Democrat Vindman, known as a Trump whistleblower, wins competitive Virginia House race

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrat Eugene Vindman won Virginia’s most competitive congressional race Wednesday, defeating his opponent in a blow to the GOP’s hopes of flipping the open House seat.

In Virginia’s 7th District, Vindman defeated Republican Derrick Anderson by a close margin after conservatives targeted the House seat. Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the district’s three-term incumbent, decided to run for governor in 2025 — presenting an opening in the battleground district.

“With the support of our grassroots army, we accomplished something together that many didn’t think was possible,” Vindman said in a statement. “It’s a testament to the power of the American experience, that an immigrant who escaped a Soviet Regime and came to this great nation with less than $800 in our pockets, would now stand here as a Congressman-elect of the United States House of Representatives.”

Anderson did not concede defeat, and his campaign issued a statement saying there are still thousands of uncounted ballots. “We want to make sure everyone’s voice is heard in this extremely close race,” the statement said.

The election between Vindman and Anderson quickly became one of the most competitive in the country, with Republicans hoping to make gains in districts in which they don’t face an incumbent.

Vindman, despite being a political newcomer, developed a national profile after blowing the whistle alongside his brother during then-President Donald Trump’s first impeachment. Vindman and his twin brother, Alex, were career military officers who raised their concerns about Trump’s 2019 call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in which Trump sought an investigation of President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Vindman, a former Army officer, focused his campaign on abortion rights and the threat of MAGA extremism on democracy. Anderson, a fellow veteran and former Green Beret, pitched himself as the more affable candidate, and centered his campaign on the economy.

Republicans had steadily represented the district for nearly 50 years until Spanberger defeated former Republican Rep. David Brat in 2018.

Elsewhere in Virginia, voters reelected Republican U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia's 2nd District, defeating Democratic challenger Missy Cotter Smasal in a victory for Republicans aiming to keep the congressional seat in their battle to control the House.

Democrats had backed Smasal in hopes of reclaiming Kiggans’ seat after Republicans flipped it in the 2022 midterm election.

Kiggans said in a statement Wednesday that she was honored that voters “have once again chosen commonsense conservatism to represent them in Washington.”

“My priorities are unchanged: securing a strong economy, securing our southern border, ensuring our communities and families are kept safe, and providing peace through strength on the world stage,” Kiggans said.

In a statement conceding the race to Kiggans, Cotter Smasal praised her own campaign for focusing on “essential freedoms and protecting our Democracy.” She said her supporters "will continue to make their voices heard.”

Kiggans, a 53-year-old former Navy helicopter pilot, sought a second term while facing a challenge from Cotter Smasal, 46, who also served as a Navy surface warfare officer.

Differences between Kiggans and Cotter Smasal mostly traced the national fault lines between the two major political parties. In a fiery October debate, the two repeatedly painted each other as ineffectual and supportive of partisan policies that would hurt the coastal district. While Cotter Smasal centered her campaign on abortion access and defending American democracy, Kiggans focused on issues such as the economy and border security.

The 2nd has traditionally been a swing district, oscillating in recent years between Republicans and Democrats who served in the Navy. For instance, former Navy SEAL Scott Taylor was a Republican who represented the district for one term before being defeated in 2018 by Democrat Elaine Luria, a former Navy commander. Luria served for two terms before she lost to Kiggans in 2022.

All U.S. House seats were up for election on Tuesday, including eight other districts in Virginia. Democratic Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Jennifer McClellan and Bobby Scott won their seats. Republican Reps. Ben Cline, Morgan Griffith and Rob Wittman also won reelection. State Sen. John McGuire also won Virginia’s 5th District after narrowly defeating incumbent Rep. Bob Good by less than a percentage point in a bitter primary, which led to a recount in August.

Democrat Suhas Subramanyam defeated Republican Mike Clancy in Virginia’s 10th Congressional District. Democrats sought to maintain the House seat representing a swath of northern Virginia exurbs after incumbent Rep. Jennifer Wexton said she would not run for reelection because she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Barakat reported from Falls Church, Virginia, and Finley from Virginia Beach.

Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., running to represent Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, waits to go on stage and address supporters during a voting rally at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

Missy Cotter Smasal speaks to members of the media at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach, Va., after winning the Democratic nomination in the race to represent the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, June 18, 2024. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

Supporters of Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., running to represent Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, fill the outdoor space at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach, Va., during a voting rally Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

Missy Cotter Smasal addresses her supporters at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach, Va., after winning the Democratic nomination in the race to represent the 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, June 18, 2024. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

Republican incumbent Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., running to represent Virginia's 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, speaks to a crowd of supporters during a voting rally at Ballyhoos in Virginia Beach, Va., Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (Kendall Warner/The Virginian-Pilot via AP)

CAMARILLO, Calif. (AP) — California was lashed by powerful winds Wednesday that fed a fast-moving wildfire, which destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee as forecasters warned of the potential for “extreme and life-threatening” blazes.

Northwest of Los Angeles, the Mountain Fire exploded in size and prompted evacuation orders for more than 10,000 people as it threatened 3,500 structures in suburban communities, ranches and agricultural areas around Camarillo, according to a statement from Gov. Gavin Newsom. He said he has requested federal assistance for the area east of the Pacific coast city of Ventura.

The blaze was burning in a region that has seen some of California’s most destructive fires over the years. A thick plume of smoke rose hundreds of feet into the sky Wednesday, blanketing whole neighborhoods and limiting visibility for firefighters and evacuees. The fire grew from less than half of a square mile to 16 square miles (62 square kilometers) in little more than five hours.

Ventura County Fire Captain Trevor Johnson described crews racing with their engines to homes threatened by the flames to save lives.

“This is as intense as it gets. The hair on the back of the firefighters’ neck I’m sure was standing up,” he said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Two people suffered apparent smoke inhalation and were taken to hospitals, fire officials said. No firefighters reported significant injuries.

The erratic winds and limited visibility grounded fixed-wing aircraft, and gusts topped 61 mph (98 kph), said weather service meteorologist Bryan Lewis. Water-dropping helicopters were still flying.

First responders pleaded with residents to evacuate. Deputies made contact with 14,000 people to urge them to leave as embers spread up to 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away and sparked new flames.

“This fire is moving dangerously fast,” Ventura County Fire Chief Dustin Gardner said.

Aerial footage from local television networks showed dozens of homes in flames across several neighborhoods as embers were whipped from home to home. Other footage captured horses trotting alongside evacuating vehicles.

Jade Katz, who said she is disabled and does not drive, waited for a friend to pick her up near her Camarillo Heights home with a suitcase full of medication and Bella, her Great Dane service dog. But the friend couldn’t reach her, so first responders sent a squad car to escort her to safety as she watched the neighborhood burn.

Officials said they were using all resources, including water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant, but it was still burning out of control Wednesday afternoon. Andrew Dowd, a Ventura County fire spokesperson, said he did not have details of how many structures had been damaged.

Gus Garcia, who owns a ranch south of the fire, said he's waiting to see whether conditions will change to decide if he should evacuate his horses and cattle. Around 12:30 p.m., his animals were still safe and he was trying to stay out of the way as others got their livestock out.

His ranch is surrounded by others with horses and alpaca, and Garcia said his neighbors in the canyon did not seem panicked.

"The horse community, they prepare for this because it’s always a possibility up here,” he said.

Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a wildfire near Malibu’s Broad Beach as authorities briefly shut down the Pacific Coast Highway as flames burned near multimillion-dollar properties. Residents were urged to shelter in place while aircraft dropped water on the 50-acre (20-hectare) Broad Fire. It was 15% contained around 12:30 p.m. with forward progress stopped. Fire officials said two structures burned.

The National Weather Service office for the Los Angeles area amended its red flag warning for increased fire danger with a rare “particularly dangerous situation” label, and officials in several counties urged residents to be on watch for fast-spreading blazes, power outages and downed trees amid the latest round of notorious Santa Ana winds.

With predicted gusts between 50 mph (80 kph) and 100 mph (160 kph) and humidity levels as low as 8%, parts of Southern California could experience conditions ripe for “extreme and life-threatening” fire behavior into Thursday, the weather service said.

Forecasters also issued red flag warnings until Thursday from California's central coast through the San Francisco Bay Area and into counties to the north, where strong winds were also expected.

Utilities in California began powering down equipment during high winds and extreme fire danger after a series of massive and deadly wildfires in recent years were sparked by electrical lines and other infrastructure. On Wednesday, more than 65,000 customers in Southern California were without power preventatively, and upwards of 20,000 in Northern California.

Wednesday's fires were burning in the same areas of other recent destructive fires, including the 2018 Woolsey Fire, which killed three people and destroyed 1,600 homes near Los Angeles, and the the 2017 Thomas Fire, which destroyed more than a thousand homes and other structures in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Southern California Edison has paid tens of millions of dollars to settle claims after its equipment was blamed for both blazes.

Dazio and Weber reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press journalists Ryan Pearson in Los Angeles, Amy Taxin in Orange County, California, and Olga Rodriguez in San Francisco contributed to this report.

Firefighters work against the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A television reporter stands in front of a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A television crew stands in front of a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A home burns in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A firefighter passes a burning home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A firefighter works in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Burned vehicles sit among a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A political sign sits in front of a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

A burned vehicle sits among a destroyed home in the Mountain fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters spray water on a burning structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Flames engulf a structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

Firefighters spray water on a burning structure during the Mountain Fire, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024, near Camarillo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ethan Swope)

In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)

In this aerial still image provided by KABC-TV, shows Los Angeles County Fire Department crews scrambled to contain a small blaze fed by erratic wind gusts that pushed flames through dry brush near Broad Beach along Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (KABC-TV via AP)

Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California

Los Angeles city workers remove the remains of a fallen tree blown over by intense winds that crushed a fence in a city park on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)

Powerful winds and low humidity raise wildfire risk across California