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Former Virginia first lady Dorothy McAuliffe announced Wednesday that she is running for Congress in the proposed 7th Congressional District, joining a growing Democratic primary field whose plans depend on the outcome of Virginia’s redistricting effort.

The proposed district would stretch from Arlington to western Augusta County and include parts of Fairfax County such as Annandale, Burke, West Springfield, West Falls Church and Pimmit Hills. Most of its voters would live just outside Washington, D.C.

McAuliffe said her campaign would focus on lowering costs, expanding access to affordable health care and holding President Donald Trump and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accountable.

“I look forward to traveling this district — from Arlington to Augusta and Prince William to Powhatan — and sharing that vision for this community that I’ve long called home,” she said.

McAuliffe, an attorney and mother of five, has lived in Fairfax County for 34 years. She served as Virginia’s first lady from 2014 through 2018 while her husband, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, was governor. During that period, she promoted childhood nutrition programs and worked on efforts to reduce Virginia’s backlog of untested rape kits.

She considered running against Republican U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock in 2017 but ultimately declined. In 2022, President Joe Biden’s administration named her the State Department’s special representative for global partnerships.

Her entry adds another prominent candidate to an already crowded contest. Four-term Virginia Del. Dan Helmer and former federal prosecutor J.P. Cooney launched campaigns for the seat last month. Cooney previously served as a deputy to special counsel Jack Smith and was later fired by Trump.

State Del. Elizabeth Guzman, the first Latina immigrant elected to Virginia’s General Assembly, has also said she is considering a campaign.

Whether the race proceeds under the proposed boundaries remains uncertain. Early voting is underway for an April 21 referendum on a state constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to adopt a congressional map advanced by Virginia Democrats in response to Republican-led redistricting efforts in other states.

The proposed 7th District is one of four new districts designed to favor Democrats. McAuliffe and the other candidates could change their plans if voters reject the amendment or the Virginia Supreme Court overturns the redistricting effort.

Virginia has already moved its congressional primaries from June to Aug. 4 because of the referendum.