Jennifer Wexton

Jennifer Lynn Wexton (née Tosini, born May 27, 1968) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia’s 10th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Virginia Senate from 2014 to 2019, representing the 33rd district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. Over three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, Wexton contributed to the legislative process during a significant period in American history, participating in the democratic process and representing the interests of her constituents in Northern Virginia.

Wexton was born Jennifer Lynn Tosini on May 27, 1968. She grew up in the United States and later pursued higher education that prepared her for a career in law and public service. She attended the University of Maryland, College Park, where she earned her undergraduate degree. She then studied law at the College of William & Mary’s Marshall–Wythe School of Law in Williamsburg, Virginia, receiving her Juris Doctor. Her legal training and early professional experiences in Virginia’s legal system laid the groundwork for her later roles as a prosecutor, attorney, and legislator.

Before entering elective office, Wexton built a career as a lawyer in Virginia. She worked as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney in Loudoun County, where she prosecuted criminal cases and gained experience in trial practice and public safety issues. She later entered private practice, continuing to work in the legal field while becoming increasingly involved in local civic and political affairs. Her background as a prosecutor and attorney informed her policy interests, particularly in areas related to criminal justice, public safety, and the rule of law.

Wexton’s formal political career began at the state level. In 2014, she was elected to the Virginia Senate in a special election to represent the 33rd district, which includes parts of Fairfax and Loudoun Counties in Northern Virginia. She served in the Virginia Senate from 2014 to 2019, winning reelection and building a record on issues such as transportation, education, and mental health, as well as consumer protection and women’s rights. Her state senate district overlapped significantly with the eastern portion of Virginia’s 10th congressional district, wrapping around communities such as Leesburg and Sterling, which later provided a base of support for her congressional campaigns.

In April 2017, Wexton announced that she would run in the Democratic primary for Virginia’s 10th congressional district, a seat long held by Republicans. In June 2018 she won a six-way Democratic primary to become the party’s nominee, defeating Alison Friedman, Lindsey Davis Stover, Deep Sran, Dan Helmer, Paul Pelletier, and Julia Biggins. In the November 2018 general election, she defeated Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock with 56% of the vote to Comstock’s 44%. Her victory meant that a Democrat would represent the 10th district for the first time since 1981; the district had been represented by a Republican in Congress for 60 of the previous 66 years. Wexton’s win also meant that, until the next voting cycle, no Republicans would represent a congressional district in the immediate Washington, D.C., region.

Wexton took office in the U.S. House of Representatives on January 3, 2019, and served three consecutive terms through January 3, 2025. As a member of Congress, she represented a rapidly growing and increasingly diverse Northern Virginia district during a period marked by intense national political polarization, the impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Some commentators have described Wexton as a moderate Democrat. She participated in the legislative process on issues affecting her district and the nation, including transportation and infrastructure, federal workforce and technology policy, health care, and economic development in the Washington metropolitan area. She was reelected to a second term in 2020, defeating the Republican nominee, former U.S. Marine Aliscia Andrews, and to a third term in 2022, defeating Republican nominee and U.S. Navy veteran Hung Cao by a margin of 53.2% to 46.7%.

During her time in Congress, Wexton’s service occurred during a significant period in American history, and she took part in the democratic process through committee work, floor votes, and advocacy on behalf of her constituents. In September 2023, after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare and degenerative neurological disorder, she announced that she would not seek reelection in 2024. Her decision marked the planned conclusion of her congressional career at the end of her third term. When her service in the House ended on January 3, 2025, she was succeeded by Democratic state senator Suhas Subramanyam, who won election to represent Virginia’s 10th congressional district in the 2024 election.