Dem tech policy advisor beats fellow tech pro in US House election to rep Virginia’s Data Center Alley

A one-time Republican stronghold and increasing hub of Northern Virginia’s technology sector will now have a former Obama administration tech advisor representing it on Capitol Hill. 

State Sen. Suhas Subramanyam, a Democrat, won a contentious race for the seat in Virginia’s 10th congressional district. The Associated Press called his victory over Republican Mike Clancy late Tuesday night, with Subramanyam netting 52.1% of votes over Clancy’s 47.9% and 99% of ballots counted. Those percentages broke down to Subramanyam and Clancy getting 207,131 and 190,227 votes, respectively.

Clancy has not publicly commented about the results as of Wednesday morning. Subramanyam’s own statement thanked Clancy for his participation in the race.

“Thank you to Mike Clancy for stepping up to run,” Subramanyam said. “I look forward to working with him and all his supporters to make our community stronger and be a voice for all Virginians.”

The District 10 seat was up for grabs because Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) announced she would not run for reelection due to health reasons. In 2018, Wexton flipped District 10 to blue after it had been under Republican control since 1980. 

Subramanyam will soon serve in a legislature that may be totally dominated by the other party.

Wednesday morning results put the House of Representatives at 199 Republicans and 181 Democrats, with 55 races still to be called and either party needing 218 members for a majority. The Senate ultimately went red, with 52 Republicans to 42 Democrats and six races still in the balance.

This picture also echoes the presidential race, in which Republican ex-President Donald Trump beat Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris with 277 electoral votes to Harris’ 224. Subramanyam’s party fared better in his state’s races for federal positions as Harris won Virginia with 51.8% of the popular vote over Trump’s 46.6%. The state also maintained its Democratic Senate delegation, with incumbent Tim Kaine beating Republican Hong Cao 54.1% to 45.9%.

Deep tech industry roots

District 10 is inherently connected to the tech industry. It’s anchored by Loudoun County, which houses a massive concentration of data centers in the state — so much so it’s been dubbed Data Center Alley. It also includes the red, rural Fauquier and Rappahannock counties and parts of Prince William and Fairfax counties.

Both Subramanyam and Clancy coincidentally have a history of working in technology, specifically in the public sector. Subramanyam previously served as a tech policy advisor during the Obama administration, per his campaign website. In that role, he worked on finding ways to modernize government operations, identifying strengths and challenges of developing and using artificial intelligence, and addressing cybersecurity threats. 

Clancy has cyber experience, too: He worked on the cybersecurity transition team when Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who endorsed Clancy in this race, was elected in 2022. Wexton endorsed Subramanyam to fill her seat. 

Clancy is also a Newsmax commentator and cites himself as a “senior executive and lawyer with a global technology company” on his campaign website, though it’s not clear which company. 

He has ties to the Heritage Foundation, whose Project 2025 features proposals to change how social media companies can moderate content and ban pornography (including by forcing companies allowing access to close). 

While he’s walked back his relationship with the conservative think tank, he’s “historically” been a member and previously donated to the group, according to comments in an interview on WUSA. 

This wasn’t Clancy’s first race in this district. Clancy previously ran for the same seat in District 10 in 2022. 

This time around, he registered to vote in Loudoun County in September 2023. He previously registered in Fairfax County in 2022, in the very blue District 11. Clancy did a similar registration switch at the time of his first run, the Washington Post reported. 

Clancy has said he moved to Loudoun County in 2021, previously lived in McLean and maintains an investment property in Reston. 

Where the candidates stand on tech

Outside of the candidates’ resumes, tech-related policy and issues were key to the District 10 race.

Technical.ly emailed both candidates questions about the intersections of tech policy and the local economy, how they would work to address the environmental impacts of power-hungry data centers, and how they would approach AI regulations. Neither candidate responded. 

Subramanyam stated on his campaign website that he wants to balance regulation and innovation, especially for AI. 

“It is important that Congress and regulators create an environment that allows for innovation to flourish while also having clear rules for the road and ensuring strong consumer protections to prevent this technology from being abused,” the site reads. 

Subramanyam is also an advocate for blockchain technology, a decentralized, secure and transparent model commonly used for cryptocurrency transactions and supply chain tracking. He wrote that while its open-source nature allows it to be used to build trust, Congress needs to be at the forefront of regulating this technology. 

Clancy was been vocal about different tech-related issues during his campaign. He voiced that the government should not be involved in funding alternative energy solutions at a debate hosted by the local broadcast station WJLA. Rather, he said the private sector should be involved in finding different ways to power infrastructure like data centers, including using nuclear power. 

He’s additionally focused on national security: One of the key priorities listed on his campaign website is ensuring funding for the military and certifying cybersecurity strategies.