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Two Democrats - the former legal director of the ACLU of Virginia, and New Kent County's former treasurer - are vying for the nomination to challenge a long-serving GOP incumbent in a strongly Republican district.

New Kents Herb Jones, a retired Army colonel who tried but failed to unseat Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st in 2022, is facing Leslie Mehta, currently on leave as counsel and chief of staff of the Richmond Metropolitan Transportation Authority, in the June 18 Democratic primary.

Hes backed by former Gov. Ralph Northam.

Shes backed by Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, as well as by a deep pocketed Democratic couple, Charlottesville billionaire hedge fund executive Michael Bills and his wife Sonija Smith, who together are Mehtas biggest donors, Federal Elections Commission filings show.

The 1st Congressional District, represented by Republican Rob Wittman, includes western Henrico and western Chesterfield counties as well as part of Hanover County. Those three counties form the districts largest voter blocs.

The 1st District circles around Richmond from western Chesterfield through western Henrico and Hanover County to the Middle Peninsula, Northern Neck and the Virginia Peninsula to the Newport News city line. The district - which Wittman has represented since 2007 - gave the Republican a 57% to 42% margin over Jones in 2022 and went strongly, 58% to 42% for Republican Glenn Youngkin in the 2021 contest for governor.

While most of its biggest bloc of voters, those in Henrico, lean modestly toward Democrats, with deeper blue pockets around Williamsburg and three modestly Democratic precincts on the Northern Neck, most of the district gave Republicans at least a margin of at least 20 percentage points in 2022.

"It'll certainly be an uphill struggle," Mehta said. "But the district is changing and Rob Wittman isn't."

Both Mehta and Jones have said they would act to ensure reproductive freedom access to contraceptives and abortion and support gun safety laws. Both say they are deeply concerned that American democracy is under threat as former President Donald Trump and many Republicans continue to deny that President Joe Biden won the 2020 election.

"There wont be much in the way of policy differences between the (Democratic) candidates," said John McGlennon, a political scientist at the College of William and Mary.

"The experienced candidate vs. fresh face will be a big part of the primary," he said.

Jones is board chair of the Williamsburg James City County Community Action Agency, which runs a variety of poverty programs, including Head Start and an emergency food and shelter assistance program. He runs a small business focused on cloud-computing, project management and logistics.

A 30-year Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq, he was responsible for overseeing New Kent Countys funds and collecting its taxes for 12 years.

While he won his last election to that office with 82% of the vote in in 2007, he's had less luck looking farther afield. He failed to unseat state Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City County, in 2019, even losing New Kent with 34% to Norment's 65%. In the 2022 congressional race, he won 31% of New Kent's vote to Wittman's 68%.

We need a fighter in Congress who will deliver for Eastern Virginia communities: ensuring our reproductive freedom, safety from gun violence, investment in public education, and protecting our right to free and fair elections, Jones website says. (He did not respond to multiple phone and email requests to outline his positions.)

I have successfully run for elected office three times, the voters of New Kent County elected and reelected me as their treasurer," he said in a social media posting. "In 2022 a number of people across the district reached out and asked me to run after a candidate dropped out I answered the call and I stepped up. We knew it would be hard for a candidate to win on the first attempt so I was always prepared to finish what we started in 2022. In nine elections the incumbent has had a new challenger in every race - let's try it differently this time."

In his endorsement statement, Northam said Herb knows what it means to serve his fellow Virginians.

"I've been doing this for a long time; I've fought for the constitutional rights of Virginians ... I've secured funding for rare diseases," Mehta said. She channeled her grief after her 5-year-old daughter Brooke died of the rare genetic disorder Rett Syndrome, to help move legislation through Congress with support from Democrats and Republicans.

Mehta grew up in tiny Woodland, N.C., just down U.S. 258 from Isle of Wight County. She says she hears from people in rural stretches of the 1st District about one-hour driving trips for health care and it resonates strongly. So does the memory of taking Brooke to Atlanta for care when that was where the nearest specialists were based.

"Accessibility to health care is a huge concern," she said. Mehta said that encompasses access to reproductive health care, tackling the high cost of prescription medications and access to in vitro fertilization.

"That really hit me, both of my daughters were from IVF," she said. "After that Alabama decision," in which the state Supreme Court found that frozen embryos can be considered children, "we need federal protection ... why should someone you've never met be able to say you can't do that?"

Other memories from growing up, the contrast between the rural high school she attended for two years and the statewide science and math school where she finished high school, meant public school funding, especially focused on technology and modernizing facilities, would be another of her priorities in Congress.

Defending civil liberties and constitutional rights, another top priority, reflects her years at the ACLU. A suit she and the Legal Aid Justice Center filed on behalf of two Black middle school students with disabilities, alleging that Richmond Public Schools suspended Black students with disabilities at 13 times the rate of white students without disabilities, sparked a federal investigation.

Jones has a larger campaign war chest and a higher name recognition from his 2022 run.

"Hell make the argument that hes had the guts to get into tough races and deserves another shot with more time and presidential turnout," McGlennon said.

"What Mehta will need to do is demonstrate that her newness is an asset and not a liability."

Mehta is from the Richmond suburbs, where 55% of the district's voters live, while Jones' base of New Kent is home to only 3%.

But while "Hometown support can often be decisive, in this case, the impact is likely to be more limited," McGlennon said, "as the candidate from the more populous area doesnt have as high a profile."

Olusoji Akomolafe, a political scientist at Norfolk State University, said the primary might come down to dueling endorsements between a former governor, Northam's backing of Jones, and would-be governor Spanberger's backing of Mehta.

"This is Jones third shot at elected office. As we have seen in many cases before, name recognition may actually be a double-edged political sword," Akomolafe said.

"In making their decisions, while some voters may emphasize a known face as their main reason for choosing a candidate, others may welcome the newcomer, especially if their positions are not so radically apart from each other, as is the case in this situation," he said.

"Jones already has name recognition derived from his previous run for the office. In the last election, he may have lost by a 13-point margin, but he was also outspent 3-1. Given those circumstances, that performance is good enough for most Democrats to view him as a credible candidate,"Akomolafe said.

He added: "While Mehta may not have the same kind of name recognition, even as a newcomer to the game she is not altogether a pushover." He said that in addition to her endorsements by state Sens. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, Mamie Locke, D-Hampton and Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, "Spanbergers endorsement may prove to be more consequential than that of Northam in this election."

Friday-Sunday

Richmonds favorite outdoor sports and music festival returns with biking, kayaking, air dogs, stand-up paddle boarding and more. Jam out on the island to bands like Cosmic Collective, Karl Densons Tiny Universe, Palmyra and The Stews. 5-9:30 p.m. Friday, noon-9:30 p.m. Saturday and noon-5 p.m. Sunday. 501 Tredegar St. Free to attend. (804) 285-9495 or http://www.riverrockrva.com.

Friday

Farmvilles Oliver Anthony will hit the stage for Atlantic Union After Hours in Doswell. Anthony made music history last year with his viral hit Rich Men North of Richmond which has been dubbed the nations blue-collar anthem. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Show starts at 7 p.m. After Hours at Meadow Event Park, 13191 Dawn Boulevard. Sold out. afterhoursconcertseries.com.

Friday-Sunday

Get ready for three days of Lebanese cuisine, including everything from hummus and kabobs to baklava and other desserts, as well as traditional Lebanese dancing and live music performances at the Lebanese Food Festival. 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. St. Anthony Maronite Church, 4611 Sadler Road, Glen Allen. Free to attend. Pay as you go. (804) 277-9566 or lebanesefoodfestival.com.

Thursday

Relax in the gardens at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden on Thursday evenings for the return of Flowers After 5. Stroll through the scenic gardens, listen to live music and enjoy a selection of food and drinks. 5 p.m.-9 p.m. Through mid-September. 1800 Lakeside Ave. $10-$20. (804) 262-9887 or http://www.lewisginter.org.

Thursday and Friday

Stroll through a 12-block stretch of art, live music and refreshments at the Fan Arts Stroll. 4-8 p.m. 1900-2600 blocks of Hanover and Grove Avenues. Free. https://www.facebook.com/FanArtsStroll/.

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Virginia: Two Democrats vie for chance to take on Wittman - Richmond Times-Dispatch