Democratic retired Army Lt. Col. Eugene Vindman defeated Republican Derrick Anderson in the open race for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District in a close race that took nearly a day to determine the winner.

Democrat Eugene Vindman has won his Virginia House race, keeping the suburban Northern Virginia seat blue after Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s retirement. Vindman leads Republican Derrick Anderson, 51.1% to 48.

Anderson, a former Army Green Beret, worked in the Office of National Drug Control Policy under former President Donald Trump. His bid for office was his second attempt at the 7th District representative’s seat, after he was defeated in the 2022 primary by Yesli Vega, reported the Virgina Mercury.