Four days before the midterms, hundreds gathered in Dumfries to hear Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Eugene Vindman. But some of the most memorable moments happened away from the podium.

Attendees line up outside a campaign rally for Rep. Eugene Vindman in Dumfries, Virginia, on Oct. 30, 2026, ahead of the midterm elections. [Credit: Tricia Cherie]

A campaign sign supporting Rep. Eugene Vindman stands along a wooded roadside in Virginia ahead of the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election. [Photo by Tricia Chérie]

(DUMFRIES, Va.) — The line outside Potomac Shores Middle School stretched along the sidewalk Friday evening, Oct. 30. Temperatures hovered in the low 60s.

TV crews worked the line looking for reactions. I ducked behind a woman in a blazer and heels, hoping to avoid the cameras in my denim jacket, black Aaliyah T-shirt, and patterned pants.

Ahead of me, two women discussed a New York Times article about possible election outcomes and what Tuesday might mean for control of Congress.

I had come to hear Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat known as AOC, campaign for Rep. Eugene Vindman, who faced Republican Doug Ollivant and four other challengers in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.

Inside, American and Virginia flags flanked a podium bearing Vindman’s name. I found a seat a few rows ahead of the C-SPAN and local television cameras.

The crowd ranged from young adults to retirees. One man wore a sleeveless “Fight the Oligarchy” T-shirt. Another attendee’s shirt read “Tax the Rich.”

Four people stood together in bright shirts representing the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, or NATCA. In June, union members Brian Schmelzel and Arianna Bocci met with Vindman about controller pay and aviation mental health legislation, and with Sen. Tim Kaine about federal workers’ pay during government shutdowns.

Patrice Summers, a Prince William County finance employee for more than 26 years, spoke about workers’ rights and her mother’s struggles with medical care. Summers belongs to SEIU Virginia 512, which says it represents 18,000 workers statewide. County employees voted to join the union in July and are negotiating their first contract.

Virginia Del. Elizabeth Guzmán entered to Bad Bunny’s “Baile Inolvidable,” took a few salsa steps, then approached the podium. The first Latina immigrant elected to Virginia’s General Assembly connected her Peruvian background to Vindman’s Ukrainian roots.

Ocasio-Cortez followed to Marc Anthony’s “Aguanile,” greeted by cheers and raised phones. An older couple in front of me angled theirs for an AOC selfie, grinning like teenagers at a Bruce Springsteen concert during his Born in the U.S.A. era.

She opened with “Sí se puede,” which reminded me of the optimism of Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign. The crowd chanted back. She then joked about needing a Halloween costume and candy from Party City.

“We also know that we cannot coast on the unpopularity of this very unpopular president,” she said, referring to President Donald Trump.

Ocasio-Cortez criticized technology companies’ growing demand for land, water, and electricity, arguing that residents should not bear the costs. She cited Vindman’s Make Data Centers Pay Act, which would require qualifying data centers to cover additional electricity expenses rather than pass them to households and small businesses.

She also criticized the U.S. war in Iran, linking its military and economic costs to higher fuel prices.

Vindman brought a quieter tone to the evening. The 25-year Army veteran recalled losing his mother in Soviet Ukraine and arriving in the United States as a refugee with little money. His father hauled furniture while learning English. Vindman said his own children later attended Potomac Shores Middle School.

His family’s story gave me a more personal view of a congressman I’d mainly known through his military and political career.

“In the military, the higher you rise through the ranks, the higher the expectations for leadership and accountability,” he said. “We should hold our elected representatives to that same standard.”

Vindman also discussed health care, veterans’ services, rising costs, congressional oversight, and the war in Iran.

Speakers repeatedly urged the crowd to vote.

By Nov. 1, Virginians had cast 1,647,097 early and absentee ballots, 654,870 more than the entire 2022 midterm total, according to an analysis of Virginia Department of Elections data. The figures did not show which candidates voters supported.

After weeks of examining campaign ads, fundraising figures, and political attacks, I was finally seeing the election beyond the screen.

On Nov. 3, Virginians reelected Democratic Sen. Mark Warner to a fourth term and approved three constitutional amendments protecting reproductive freedom, marriage equality, and voting rights upon release from incarceration.

In the congressional race that brought hundreds to Potomac Shores Middle School, Vindman defeated Ollivant and four other challengers to win a second term. The Associated Press called the race at 8:40 p.m., less than two hours after polls closed. The results remain unofficial pending certification by the Virginia State Board of Elections.