Virginia GOP rep loses primary

Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) became the second House Republican to lose a primary this election cycle after running in a newly redrawn district.

{mosads}Court-ordered redistricting had made Forbes’s previous district more Democratic, making his odds of reelection much tougher. He instead opted to run in Virginia’s 2nd District, which was being vacated by retiring Rep. Scott Rigell (R-Va.).

The Associated Press projected Tuesday night that state Del. Scott Taylor had emerged as the winner over Forbes.

Forbes’s loss comes a week after Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) similarly lost a primary due to redistricting. Ellmers ran in a district that mostly had constituents previously represented by her opponent, fellow Rep. George Holding (R-N.C.).

While campaigning in the new district, Forbes touted his position as the chairman of the House Armed Services subcommittee overseeing the Navy and Marine Corps.

Forbes banked on that argument playing well in a district that includes the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk.

But Taylor, a former Navy SEAL, painted Forbes as a carpetbagger.

A Virginia district court concluded last year that the GOP-controlled state legislature unconstitutionally drew congressional district lines so that black voters would be packed into Rep. Bobby Scott’s (D-Va.) Richmond-area district and maximize favorable boundaries in other districts for Republicans.

The redrawn map moved black voters from Scott’s district into the district previously represented by Forbes, which has led to a likely pickup opportunity for Democrats this cycle.

Forbes is the third incumbent lawmaker to lose a primary. In addition to Ellmers, Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.) lost his primary earlier this year amid a federal indictment.

Updated 9:38 p.m.