Updated Nov. 6 at 3:40 a.m.

The voters of the 7th Congressional district proved just how tight the contest is, by keeping the race between Eugene Vindman and Derrick Anderson too close to call.

About 99% of votes had been cast, with Vindman and Anderson earning about 51% and 49% of the vote, respectively, but the Associated Press did not declare a winner by 3:40 a.m. on  Wednesday.

“In my 25 years of military service, and when we were jumping out of airplanes, it didn’t matter to me the color creed, background, race, or party affiliation of the person next to me,” said Vindman in a statement declaring victory, despite the uncertainty of the outcome. “What mattered was getting the mission done. That’s the type of service I am going to take to Washington as the next Congressman from Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.”

“We knew this was going to be a tight race, folks,” Anderson said in a video posted on his X account at 10:42 p.m., before later posting the race was “too close to call.”

“We’re going to keep looking, we’re going to keep watching,” Anderson said. “I just ask y’all give us a little more time and we’re going to get through this thing.”

The seat went up for grabs after incumbent Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, announced she would run for governor. In 2021, the year before voters in the 7th elected Spanberger, more of the district voted for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin than his Democratic opponent former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

Spanberger, in a statement Tuesday, congratulated Vindman on a “well-earned victory,” adding he will, “bring the values, work ethic, and commitment to public service that the Seventh District deserves.”

Though the men hold similar backgrounds through their military service, the race between Vindman and Anderson largely focused on their policy differences.

Vindman voiced strong support for protecting reproductive health rights, easing Virginians’ economic pain by continuing to lower medication costs, and strengthening the nation’s borders.

Anderson supported reducing taxes and immigration reform in his campaign, and said abortion rights are best left up to states. He mirrored several of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s policy stances.

We will update this story with the race outcome as soon as it is confirmed.

Blacksburg, VA- “You can’t win them all unless you win the first one.”

For this new look Virginia Tech women’s side, a dominant win was needed to bring Hokie fans onside. And for first-year head coach Megan Duffy that is exactly what she got after a dominant 99-57 win over University of North Carolina Wilmington Monday evening.

Michigan State transfer guard Matilda Ekh notched a quickfire three just seconds after tipoff, very quickly raising the energy levels of a Cassell Coliseum that was begging to see a near-perfect night.

“It was fun. it’s been like, I don’t know eight months since we played someone else in here. So it was fun. We’ve been waiting a long time,” quoted Ekh after her season-opening 18 points.

The Hokies exuded what a team in control is expected of doing. When Tech wanted the game fast, they pumped up the tempo and found themselves going on spurts that saw quick passing movements and backdoor cuts that were open allowing over 60 points tallied in the paint on the night.

“That’s also something we have been talking about, I feel like in the preseason. We got stuck on, like, shooting threes and sometimes, you know, not getting to the paint. So that was something we talked about before coming into the game: we have to get paint touches,” quoted Ekh.

Yet, when Duffy wanted to slow things down, you still saw the ball never stick, quick passes were still the name of the game, and Seahawk defenders could never rest as even though the clock was ticking down, the Hokies were moving at electric rates which kept UNCW guessing.

By the end of the first half, Tech held a firm 55-23 score, and even when the Seahawks tallied 23 points in the third period alone, it was a steady reminder of where this squad is at.

“This is exactly what we wanted. It wasn’t perfect, but it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s the first game season, which is long, but I think the most important thing is that we played hard and played together, which has been our emphasis all summer. 

Five Hokies tacked over 10 points Monday, with production bearing spearheaded by Ekh who led all scorers with 18, being closely followed by Carleigh Wenzel, Carys Baker, and Rose Micheaux who each tacked on an additional 14.

“People are fighting for time in minutes, and there’s a competitiveness about our young players. There’s obviously some vets and new roles, and so I just felt really good about today where we had at different points a ton of people stepping up,” said a relieved Duffy following her first win in Blacksburg.

Up next for the Hokies is a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina against the Iowa Hawkeyes, in this years Ally Tipoff, the Hokies take the second game as defending national champions South Carolina face off against ACC foe North Carolina State earlier on Sunday.

Additional Links:

Virginia Tech Football: Brent Pry Updates Health of Kyron Drones and Bhayshul Tuten

Virginia Tech Football: Three Things Virginia Tech Must Fix Ahead Of It’s Matchup With Clemson

NFL Trade Deadline: Former Hokies Running Back Khalil Herbert Traded To AFC Contender

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• “Virginia constitutional amendment could expand property tax exemptions for military spouses.”—WAVY

• “Roanoke lags state, nation in most health outcome data.”—Roanoke Times

• “Convicted killer clown arrested in Virginia released from prison for the murder of her husband’s then-wife.” — The Virginian-Pilot