Democrats Hold onto Majorities in Virginia’s Legislature in Special Elections
Democrats held onto their narrow majorities in Virginia’s legislature as they won two of three special elections on Tuesday. The contests were seen as the first gauge of the mood of voters since President-elect Trump’s convincing victory in November.
In the special state Senate election, Democrat Kannan Srinivasan defeated Republican Tumay Harding, while in a special state House race, Democrat JJ Singh topped Republican Ram Venkatachalam. The two Democrats won in Loudon County, which has trended towards the Democrats in recent years.
The third special election took place in a state Senate district in the central part of the state, where Republican Luther Cifers defeated Democrat Jack Trammell.
The Democrats’ margins in their two Loudon county victories were close to the winning margin of Vice President Kamala Harris over Trump in the county in November.
The special elections will retain the Democrats’ 21-19 majority in the Virginia Senate and their 51-49 control of the state House of Delegates, during Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s final year in office.
The results are seen as an early barometer for high-profile gubernatorial showdowns later this year in Virginia and New Jersey, and next year’s battle for Congress in the midterm elections. However, veteran Republican strategist Zack Roday believes that the results are not yet a useful indicator, as people are still not engaged in the political process.
