Lisa Vedernikova Khanna announced she is seeking the Democratic nomination for Congress in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District.
“I believe in the American Dream because I’ve lived it,” Khanna wrote in her announcement. “My mom came to America from Soviet Russia with nothing but a suitcase and a hope for freedom and stability. Thanks to her sacrifice and the opportunity this country provides, I was able to attend college and build a successful career.”
Khanna said the only way she had access to health care as a child was through Medicaid because her mother was an undocumented immigrant in the United States.
“Today, those same opportunities that helped me achieve my dreams are under attack,” she said in her announcement. “I know how hard families are working because I’ve lived it. I’ve worked since I was 13. Medicaid meant I had health care. Food assistance programs provided school lunch. Like thousands of people in central and eastern Virginia, I depended on those lifelines.”
As an adult, she has worked in public service, media, and tech with multiple C-Suite executives. She has also served as the president of the Metro Richmond Area Young Democrats.
Republican Rep. Rob Wittman is the incumbent in VA-01.
Wittman, who has served in Congress since 2007, won reelection in 2023 by a 13-point margin. Still, Democrats are optimistic about their chances in the district, pointing to historical trends that show the party in the White House often struggles in midterm elections.
Wittman has already faced pushback from constituents. In February, hundreds of protesters packed one of his mobile office hours in Chesterfield to criticize his vote in support of a budget resolution that would cut federal spending.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced earlier this year that it is targeting Wittman’s seat for the first time.
“Wittman [is] running scared, and [he] should be,” said DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene. “From tanking the economy, gutting Medicaid, abandoning our veterans, to making everything more expensive, they’ve broken their promises to Virginians, and it’s going to cost them their seats.”
Chesterfield Clerk of Circuit Court announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination last week.