2018 congressional election
In 2018,Helmer was a Democratic candidate for the 2018 Virginia's 10th congressional district election in the United States House of Representatives. According to The Cook Political Report ,state senator Jennifer Wexton was "the substantial frontrunner",and she ultimately won the primary with 42% of the vote while Helmer garnered 12.5%. [3] [4]
In 2017,one of Helmer's campaign videos titled "Helmer Zone" went viral,reaching number four on the YouTube trending list within 24 hours. The video,in which Helmer spoofed the film "Top Gun" and sang "You've Lost That Centrist Feeling",garnered mixed reactions. [5]
Helmer had been an early and vocal proponent of impeaching president Donald Trump. Another of Helmer's campaign ads sparked controversy by saying,"After 9/11,the greatest threat to our democracy lived in a cave (Osama bin Laden). Today,he lives in the White House (Donald Trump)." [6] The ad faced bipartisan criticism from the Trump administration as,"nothing short of reprehensible" as well as from Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. [7]
Delegate for Virginia's 40th and 10th districts
Elections
In 2019,Helmer was the Democratic nominee for Virginia's 40th House of Delegates district. He ran against Republican incumbent Tim Hugo,who had been in office since 2003. The race broke Virginia's fundraising record for a House of Delegates election,with Hugo and Helmer raising a combined $3.6 million. Helmer won with 52% of the vote. [8] After winning reelection in 2021 to the 40th,Helmer represents Virginia's 10th House of Delegates district following his reelection in 2023 to the 10th when redistricting occurred.
Opponent's controversial campaign mailers,2021
In 2021,Helmer's Republican opponent,Harold Pyon,distributed a campaign mailer to homes in the 40th district,which featured Helmer at a table piled with gold coins. Helmer,who is Jewish,said in the mailer,his nose was also accentuated and his West Point military insignia was removed from his jacket. He claimed the flier exhibited "antisemitic tropes" which distracted from talking about the issues. Pyon's spokesman claimed the mailer was not antisemitic and could be used against any politician who raises taxes. [9] [10] An opinion article by The Washington Post editorial board claimed the mailer was paid for by the Virginia Republican Party. It also claimed "The antisemitism conveyed by Mr. Pyon's campaign mailer is classic and blatant. To claim that it was unintentional is to assert blind ignorance of history." While the article said "We have no reason to assume Mr. Pyon,a retired federal worker and former Army medic,is himself an antisemite," it claimed the mailer "fits a recent pattern among Virginia Republican candidates in this fall's legislative elections." [11] The opinion piece prompted responses from both candidates. Pyon issued a statement through his campaign,saying in part,"How dare The Washington Post Editorial Board make these assertions when I have spent my entire life working to bring communities of all faiths,ethnicities,and backgrounds together,and to stand against discrimination of any kind;especially against members of the Jewish community." Helmer responded through his campaign,saying in part,"To have someone bring hate to our community. Use images like this,seek to divide us,is not what we deserve as leadership of the House of Delegates." [12]
Helmer's false campaign mailers,2023
In 2023,after redistricting caused Helmer's district to lose its Republican-leaning Prince William County part for areas in the more Democratic-leaning Fairfax County,the district was renumbered from the 40th to the 10th in the process,he sought to maintain his incumbency advantage by falsely claiming to be the incumbent of the newly added redistricted areas in targeted campaign mailers. [13] According to The Washington Post,the campaign mailers looked liked they were on "official-looking letter[heads]",and stated that Helmer could assist voters with constituent issues "as your Delegate" when in fact their present delegates were tasked with those duties. [13] Helmer's mailers caused confusion for voters with The Washington Post learning about them after being contacted by concerned citizens. [13] Helmer acknowledged the mailers in a statement to the Post,but he did not offer an apology for the confusion,stating that his office is ready to assist people outside his district. [13] Helmer's opponent,Marine Corps veteran James Thomas,denounced the false campaign mailers by stating that Helmer sought to claim incumbency over the new voters before the democratic process had even run its course. [13]
2024 congressional campaign and abuse allegations
In November 2023,shortly after winning reelection to his House of Delegates seat,Helmer announced his intention to seek the Democratic Party nomination for a second time in Virginia's 10th congressional district after the incumbent representative,Democrat Jennifer Wexton,declined to run for reelection due to illness. [14]
The Loudoun Times-Mirror reported that Helmer indirectly received over $5.4 million from three political action committees (PACs) in support of his run through June 2024. [15] He garnered over $4 million from a PAC supporting the cryptocurrency industry. [15] Helmer also raised $1.5 million directly to his campaign,bringing his total financial support to about $7 million. [15] Helmer's campaign far outraised all of his opponents with State Senator Suhas Subramanyam,his closest fundraising competitor,raising $0.9 million in direct campaign funds and $0.6 million in indirect PAC funds for a total of about $1.5 million. [15] The VPM Media Corporation noted that Helmer's support of "blockchain technologies and cryptocurrencies" infused him with substantial monetary resources and caused the primary to be one of the most expensive in Virginia history. [16]
According to The New York Times ,a Democratic Party official,through an anonymous statement from her attorney in June 2024,accused Helmer of "groping her and later making sexually crude remarks." [17] Current and former Loudoun County Democratic Party officials said that the committee "developed its sexual harassment policies in response to "the egregious harassment" of a Loudoun County party member by Mr. Helmer." [17] [18] [19] Helmer was accused of grabbing the woman's breast after a political event during his 2018 campaign as he lewdly referred to her body and propositioned her for sex with him and other women while describing the different sexual positions he wanted to try with her. [20] [21]
Numerous Democratic Party politicians and officials,including three former Loudoun County party chairmen,and the National Organization for Women (NOW) called on Helmer to withdraw from the race. [17] [22] NOW also alleged that Helmer bullied a female colleague into voting down a bill,during a subcommittee hearing,that would have mandated employer-provided training for anti-sexual harassment and anti-discrimination behavior. [20] [21] Helmer refused to drop out,calling the allegations against him "baseless",and claiming that they were trumped-up by his opponent's allies in the final week of the campaign. [17] The former Loudoun County Democratic Party chairman,who led the effort to try and get Helmer to drop out,said that "if his party nominated Mr. Helmer,it would be taking a risk" in the general election. [17] A spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee,called Helmer "a Democrat with serious ethical baggage that would make for devastating political attack ads and alienate a large bloc of independents and Democrat[ic] base voters." [17]
The primary election was highlighted by Roll Call as a race to watch because of the substantial fundraising and the allegations levelled against Helmer. [23] In June 2024,Helmer lost the Democratic Party nomination to Subramanyam;Helmer collected 26.6% of the vote to Subramanyam's 30.4% in a 12 candidate field. [24]
In February 2025,Dan Helmer sued for $15 million in Fairfax County Circuit Court,arguing that the sexual assault allegations against him were unfounded and maliciously intended to defame him. The defendants include the woman who accused Helmer of groping her;Charles King,the woman's attorney;Avram Fechter,former chairman of the Loudoun County Democratic Committee;and two others (listed as John and Jane Doe). Helmer claims their purpose was to derail his bid for the Democratic nomination in Virginia's 10th District,for which he was leading in the polls prior to the allegations. The lawsuit alleges that Fechter funded a PAC that blasted text messages to voters accusing Helmer of sexual assault days before the election. It also claims that the woman who made the allegations had supported Helmer's candidacy before receiving $10,000 for work performed for a rival campaign. Additionally,the suit contends that the woman's lawyer has a history of working with groups known to use false claims to discredit political opponents. [25] [26]
Political positions
Gun rights
Helmer supports universal background checks,banning high-capacity magazines and silencers,regulating private gun sales,and red-flag laws that law enforcement may use to temporarily remove firearms from persons deemed dangerous to themselves or others. [28] [29]
In May 2018,Helmer purchased a semi-automatic rifle,without a background check in under 10 minutes,at a gun show in Chantilly,Virginia. The video,produced by his campaign,was picked up by major news organizations such as The Hill , The Washington Post ,and Vox . [30] In January 2020,Helmer introduced HB 567,a bill that would outlaw all indoor firing ranges in buildings with more than 50 employees in Virginia. [31] Also in January,when gun rights activists descended on Richmond,Chris Hurst and Helmer allowed students representing March for Our Lives to sleep in their Richmond offices in order to be able to participate in gun control advocacy. [32]
Healthcare
Helmer supports adding a public option to Medicare. In 2019,Tim Hugo,his Republican opponent,claimed that Helmer sought to abolish private insurance,which PolitiFact subsequently indicated was "mostly false." [33]
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