to the hard-core right wing. A study by the Christopher Newport University Wason Center's Rachel Bitecofer predicted Comstock would lose and that the deciding factor for Democrats was getting their own partisans to the polls rather than swaying independent voters. Comstock herself had said, "We're up in our internal polls, and I have never underperformed my internal polls."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
Virginia's 10th congressional district has a higher median income than any other congressional district outside of Silicon Valley. The district is home to the Central Intelligence Agency and many of the country's biggest defense companies, IT firms and government contractors. The 10th covers McLean and Manassas, and then stretches west from Loudoun to the West Virginia line. The 10th district is the most college-educated GOP-held district in the country, and 37 percent of its residents are non-white. Only five congressional districts have more federal workers than the 10th, and all are within Virginia, Maryland or the District.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
Ever since 17-term Republican Rep. Frank Wolf's retirement, Democrats have seen the 10th district as ripe for a challenge, but Comstock has won by solid margins since her first run in 2014, when she rode a solid advantage in fundraising to the victory over Fairfax County supervisor John Foust. In 2016, Comstock's challenger, Democrat LuAnn Bennett, became the first 10th District Democrat to win in Loudoun since 1978, but Comstock still won with 210,791 (52.7 percent) to Bennett's 187,712 votes (46.9 percent) of the ballots cast. The 10th district is one of 23 districts across the country that split their ticket in 2016 by voting for Democrat Hillary Clinton for president and a Republican for Representative.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
Virginia was one of at least 13 Congressional races in 2018 in which the Democratic challenger raised over $1 million in the second quarter. VCU politics professor Ravi Perry points out that Comstock's fundraising edge is in contrast to the situation in Virginia's 2nd, 5th, and 7th districts, where Democrats out-fundraised their opponents in the second quarter: "They're aware of the swing district nature of it, and are clearly investing in it accordingly."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
After 2018 Ohio's 12th congressional district special election, Fox commentator Chad Pergram noted that like Virginia's 10th district, Ohio's 12th congressional district had suburban areas (Franklin County, Ohio) where Democrats dominated and rural areas (Delaware County, Ohio) where they did not: "Democrats need to extend their reach to the distant suburbs in order to get somewhere this fall."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
In the rural parts of the 10th district, there is some concern that the 2018 China–United States trade war and the Trump tariffs on steel and aluminum, along with anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies that make it harder to find migrant workers, could reduce the profitability of agricultural businesses.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Background
According to Mark Rozell, dean of George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, "They may think Comstock has done a good job, she has represented the district well, she does great constituent services, she shows up everywhere to every local event, and for some of these voters none of that matters. The bigger issue is sending that message about the current direction of the Trump administration."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
Democrats had to pick up at least an additional 24 seats in the 2018 House elections to win back the majority they lost in the 2010 election. This effort was focused on defending Democratic seats while picking up Republican seats, especially in races that were tossups or where the districts leaned Democratic. In a "blue wave" election, which saw Democrats win back the House majority and make significant gains in other offices across the country, many Republican incumbents were voted out, Republican politicians retired in record numbers, but Comstock had opted to fight for her seat. Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said that in Virginia, Comstock would be "the No. 1 target – we're going to put everyone behind it."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
Comstock had been described as, by the numbers, arguably the most vulnerable Republican House member. Part of the reason is that northern Virginia has become increasingly Democratic. In the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates election, seven of the eight Republican incumbents in the state legislature with districts touching Comstock's were defeated by Democrats.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
Among other reasons for Democrats' optimism about winning the election were that Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump by 10 points in the 10th district in the 2016 United States presidential election and Democrat Ralph Northam won in the 10th district by a 13 percent margin in the 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election. Democrats believed Comstock would be defeated by Democratic voters bent on defeating anyone who shares a party affiliation with Trump.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
Comstock, however, won by 6 points in 2016 despite the Republican presidential ticket's loss in her district, and she had said that the 2017 election results did not change her plans for the 2018 election because in her view, listening to the voters of the district and focusing on the district's priorities are what were important.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
In addition to the fact that Comstock was at first a proven winner in districts bluer than the national average, another challenge Democrats faced in unseating her was that the D.C. media market was one of the most expensive in the country, and reached many people who did not live in the district. This made it necessary to raise large amounts of money, including from outside groups.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
Wasserman noted that "several Republicans privately express doubts about spending millions on expensive DC television trying to save this seat when there are far cheaper routes to holding the majority." According to Washington Post reporter Jenna Portnoy, "Experts say Comstock will be tough to beat given her strong name recognition, relentless campaign style and embrace of some moderate positions that polls show resonate with voters in the closest thing Virginia has to a swing district." Comstock is also renowned for her political smarts.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
According to Comstock's political director Ken Nunnenkamp, "Democrats have spent over $20 million trying to defeat her and they have a 0-5 record to show for it because these failed campaigns are dictated by partisan operatives from outside the district who continuously underestimate Congresswoman Comstock's record of legislative accomplishment, her hard work ethic, and her constant presence and connection with her constituents." In particular, he cited, "Those failed campaigns have also had one thing in common – the bitter partisan advice of Kathleen Murphy," who lost a 2013 House of Delegates race to Comstock and then won a 2015 special election after Comstock resigned.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
For the second election cycle in a row, Comstock was on the National Republican Congressional Committee Patriot Program list of vulnerable House members who would receive additional financial and strategic support for their races. The NRCC made its largest reservation for television advertising time, $6.4 million, for Comstock in the expensive Washington media market. The race was expected to be one of the most competitive, and costly, congressional races nationwide.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
The Wall Street Journal noted that Trump, by threatening a government shutdown, could be purposefully putting Republican House members like Comstock at risk of defeat, so that in the 2020 United States presidential election, he can use Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as a foil.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
According to Jake Kastan, although the party that controls the White House loses, on average, 32 seats in the first midterm election, Republican incumbents like Comstock had many advantages, including more money and resilient local brands. He drew several distinctions between the 2018 election and the 2010 Republican wave election, noting that 57 percent of Americans said things are going well in the U.S. today, the largest proportion to share these sentiments since January 2007.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, National significance
He also noted that House Republicans had unveiled a "Better Off Now" message that makes the connection between GOP policies and record low unemployment, a surging economy, higher take-home pay, and a strengthened military. And he pointed out that even if Republican incumbents like Comstock did lose, it may not win Democrats the House, since Republicans were said to be favored in many districts with open seats, and there were only nine Republicans in the House representing districts that tilt Democratic.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Julia Biggins is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and an assistant director of antiviral research at Integrated BioTherapeutics Inc. Issues she has focused on include renewable energy, climate change, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals expansion, LGBTQ rights, and HIV research funding. She has described Comstock as an "anti-science Congresswoman" and she said, "One of the first things we saw the Trump administration do was to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture from sharing data with the public, which any scientist will tell you is a big red flag."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Biggins also commented that in all her years of dealing with infectious and dangerous diseases, she has "never seen a disease like what is running through our Congress right now." Specifically, she views the "professional political class" and the influence of money in politics as the biggest single issue facing Washington.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Alison Friedman interned at Feminist Majority during college, then became a legislative and program coordinator for People for the American Way, and subsequently worked for Congresswoman Jane Harman and co-founded a nonprofit, the Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (ASSET), to fight human trafficking. She helped to write the California Consumer Transparency Act and served as a senior State Department official in the Obama Administration, continuing her work against human trafficking.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Specifically, she was deputy director for the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and later helped establish a public-private partnership known as the Global Fund to End Slavery. Friedman argues, "We need to re-staff the State Department, support and lift up our dedicated federal workers" especially in the intelligence and diplomatic agencies. Friedman had the first television ad of the campaign season, "Lockdown," which portrays parents receiving emails from their children's schools alerting them of lockdowns and outlines Friedman's support for expanding background checks, banning assault weapons and closing the gun show loophole. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce aired an ad touting Comstock's support for transportation projects and the military, while pointing out that she's "not with the partisan bomb-throwers."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Dan Helmer is a graduate of the United States Military Academy, a U.S. Army veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and a Rhodes Scholar. Helmer was employed as a business strategist at the Boston Consulting Group and has continued his military service in the Army Reserves, where he was selected in 2017 for promotion to Lieutenant Colonel.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Of the candidates, Helmer had spent the most time in the national spotlight for his sometimes-provocative TV spots, which led to his sparring with hosts on the conservative talk show Fox & Friends. An online-only campaign video entitled "Helmer Zone" unexpectedly went viral in September 2017, climbing to number four on the YouTube trending list within 24 hours. Reactions to the video, in which Helmer spoofed the film “Top Gun,” complete with offkey singing, were mixed. As the Daily Beast noted, “The internet quickly dubbed it one of the worst campaign ads of all time. But Helmer’s eyeball-gouging chorus never leaves your head…. which seems to be the point.”


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Paul Pelletier served as a police officer, attended law school, had two judicial clerkships, and became a federal prosecutor, serving in the United States Department of Justice Tax Division and then becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Miami office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. In 1997, he transitioned to tackling white-collar crime and healthcare fraud when he became chief of Miami's economic crimes section. When the Enron scandal broke, the Justice Department brought him to Washington, D.C., to help its criminal division fight accounting fraud. He served on the federal task force that led the corruption case against lobbyist Jack Abramoff as well as officials in Congress and the White House, including U.S. Reps. Robert Ney and William J. Jefferson. Pelletier moved to the 10th district in 2017 specifically to run against Comstock.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Lindsey Stover is a graduate of Harvard University Kennedy School of Government and owner of Edwards, Davis Stover and Associates, a small communications firm that works with veteran-owned small businesses and companies. She is a communications strategist, former Obama administration official, and first-time candidate who announced her candidacy in April 2017. Stover argues she is the only primary candidate with extensive, senior-level federal legislative experience, having brokered compromises in Congress to pass bills and briefed President Obama in the Situation Room. She also has talked about being raised by a single mother and working her way through college.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Candidates
Jennifer Wexton was educated at the University of Maryland and the William & Mary Law School. She is currently a state senator. She was encouraged to run for the U.S. House seat by national Democratic leaders. Richard L. Saslaw has said that "Wexton, from an ideological standpoint, is a perfect fit for that district" because "She's a liberal but not to the point where it's going to scare off the slightly moderate to conservative voters." Her state senate district included much of the northeastern portion of the congressional district.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
The 10th Congressional District Democratic Committee unanimously opted to hold a state-run open primary. The six Democratic candidates who turned in enough signatures to be placed on the primary ballot are scientist Julia Biggins, former State Department official Alison Friedman, state senator Jennifer Wexton, Army veteran Dan Helmer, former Department of Veterans Affairs official Lindsey Davis Stover, and former federal prosecutor Paul Pelletier. As of April 2018, Friedman led the group in campaign fundraising. Wexton came in second in fundraising and was endorsed by Governor Ralph Northam and Representatives Gerald E. Connolly and A. Donald McEachin.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
Wexton, the only elected official in the field, has the highest name recognition. Political scientist Stephen Farnsworth remarked, "If you’re not Senator Wexton, your big challenge is to be heard at all," which he says makes it worthwhile for her rivals to attack her so they can stand out from the field.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
The Democratic primary in the 10th district was seen as exemplifying the internecine fights in 2018's crowded Democratic primaries. Some observers note that because Comstock's vulnerability attracted a number of Democrats to run against her, there is a possibility that Democratic infighting could leave the eventual nominee too bruised and battered to win against Comstock. The Democratic veterans group VoteVets is backing Helmer, while state legislators are supporting state Wexton, and Stover and Friedman, both former Barack Obama administration officials, have tapped those networks for help.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
Wexton had been viewed as the frontrunner to win the Democratic primary because she represents about half of the largest county, Loudoun, in the 10th district, and because she had gained the endorsements of many of Virginia's Democratic politicians. On the other hand, in fundraising, she fell short of Friedman's totals and barely edged out Helmer and Stover. Also, the results of recent elections, such as the 2017 Democratic gubernatorial primary, suggested that Virginia voters, especially those from Loudoun, might prefer candidates from outside the Establishment. Biggins and Helmer in particular positioned themselves as political outsiders with drastically different experience and backgrounds from Comstock. The proximity of Virginia's 10th District to D.C. limited the reach of outsider candidacies, although the concentration of government workers and contractors is not as high as it is in, say, Fairfax.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
In late May, Wexton narrated an ad in which she rides in a truck, featuring a "Change is coming" banner, from the 10th district to the White House. VoteVets will air an ad, "Life or Death," on Helmer's behalf from May 30 through June 5. Helmer also ran an ad comparing Trump to Osama bin Laden, which White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah called "nothing short of reprehensible" and Comstock called an "outrageous and offensive thing to say, and beyond the pale." Garren Shipley, a Virginia spokesman for the Republican National Committee, said, "His ad is a clear reminder to voters in Virginia that the Democrat base is consumed by anger and hatred."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
Wexton was targeted by fellow Democrats over her willingness to compromise on gun control and for her refusal to forgo corporate donations. Helmer and Friedman said her past acceptance of Dominion Energy and other corporate PAC money, and her unwillingness to pledge not to take corporate PAC money in the future, prevent her from creating enough of a contrast with Comstock. Friedman and Stover fought for the same pool of undecided voters, and Cook Political Report remarked, if Wexton is "able to run up the score in her own Loudoun County-based state senate district, it'll probably be enough to win a low turnout race."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Democratic, Campaign
Stover was the only primary candidate to open an office in Winchester, and she performed well in Winchester and Frederick and Clarke counties, taking 49.91 percent (798 ballots) of the vote in the city, 41.91 percent (1,441) of the vote in Frederick County, and 48.93 percent (525) of the vote in Clarke County. Frank Bruni described Wexton's primary victory as "precisely what Republican strategists didn't want, and at the beginning of the year, they chattered hopefully about Wexton's being thwarted by more strident Democratic rivals to her left. But she beat the second-place finisher by almost 20 points."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Candidates
Comstock is a Georgetown University-educated lawyer who interned for her home state Senator Edward Kennedy during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, when she became a Republican. She then went on to work on Frank Wolf's staff, before making her reputation as an opposition researcher on Clinton administration scandals such as the Whitewater controversy, Filegate, Travelgate, and the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal and then working for the U.S. Department of Justice.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Candidates
Shak Hill is a decorated Air Force combat veteran who graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, obtained an M.B.A. from Western New England University, and served in the U.S. Air Force in the Presidential Wing, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. A former elected official, he sought to unseat Senator Mark Warner in 2014 but did not win the Republican nomination. Hill believes that religion is essential to the country's well-being, arguing that the founders were Christians who "believed generally in a moral society, and that moral society has allowed us to flourish, unquestionably." He has criticized welfare programs that he says tell men that their fatherhood role is irrelevant, and attributed the rise in school shootings to the decline of two-parent households. He also blamed the school shootings on a "culture of death" brought about by abortion-on-demand.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Candidates
Hill said that what triggered his decision to run for the seat was Comstock's vote against an amendment that would have barred the Pentagon from paying for gender transition surgeries or hormone therapy for transgender service members. He described Comstock as a rabid Never Trumper" and member of "the swamp" looking to buy today's votes with our grandchildren's money." Comstock described Hill as a "perennial failed candidate".


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Campaign
Comstock faced a long-shot challenge in the primary from former combat pilot Shak Hill, who ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination in the 2014 United States Senate election in Virginia. Hill has hired Stewart's campaign manager, and some experts say that Hill embodies the possibility that Comstock's efforts to appeal to centrists in the most populated areas of her district could cost her conservative votes. In April 2018, Comstock's campaign created a site, "ShadyShak.com," attacking Hill's personal and professional life. Comstock sent out mailers boasting of being "pro-border wall to stop illegal immigration," "pro-life" and "pro-2nd Amendment."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Campaign
Hill complained that he was unfairly attacked by a conservative media outlet friendly to Comstock after a website he runs uploaded articles about penis enlargement without his knowledge. Sebastian Gorka appeared at a May 31 rally for Hill. Comstock was criticized for declining to participate in, or send a surrogate in her place to, candidate forums attended by all the other candidates. While Comstock was heavily favored in the primary, she did hit back against Hill in ads to minimize the risk of an upset.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Campaign
Larry Sabato described Comstock's margin of victory against Hill, whom he called "a right-wing fringe candidate" as "a very poor showing." Jennifer Rubin noted, "The total Democratic primary vote (about 53,800) comfortably exceeded the GOP total vote (about 46,000); Comstock in her two-person contest got not even 6,000 votes more than Wexton in her six-person race."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Primaries, Republican, Campaign
A Vox article noted that Comstock, like Martha Roby and Mark Sanford, was punished in the Republican primary for her criticism of Trump.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Other candidates, Nathan Larson (Independent)
Independent Nathan Larson filed paperwork on May 2 to enter the race, and ran on a "patriarchist libertarian" platform. Early drafts of a campaign manifesto by Larson suggested that his major campaign issues would include stopping the federal war on drugs, protecting gun ownership rights, and curtailing foreign interventions by the United States. Larson withdrew from the race on August 13, 2018 and endorsed Wexton, calling her "the accelerationist choice"; Wexton, through a spokesman, declined the endorsement.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Other candidates, Nathan Larson (Independent)
Comstock tweeted, "It is good news for all voters in the 10th District that Nathan Larson, a convicted felon who served time in prison for threatening to kill the President and is an admitted pedophile, an admitted rapist, white supremacist, and misogynist, is now off the ballot in the 10th Congressional District."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Other candidates, Others
Fairfax teachers union president Kimberly Adams, Loudoun School for the Gifted founder Deep Sran, financial consultant Michael Pomerleano, wounded veterans advocate Julien Modica, general practitioner Shadi Ayyas, and retired Naval intelligence officer David Hanson filed paperwork to compete in the Democratic primary. However, all of them did not submit enough signatures to get on the ballot.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Sean Schofield, a 44-year-old computer programmer from Silver Spring, and Abbey Ruby, a 34-year-old lawyer from McLean, founded Dump Comstock, a group that was devoted to embarrassing and attacking Comstock through electronic ambushes caught on video, mobile electronic billboards, social media, and their website. Dump Comstock worked with other groups seeking to unseat Comstock, including Planned Parenthood, the Service Employees International Union, and Indivisible.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Tom Steyer had plans to spend at least $2 million to try to unseat Barbara Comstock and Scott Taylor through his organization, NextGen America. Wexton also received phone and text bank and postcard and door-knocking support from the Arlington County Democratic Committee.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
At a meeting of the Winchester-Frederick County Democratic Committee, Wexton said she was paying attention to Winchester, Frederick and Clarke counties, even though they are less affluent and less populous than Loudoun, explaining, "For too long Democrats have let the western part of the district go". She said her campaign approach is deliberately moderate to fit the district.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Comstock had received high ratings from the NRA and ranked 10th among House members who had received the most in donations from the group.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Comstock's support for the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act and break with the Donald Trump administration over the federal hiring freeze had helped her reputation as an ally of federal workers, many of whom lived in her district. She had also focused on pay raises for public servants and expanding job opportunities for veterans.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
She had also praised the military budget increases in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 as a win for defense contractors and Pentagon employees in her district, and authored legislation to combat the opioid epidemic and MS-13 gang problem that had sprouted in some Northern Virginia neighborhoods. She had spoken out against illegal drugs crossing the border and in May participated in an event with the two DEA agents who caught drug lord Pablo Escobar and were featured in Narcos. She portrayed some of her well-funded Democratic opponents as carpetbaggers who were out of touch with the district and too leftist to represent it.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Wexton has accused Comstock of fearmongering and race-baiting for pushing legislation that would allow the federal government to deport immigrants on the suspicion of gang activity and fund anti-gang task forces. She said, "For Barbara Comstock, the Latino community is nothing more than MS-13." A Comstock campaign spokeswoman said, "Wexton’s outrageous statements show how out-of-touch she is with the violent MS-13 gang threat and the victims they brutally target."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Comstock's voting record, including on the 2017 tax reform bill, has usually been aligned with Trump, but she has distanced herself from him by calling his behavior in the Donald Trump Access Hollywood tape so "disgusting" and "vile" as to warrant dropping out of the presidential election; and opposing the United States federal government shutdowns of 2018. Comstock also said that she could not defend Trump's reported comments calling Haiti, El Salvador and African nations "shithole countries." Comstock also praised the appointment of former FBI director Robert Mueller as Special Counsel in the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
In addition, Comstock was one of the few Republicans given a pass from the Republican leadership to vote against the American Health Care Act of 2017, also known as TrumpCare. Comstock stated her opposition was due to her concern over some of its provisions, in particular one that would allow states to let insurers again charge more to customers with preexisting medical problems, while conservative blogger Jim Hoeft suggested that her decision was an attempt to walk a fine line in a district where elections are becoming more favorable to Democrats. Wexton is not yet in favor of moving forward with impeachment, saying she wants to collect facts and evidence first, although she has said, "The biggest problem facing those in VA-10 is President Trump, and Barbara Comstock’s refusal to stand up to him."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
In a May telephone interview, Comstock noted Trump's achievements, including the 2018 North Korea–United States summit, the release of three Korean American detainees held by the North, his stepback from the Iranian nuclear deal, the new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, and his economic initiatives that have put the economy on a forward pace.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Comstock has been criticized by Democrats for declining to hold town halls where constituents could dialog with her in an unscripted public forum. Stover said that it shows a lack of courage. Republican former Rep. Tom Davis has suggested Comstock change the practice, arguing, "You’ve got to let people scream at you a little bit, let them get it off their chest."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
In response to the complaints about her lack of town halls, Comstock's office has said that she has met with hundreds of constituents in her offices and connected with 9000 during telephone town halls and that "she is ever present in and around her district." According to David Ramadan, Comstock is "going to be one of the very few Republicans that will make it out of November despite the anti-G.O.P. national wave" and "will survive because of the relationships she built with minority constituencies in the district, Indians, Muslims, Koreans".


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Wexton thinks that the country should be evolving toward a single-payer health care system. She has cited the Dulles Greenway's high tolls as an example of what happens with privatized infrastructure. Comstock spent most of 2017 working on legislation to reform the Metro train and bus system that serves the Washington region, but Democrats have criticized her 2013 vote against Metro funding when she represented Virginia's 34th House of Delegates district. Comstock has promised to push for more transportation funding to flow to the area.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Although Comstock mentioned the benefits of the tax cuts 36 times in January in social media, she did so only 13 times in March and then 22 times in April, and said in an interview that she is reacting to constituents, whose interests have moved on to other issues. Her support for the tax bill could be a vulnerability in an affluent district where many voters claim state and local tax deductions.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Wexton supports decriminalizing cannabis, while Comstock has voted against cannabis law reform legislation.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
With regard to the Trump administration family separation policy, Comstock said she wants to find a bipartisan solution to separating families while still making sure the border is secure. Wexton criticized Comstock's statement in a tweet, saying, "POTUS can end this awful policy today, but by lacking the courage to demand that, she supports these innocent children being used as political pawns." Democrats plan to make family separation a big issue in the election.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
Wexton referred to the joint press conference between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the 2018 Russia–United States summit as the "surrender summit."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
In August, Trump scrapped pay raises for federal civilian employees, a decision opposed by Comstock, whose reelection some commentators believe could be imperiled by the move, given the heavy concentration of federal employees in her district.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, General election
In September, Gabrielle Giffords launched a $1 million cable television advertising campaign targeting Comstock. Comstock responded by emphasizing her support for improving background checks as well as the STOP School Violence Act.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, Primary election
In April, Democrat Friedman reported cash on hand of $817,631; Wexton reported $630,707; Helmer reported $516,146; Stover reported $471,956; and Pelletier reported $191,294. Republican primary challenger Shak Hill reported $63,401. In May, Friedman gave her campaign $1 million of her own money to help pay for television ads, saying this would help her compete with candidates like Wexton "who benefited from corporate money from big tobacco and oil companies without being beholden to their special interests."


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, Primary election
Friedman's donors included actress Jennifer Garner; singer Barbra Streisand; Alexander Soros, son of the liberal billionaire donor George Soros; Peter Getty; Donna Brazile, former head of the Democratic National Committee; singer Graham Nash; singer Bonnie Raitt; and Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. A controversial donation of more than $160,000 to Friedman came from Defeat Slavery, whose donors were not disclosed prior to the primary election.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, General election
As of April 2018, Comstock had raised nearly $2.8 million for the race, topping fellow Virginia Republicans incumbents Dave Brat and Tom Garrett Jr. and her Democratic opponents. Comstock's donors include Michael Chertoff, head of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush; Todd Stottlemyer, chief executive of the Inova Center for Personalized Health, and his wife; former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour; Ed Gillespie's campaign committee; and Carly Fiorina.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, General election
The Congressional Leadership Fund is also planning to make a seven-figure commitment to her campaign, but as of early August had not actually committed those funds, despite having reserved $60 million in advertising time on behalf of Republican candidates in dozens of races throughout the country. As of late August, the CLF was not planning to air any TV ads in support of Comstock. Wexton is one of 19 candidates to whom Hillary Clinton made the maximum donation of $5,000.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, General election
Wexton says that she has not taken any political action committee money in the election and will not take any Dominion Energy money. She has responded to criticism of her taking money from Dominion during her state senate races by saying that the donations did not influence her voting.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, General election
As of the end of June 2018, Comstock had $1.7 million cash on hand, while Wexton had $765,705. Comstock had raised $3.86 million total in her quest for a third term, while Wexton had raised $1.9 million.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Fundraising, General election
Comstock's donors included Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone and his wife, Elaine; the Susan B. Anthony List; the National Shooting Sports Foundation; Dominion Energy; and American and United Airlines. Wexton's donors included the United Food and Commercial Workers and the United Transportation Union; the Common Ground PAC; J Street PAC; the League of Conservation Voters; the New Democrat Coalition; and Progressive Choices PAC.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Endorsements
Friedman has been endorsed by Dolores Huerta, Gloria Steinem, and Khizr Khan. Helmer has been endorsed by former Obama administration official Michele Flournoy and the progressive veterans organization VoteVets. Wexton has been endorsed by former U.S. President Barack Obama, Gerry Connolly and Donald McEachin. Stover has been endorsed by the Pride Fund to End Gun Violence, Wendy Davis, Bill Richardson, Winchester Mayor David Smith, and Obama administration Chief of Staff Denis McDonough. Biggins has been endorsed by One Revolution.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Endorsements
On May 30, Wexton received the Washington Post's much-coveted endorsement, which argued, "She is the best qualified and also the one most likely to chip away at partisan gridlock in Washington." The piece closed by saying that "if voters want a candidate who has proved she can win a tough election and then rack up genuine accomplishments while remaining true to progressive values, they have only one choice." According to Cook, "Northern Virginia Democratic primaries are one of the few remaining venues where the Post's editorial opinion still counts for something." On November 7, former FBI director James Comey offered to knock on doors to canvass for Wexton.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Endorsements
The Sun Gazette endorsed Wexton and Comstock in the primary. In the final days of the campaign, Vice President Mike Pence recorded a phone message urging voters to cast ballots for Comstock.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Issues
Comstock's Democratic challengers focused on the issue of gun control, prompted by the district's increasing population of college-educated white-collar workers and suburbanites' changing attitudes about National Rifle Association (NRA) in the wake of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. At an April 10 candidate forum, Democratic candidates described gun control methods they would support, agreeing to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines and implement universal background checks.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Issues
Helmer and Stover criticized Wexton's support of a legislative compromise supporting concealed carry reciprocity with other states in exchange for stiffening penalties for domestic abusers caught with guns and mandating that state police perform background checks for private transactions at gun shows. Wexton defended the compromise as having improved public safety by resulting in felony charges for 60 people under the domestic violence gun ban. Biggins proposed an Australian-style gun buyback program.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Issues
In May, Helmer went to a gun show in Chantilly and demonstrated how it was possible to buy what he described as "the same gun, same magazine I had in Afghanistan" in under 10 minutes, without any background check. Pelletier pivoted off of his Justice Department credentials by demanding a criminal investigation into links between the National Rifle Association, US-sanctioned Russians and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. According to Roll Call's Patricia Murphy, Comstock's challengers were digging into the gun control issue because they know it has become a voting issue for gun control advocates, especially women.


2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election, Issues
Stover pointed out that Comstock stated her opposition to TrumpCare when it looked as if it would fail: "Her decision was made when the fate of the bill was already sealed. I don't believe that's courage — that's politics, and that's exactly what people are sick of." More generally, Comstock's Democratic opponents claim that she often speaks like them but almost always votes like a Republican.