In his successful bid to win Virginia’s Democratic nomination for Rep. Jennifer Wexton’s (D) seat Tuesday, state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam (Loudoun) appeared in campaign ads goofing around with his two young daughters, wearing his gear as a volunteer firefighter and EMT, and taking a romantic stroll with his wife through a leafy suburban neighborhood.
Virginia
Subramanyam wins Va. 10 primary with suburban appeal and South Asian support
Meanwhile, a D.C.-based organization dedicated to building Indian American political power in the United States was sending out its own pro-Subramanyam mailers to 90,000 likely voters in the 10th Congressional District, 22 percent of whom are South Asian, with hopes of seeing Virginia elect its first South Asian member of Congress.
The combination — an all-American dad and husband with massive behind-the-scenes support from one of the country’s fastest growing communities — helped Subramanyam beat his 11 opponents in a Democratic primary where most of the candidates were aligned on key issues such as gun control and women’s reproductive rights.
“It’s incredible for our community,” said Chintan Patel, executive director of Indian American Impact, the advocacy group that sent out the mailers. Its political action committee — Impact Fund — spent $600,000 to help Subramanyam become the Democratic nominee. Much of the $1 million raised by Subramanyam’s campaign also came from South Asian donors.
“We’ve seen over the last few years a real awakening within the South Asian American diaspora of the political power we can wield in our government,” Patel said, noting that since his organization was founded in 2016, the number of South Asians elected to office in the country has climbed from about 50 to more than 300, including Vice President Harris. “It’s part of this real trend we’ve been seeing.”
In November, Subramanyam will face tech company executive Mike Clancy, who easily won the Republican primary Tuesday and vowed to wage an aggressive campaign against the Democrat. But, given the district’s steadily changing demographics — including 65,000 residents of South Asian descent — the seat is considered to be safely Democratic, said Erin Covey, who analyzes House races for the Cook Political Report.
“It’s not a district where either party expects to invest lots of outside resources in because it’s just simply not seen as part of the House battleground,” Covey said. “You’d have to see significant environmental shifts for that to change.”
The region’s diversity was reflected in the diversity of the candidates themselves. Three others with South Asian heritage were in the race: Atif Qarni, who is Pakistani American and the state’s former secretary of education; ex-CIA officer Adrian Pokharel, who is Nepalese American; and Krystle Kaul, the owner of a defense technology company, whose family is Kashmiri Sikh.
Among the other candidates, Travis Nembhard and Marion Devoe Sr. are African American, Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado (Prince William) is Cape Verdean, and Del. Dan Helmer (Fairfax) and former House speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax) are Jewish American.
Subramanyam, 37, grew up in Texas after his parents emigrated from India. He previously worked in the Obama administration as a technology policy adviser and won his first election in Virginia — to the House of Delegates — in 2019.
For voters who picked him Tuesday, Subramanyam’s appeal lay in his understated demeanor and in a key endorsement from Wexton, who did not seek reelection due to health reasons.
Catherine Fernstrom, 42, said she saw in Subramanyam someone who better understands local concerns in the area and offers a good counter to the “extreme ideologies” in the Republican Party. “I want [Congress] to mitigate the damage that our extreme, court-appointed officials have done,” she said.
Tom Zaug, 75, echoed the all-American message he saw in Subramanyam’s ads. “He worked as a legislator, as a senator, and he was an EMT and firefighter — he was more of a man of the people in my book,” Zaug said.
Patel said that, if he’s elected in November, Subramanyam will join five other South Asians in Congress.
The expectation from Patel’s group and its financial backers is that any South Asian they help get into office will champion issues affecting their community and broader policy initiatives they care about such as abortion rights, dealing with climate change, improving access to health care and advocating for immigrants, he said.
“We’re hoping that as more and more of our community finds a voice, we can add a strong voice for these inclusive American values,” Patel said.
In an interview Wednesday, Subramanyam mentioned several of the same issues that would be his priorities if he is elected in the fall. But, he said, another major hope is to try to eliminate the ugly political rhetoric in Congress that he believes has led to government dysfunction.
“I’d like to fix the dysfunction,” he said. “I’d like to be part of the solution and a new generation of legislators who just put their community first and care less about how many Twitter likes they have.”
That was the message he delivered to voters at their doorstep as his campaign focused on winning voter-rich Loudoun County — where the 10th District is anchored — while winning enough support in the other counties to remain formidable, Subramanyam said.
The ads — one of which shows Subramanyam allowing his daughter to apply makeup to his face while he dons a tiny pink hat — and the support he received from South Asians are just reflections of who he is, he said.
“One of the reasons, I think, I’ve been successful in elections in this area is because I’m a lot of what the new demographics in this area embody,” Subramanyam said. “I’ve got a family, which takes up a lot of my time. I also have bills to pay, and we’re affected by rising costs.”
He’ll likely convey that again during his contest with Clancy.
For now, he said, he was going to spend some quality time with his family. On the agenda that day: blueberry picking in rural Middleburg, Va., then a night out with his wife, where they would try line dancing.
“It will be my first time,” Subramanyam said. “So, yeah, I’m nervous.”
Virginia
Man shot, killed by Virginia trooper ID’d after crash ends in deadly stabbing attack
FAIRFAX, Va. (7News) — Virginia State Police have identified the man who was shot and killed by a trooper after a crash ended in a stabbing attack on Interstate 495 Sunday afternoon.
Jared Llamado, 32, of McLean, died at the hospital on Sunday after he was shot.
RELATED | 2 dead, dog killed after stabbing spree, trooper shooting on I-495 in Fairfax County
Investigators said Llamado was confronted by the trooper who opened fire around 1:17 p.m. The trooper was responding to a report of a road rage incident and found Llamado with a knife, according to a news release.
Four stabbing victims, all women, were also found at the scene, along with a dog that was also stabbed.
Michelle Adams, 39, died from her injuries. The dog also did not survive. The three other women were all taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to VSP. 7News is not identifying the surviving victims.
Investigators said the stabbings stemmed from a crash in the southbound lanes of I-495.
The trooper who opened fire was not hurt and is on leave pending the outcome of the investigation into the use of force.
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Investigators said they do not believe the attack is connected to terrorism.
Virginia
Two dead after I-495 road rage incident leads to stabbing, Virginia State Police shooting – WTOP News
A road rage incident led to a shooting involving the Virginia State Police on Sunday on Interstate 495. Four individuals were also stabbed.
Two people are dead Sunday in Annandale, Virginia, after a road rage incident led to a shooting involving Virginia State Police on Interstate 495.
A release issued by the Virginia State Police said a trooper fatally shot a man after responding to a report of a road rage incident on the southbound lanes of I-495 just before 1:30 p.m. at exit 52, near the Little River Turnpike.
The man, transferred to a hospital with serious injuries, has been pronounced dead. VSP said the trooper shot in self-defense after the man confronted him with a knife.
The trooper did not suffer any injuries during the altercation.
Officials found four stabbing victims at the scene, but only identified a 39-year-old woman and a dog. Both the woman and the dog died.
Early findings suggest the stabbings took place after a crash on the Capital Beltway. The crash remains under investigation.
The VSP’s release comes after the main lanes of the Capital Beltway Outer Loop, before Little River Turnpike, were closed to traffic for several hours, only recently opening the express lanes. Main lanes between Arlington Boulevard and the Little River Turnpike remain closed.
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Virginia
Virginia Huffman Obituary February 27, 2026 – Ott & Lee Funeral Homes
Mary “Virginia” Huffman, 82, of Pelahatchie, Mississippi, passed away on February 27, 2026.
Born on February 28, 1943, in Morton, Mississippi, she was the daughter of Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw. She married the love of her life, Jimmy Lavell Huffman, on June 14, 1963, and together they built a life rooted in faith, family, and hard work. Virginia devoted nearly 50 years to teaching high school math, beginning at Morton High School and later serving at East Rankin Academy. Generations of students were shaped by her steady guidance, high expectations, and deep belief in their potential. Many would say they entered college prepared because they had learned from “Mrs. Huffman.” Her students knew the famous “Mrs. Huffman look,” but no one understood it quite like her children and grandchildren. To many, she was more than a teacher—she was a mentor, encourager, and second mother.
A faithful member of Cross Roads Baptist Church, Virginia was a true matriarch and prayer warrior whose life was anchored in her love for the Lord. She woke each morning to study the Word of God and carried that faith into every conversation, classroom, and season of life. She played piano and organ, sang in the choir, and on Sunday mornings could often be found at home practicing the piano before church—something her family dearly loved listening to. She served her church and community with quiet devotion. Whether tutoring students during the summer, helping families in need, or visiting church members, she consistently lived out a servant’s heart.
She loved farm life—raising chickens and cows, cutting hay, tending her flower beds, and cooking for the people she loved. She was especially known for her strawberry pies, egg custard, and caramel cake (see Cheryl Moore for the recipe). She faithfully attended her grandchildren’s sporting events and found her greatest joy in cheering on her family. She loved deeply and wholeheartedly, treating not only her own children and grandchildren as treasures, but embracing many others in her community as if they were her own.
She is survived by her husband, Jimmy Lavell Huffman; her children, Connie Goodman (Mike), Karen Jones, and Jade Huffman; her grandchildren, Christin (Colby) (Candace), Christopher (Victoria), Dillon, Marley, Halle (Elijah), Kyla Kate, and Eli; her great-grandchildren, Autumn, Titus, Sophia, Liam, Scarlett, Luke, and Ava; and her siblings, Paul (Joyce) and Delilah.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Nannie Mae Bradshaw; her in-laws, Clyde Sr. and Zora Huffman; her son, Scot Huffman; and her sisters, May Erving and Maxine Strong.
Virginia will be remembered as a woman of unwavering faith, steadfast strength, and extraordinary love. Her legacy lives on in the family she nurtured, the students she prepared, and the countless lives she covered in prayer.
Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm – until on Sunday, March 1, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church in Pelahatchie and again on Monday, March 2, 2026 from 12 pm – 1 pm.
Services will be held at 1pm Monday, March 2, 2026 at Cross Roads Baptist Church with burial in the church cemetery.
Bro. John Vaughn, Bro. Gary Morris and Bro. Steven Platt will officate the services.
Pallbearers will be Tim Wolverton, Colby Boyd, Christopher Wilson, Dillon Pettigrew, Eli Huffman and Elijah Moore.
Ott and Lee Funeral Home in Morton is honored to serve the Huffman family.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Cross Roads Baptist Church Building Fund.
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