A primary election for Virginia’s 4th Congressional District will take place on Tuesday, June 14. Four names are on the ballot seeking election.

Those seeking office are Donald McEachin (D), Dr. Ella Ward (D), Mike Wade (R) and Jackee Gonzalez (R). Not seeking election is incumbent Randy Forbes, who instead is a candidate in the 2nd District this time.

• McEachin, an attorney and politician, currently holds the District 9 seat in the state Senate, the position he has held since 2008. He served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1996 to 2002, and from 2006 until 2008. In his 2011 campaign, McEachin focused on civil and voting rights, education and public safety. An alumnus of The American University, where he received his Bachelor of Science in political history, he also earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Virginia Law and a Master of Divinity from Virginia Union University.
• Ward ran as a Democratic candidate for the 4th District seat in 2012 but lost the general election to Forbes. Her platform included reduced business taxes for companies’ first two years in operation, increased expenditures for infrastructure and supporting Social Security and Medicare. Ward has previously and currently serves on several board and commissions. She served eight years on the Virginia Board of Education, five of those as vice president. Presently, she is serving on the Board of Visitors of Christopher Newport University, appointed by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. She is also in her third term on Chesapeake City Council. Ward served as a teacher and administrator in Portsmouth Public Schools for 35 years before retiring in 2004.
• Wade is the Henrico County sheriff. A Republican candidate, he has made a career in law enforcement with 41 years of service. Wade served 22 years as a member of the Henrico Division of Police before being elected sheriff in 1999. Throughout his career, he was an investigator focusing on crimes against property, and he served in the Criminal Intelligence Section and later as the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Investigator Liaison. Wade also served as the command sergeant serving as the supervisor of the school resource and D.A.R.E. officers for Henrico County Public Schools before being elected sheriff.
• Gonzalez, a Republican candidate, currently serves as faith liaison coordinator and community events director for the Eastern part of the 4th District. In 2012, she volunteered and campaigned for Congressman Randy Forbes’ campaign. Her core values are faith in God and connection with people from all walks of life; individual freedom and responsibility; the promise of America; servant leadership; and courage and honor always beat fear, dishonor and shame. Born in Kenya, she graduated from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, with a degree in environmental planning and management.

Only some Suffolk voters are in the Fourth Congressional District. Voters who have questions about which district they reside in should call 514-7750.

The general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 8.