Democrats hold on to open state legislature seats in Virginia special elections

Virginia Democrats will hold on to their narrow majorities in the state Legislature after winning special elections Tuesday in two seats in a county that shifted toward President-elect Donald Trump last year, the Associated Press projects.

Virginia Democrats will hold on to their narrow majorities in the state Legislature after winning special elections Tuesday in two seats in a county that shifted toward President-elect Donald Trump last year, the Associated Press projects. Democratic state Rep. Kannan Srinivasan defeated Republican Tumay Harding to win an open Senate seat in Loudoun County, an exurb of Washington, DC. Democrat JJ Singh beat Republican Ram Venkatachalam to win an open House seat in the county. Republicans also held onto a state Senate seat west of Richmond, where Republican Luther Cifers defeated Democrat Jack Trammell for the seat previously held by John McGuire, who was sworn into Congress this month. The special legislative elections – held one day after Congress certified Trump’s 2024 presidential win – served as an early test of voter enthusiasm for both parties as the former president returns for a second term. Despite the liberal lean of the districts – the previous incumbents won both seats by about 61% of the vote in 2023 – Democrats said they weren’t taking the seats for granted given Trump’s growing support there and the unpredictable nature of special elections. Most of early voting for the seats occurred during the holiday season, and a Monday winter storm dumped several inches of snow on Loudoun County and kept schools closed. Both Democratic candidates drastically outspent their Republican opponents. The incoming president won 10,000 more votes in the county in 2024 than he did in 2020, while Vice President Kamala Harris received 9,092 fewer votes than President Joe Biden did in 2020. While Biden won the county by 25 percentage points, Harris won by 16.2 points.