Bobby Scott has represented this Hampton Roads district since 1993. In 2026 the November ballot is wider than those margins suggest: a Democrat, a Republican, and two independents. In a district where most eligible voters don’t cast a ballot, the field in front of you is bigger than the race that usually gets covered.
Virginia's 3rd covers the heart of Hampton Roads — Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of Chesapeake — and it is rated Safe Democratic at D+18. But the incumbent's commanding margins rest on a small, reliable slice of the electorate. Turnout collapses in midterm years, and nearly a third of eligible residents aren't registered at all. That combination — a lopsided district and a disengaged majority — is exactly where independent-minded voters most deserve a clear look at every option on the ballot.
One thing that didn't change: Virginia's boundaries. A mid-decade effort to redraw the state's congressional map was approved by referendum in April 2026 but struck down by the Supreme Court of Virginia in May, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to intervene. VA-03 keeps its current lines for 2026.
Virginia's 3rd covers the heart of Hampton Roads — Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Portsmouth, and part of Chesapeake — and it is rated Safe Democratic at D+18. But the incumbent's commanding margins rest on a small, reliable slice of the electorate. Turnout collapses in midterm years, and nearly a third of eligible residents aren't registered at all. That combination — a lopsided district and a disengaged majority — is exactly where independent-minded voters most deserve a clear look at every option on the ballot.
First-time candidate, 2026
Civil rights attorney in solo practice in Chesapeake who has represented clients in federal and state courts; former prosecutor in Portsmouth.
First-time candidate, 2026
Navy veteran who has lived in Hampton Roads for over 25 years; scientist and businessman who has applied technology to operational, economic, and strategic problems for the Navy and private industry. Running as an independent, pledging to answer to the district rather than a party.
Virginia's 3rd Congressional District, 1992–present (won)
U.S. Representative for VA-03 since 1993; Ranking Member on the House Education & Workforce Committee. Newport News resident; holds a B.A. from Harvard University and a J.D. from Boston College School of Law. Advanced to the November ballot without a primary — the August 4 Democratic primary was canceled.
First-time candidate, 2026
Retired U.S. Army veteran who served several combat tours in the Middle East; former police officer in Puerto Rico. Raised in Puerto Rico.
Drawn from the district's profile and the issues that consistently surface with Hampton Roads voters. We don't tell you what to think about them. We do tell you they matter.
Access and cost — including for veterans, military families, and a diverse working-class electorate — remain among the concerns voters raise first.
With median home values near $288,000 against a median household income around $67,600, affordability is a first-order concern for working families and the district's large military and transient population.
With midterm turnout near 35% and roughly a third of eligible residents unregistered, who takes part — and how easy it is to do so — is itself a defining feature of this district.
Hampton Roads anchors the world's largest naval complex and Newport News shipbuilding. Defense budgets, base investment, and veterans' services run directly through this seat.
Term limits, a ban on congressional stock trading, and frustration with party gridlock cut across the spectrum — a live theme in a race that includes multiple independents.
The Port of Virginia, logistics, and small business shape the Hampton Roads economy alongside the federal footprint. Trade and economic policy land here quickly.
Virginia doesn't register voters by party. On paper, every registered voter here is independent.
There's no box on your Virginia registration that ties you to a party, which means every voter chooses the ballot in front of them on the merits. In VA-03, that reality meets another: the single largest group isn't a party's base — it's the residents who don't participate at all. Midterm turnout sits around 35%, and close to a third of the citizen voting-age population isn't registered. You are not locked into a team, and you don't have to pick one to look closely at every candidate on this ballot. Independent Center exists for voters like you. We poll independent voters so their views get counted, we help them understand their options, and we push for the reforms — open primaries, fair ballot access, government accountability — that keep unaffiliated voters at the center of the process.
