Army vet Mizusawa wins Virginia GOP Senate primary

Bert Mizusawa won Virginia’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate on August 4 and will face Democratic Sen. Mark Warner in the November general election, according to projections from ABC News and the Associated Press. Unofficial results reported Tuesday night by the Virginia Department of Elections showed the retired U.S. Army major general leading his two Republican rivals statewide. The result settled the GOP side of Virginia’s marquee Senate contest after a primary held later than usual this year. Warner, the Democratic incumbent, did not face a primary challenge and is seeking a fourth six-year term. ### How large was Mizusawa’s win? Virginia Mercury reported that unofficial state results at 8:35 p.m. showed Mizusawa with 50.71% of the vote, ahead of David Williams at 29.54% and Kim Farington at 19.75%. ABC News projected Mizusawa as the winner Tuesday after returns showed him prevailing statewide. AP’s election results page also listed Mizusawa as the leader in the Republican Senate primary. (abcnews.com) AP’s results page showed the race called with an estimated 51% of votes counted when it posted its update on August 4. The Virginia Department of Elections says results posted on election night are unofficial until certification by the relevant election authorities. ### Who is Bert Mizusawa? Bert Mizusawa is a retired U.S. (virginiamercury.com) Army major general and former Pentagon official who built his campaign around national security, military readiness, federal spending and energy policy, according to Virginia Mercury. His campaign website describes him as a candidate with “decades of service” running on issues including faith, family and freedom. Ballotpedia says Mizusawa advanced from the Republican primary and will appear on the November ballot. (apnews.com) The Republican Party of Virginia said earlier this year that Mizusawa, Farington and Williams had qualified for the August 4 primary ballot after submitting enough signatures. That set up the three-candidate contest to challenge Warner. ### Why was Virginia’s primary held in August instead of June? (virginiamercury.com) Virginia voters cast ballots on August 4 because the state’s 2026 primary calendar was pushed back during a dispute over congressional maps. Virginia Mercury reported that lawmakers postponed the usual June primary to accommodate an April redistricting referendum, and that the Supreme Court of Virginia later struck down the new map. (virginia.gop) Candidates then competed under the existing district lines. The Virginia Department of Elections lists August 4, 2026, as the date of both the Democratic and Republican primaries on its results page. ### Who is Mizusawa running against in November? Mark Warner is the Democratic incumbent and is seeking a fourth Senate term. Virginia Mercury and other election references say Warner has represented Virginia in the Senate since 2009. (virginiamercury.com) Because he was the only Democratic candidate, ABC News reported that he did not have a primary. (elections.virginia.gov) Virginia remains one of the states with a Senate race on the November ballot, and AP said the primary was part of a broader set of Virginia contests that could shape the fall campaign. That assessment was AP’s description of the election landscape, not a projection of the outcome. ### What happens next in the Virginia Senate race? (virginiamercury.com) Virginia’s general election is scheduled for November 3, 2026, according to the Virginia Department of Elections’ upcoming elections calendar. The ballot will include the U.S. Senate race, and the state says early in-person voting begins September 18 and runs through October 31. (apnews.com) Ballotpedia and the Virginia Department of Elections both list the November 3 contest as the next step for Mizusawa and Warner. The state’s election calendar also lists an October 23 voter registration deadline for the general election. (ballotpedia.org) (elections.virginia.gov)