From Ballotpedia - Reading time: 52 min
Elections for the Virginia House of Delegates took place in 2017. All 100 house seats were up for election. The general election took place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017.[1]
Heading into the 2017 elections, Virginia was one of 18 states under divided government, with Democrats in control of the governorship and Republicans in control of the legislature. In most statewide elections leading up to the November 2017 elections, Virginia proved to be a battleground state, meaning electoral competition between Democrats and Republicans was more intense than in other states, and the outcomes of elections were often difficult to predict.
Democrats won 15 Republican-held seats in the November 2017 state House elections, the biggest electoral shift toward the Democrats since 1899. Fourteen of the 15 victories came in districts Hillary Clinton (D) won in the 2016 presidential election.[2] Clinton won 17 Republican-held state House seats total. Donald Trump (R) did not win any Democratic-held House seats.[3]
Click here for updates on recounts, legal proceedings, and other notable events occurring in the aftermath of the November 7 elections.
See the results of the November 7 elections here.
Check out the 15 Republican-held seats that Democrats won.
HIGHLIGHTS
Democrats won 15 seats in the November 2017 elections, bringing the chamber to a 51-49 Republican majority. Heading into the general election, Republicans held a 66-34 majority. See the seats that flipped here. In the 2016 presidential election, Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump in 51 out of 100 Virginia House districts—including 17 Republican-controlled districts. Fourteen of the seats Democrats won in 2017 came in districts Clinton won.
The primary election on June 13, 2017, featured 26 contested primaries: 20 Democratic races and six Republican races. This was an increase from 2015 and 2013. Out of the 20 Democratic primaries in 2017, 15 took place in Republican-controlled districts. Five were in Democratic-controlled districts. All six Republican primaries took place in Republican-controlled districts.
Aftermath[edit]
Timeline[edit]
- See also: Virginia House of Delegates elections, 2017 (timeline)
From election night on November 7, 2017, until the 2018-2019 legislative session began on January 10, 2018, the question of which party would control the Virginia House of Delegates was unknown. This timeline details the recounts, legal proceedings, and other notable events that occurred following the 2017 elections.
Seats that switched party control[edit]
Fifteen Virginia House seats had switched from Republican to Democratic control. Heading into election night, Democrats needed to gain 17 seats to take control of the chamber.
The chart below shows the districts that switched control. In addition to showing the pre-election and post-election status of the seat, it details the 2017 margin of victory (based on unofficial results), the margin of victory in the 2016 presidential election, and increases in voter turnout in 2017 compared to 2013, the last election where both the governor's office and the state House were on the ballot. The average increase in turnout for the 14 districts that switched from Republican to Democratic control was 26.8 percent compared to 2013. Across all state House elections, voter turnout increased 19.3 percent compared to 2013.
District 94 tie-breaker[edit]
Unofficial recount results on December 19 showed Shelly Simonds (D) winning the District 94 race by one vote. Delegate David Yancey (R) held a 10-vote lead heading into the recount. On December 20, a panel of judges found that a previously disqualified ballot should have counted for Yancey, resulting in a tied race.
According to Virginia law, the winner of a tied race is determined by lot, which means a random chance event such as a coin flip or drawing straws.[6] Yancey won the random drawing on January 4, 2018. On January 10, Simonds conceded the race to Yancey.[7]
The chamber would have been tied 50-50 had Simonds won the tie-breaker.
Image of disputed Yancey ballot[edit]
This is the ballot that was originally disqualified in a recount on December 19. On December 20, it was counted for Yancey, creating a tied race in Virginia's 94th House district.
This image comes from the Virginian-Pilot. Their story on the disputed ballot can be accessed here.
Virginia ballot measures[edit]
See also: Virginia 2018 ballot measures
During the 2017 session of the Virginia General Assembly, legislators approved two constitutional amendments designed to empower the legislature to review and reject state administrative rules. The amendments, known as Senate Joint Resolution 295 (SJR 295) and House Joint Resolution 545 (HJR 545), faced opposition from all but one legislative Democrat. Most Republicans voted to approve the amendments, although 15 percent rejected SJR 295 and 20 percent rejected HJR 545. Due to Republicans’ 66-member majority in the state House, the party could afford to lose some votes to the opposition and still pass the amendments.
In Virginia, the state legislature needs to approve constitutional amendments over the course of two legislative sessions to get the amendments placed on the ballot for voter consideration. A simple majority vote is required in each legislative chamber in each session. Both SJR 295 and HJR 545 would have appeared on the ballot at the election on November 6, 2018, if the legislature had approved them again in 2018.
The two constitutional amendments were proposed in November 2016, just days after the general election, at a time when Democrats held the executive offices of governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state in Virginia. Republicans controlled both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly. Following the 2017 election, Democrats retained control of the executive offices.
Sen. Jill Vogel (R-27) was the lead sponsor of SJR 295. Vogel was the GOP’s nominee for lieutenant governor in 2017, but lost the election to Democrat Justin Fairfax. SJR 295 would have empowered the legislature to “review any administrative rule to ensure it is consistent with the legislative intent of the statute that the rule was written to interpret, prescribe, implement, or enforce” and to approve or reject the administrative rule. Ten House Republicans voted against SJR 295.[8]
Rep. Chris Head (R-17) was the lead sponsor of HJR 545. He won re-election in 2017. HJR 545 would have authorized the state legislature to suspend or nullify administrative rules and regulations by a simple majority vote of each legislative chamber. The measure would have also empowered the legislature to establish a committee or commission to suspend administrative rules until the end of the next regular session while the legislature was not in a regular session. Thirteen House Republicans voted against HJR 545.[9]
If Republicans had lost control of the state House of Delegates, the 2017 legislative session votes indicated that the proposals to empower the legislature to suspend or reject administrative rules would have had a difficult time surviving committee and floor votes. As Republicans retained 51 of the chamber’s 100 seats, the amendments' survival would have required that the party’s representatives be able to convince their five colleagues who voted against both proposals and were re-elected in 2017—Reps. Campbell, Edmunds, Garrett, Jones, and Ware—to vote for at least one of them in 2018. Ultimately, the amendments were not put on the ballot.
| Amendment
|
2017 vote
|
2017 House control
|
2018 vote
|
2018 House control
|
Status
|
| Click link for details
|
Senate
|
House
|
Republican
|
Senate
|
House
|
Republican
|
|
| SJR 295
|
21-19
|
53-42
|
 66-34
|
---
|
---
|
51-49
|
Not on the ballot
|
| HJR 545
|
21-19
|
52-46
|
66-34
|
---
|
---
|
51-49
|
Not on the ballot
|
Candidates[edit]
General election candidates[edit]
The list below is based on an official list provided by the Virginia Department of Elections website. That list was last revised on October 24, 2017. An (I) denotes an incumbent.[10]
| 2017 Virginia House general candidates
|
| District
|
Democrat
|
Republican
|
Other"
|
| 1 |
Alicia Kallen: 4,639 |
Terry Kilgore: 14,848 (I)  a |
|
| 2 |
Jennifer Foy: 13,366 a |
Mike Makee: 7,803 |
|
| 3 |
Bill Bunch Jr.: 3,759 |
James Morefield: 13,572 (I) a |
|
| 4 |
No candidate |
Todd Pillion: 15,282 (I) a |
|
| 5 |
No candidate |
Israel O'Quinn: 18,402 (I) a |
|
| 6 |
No candidate |
Jeffrey Campbell: 16,795 (I) a |
Kenneth Browning: 3,695 (Ind.)
|
| 7 |
Flourette Ketner: 8,878 |
Larry Rush: 17,560 (I) a |
|
| 8 |
Steve McBride: 10,294 |
Greg Habeeb: 18,311 (I) a |
|
| 9 |
Stephanie Cook: 6,916 |
Charles Poindexter: 16,413 (I) a |
|
| 10 |
Wendy Gooditis: 15,161 a |
Randall Minchew: 14,025 (I) |
|
| 11 |
Sam Rasoul: 15,667 (I) |
No candidate |
|
| 12 |
Chris Hurst: 12,495 a |
Joseph Yost: 10,458 (I) |
|
| 13 |
Danica Roem: 12,077 a |
Bob Marshall: 10,318 (I) |
|
| 14 |
No candidate |
Danny Marshall III: 15,505 (I) a |
|
| 15 |
No candidate |
C. Todd Gilbert: 19,284 (I) a |
|
| 16 |
No candidate |
Les Adams: 16,513 (I) a |
|
| 17 |
Djuna Osborne: 10,378 |
Chris Head: 15,997 (I) a |
|
| 18 |
Tristan Shields: 9,486 |
Michael Webert: 16,686 (I) a |
Wilton King: 1,433 (G)
|
| 19 |
No candidate |
Terry Austin: 20,966 (I) a |
|
| 20 |
Michele Edwards: 11,197 |
Richard Bell: 14,344 (I) a |
Will Hammer: 745 (L)
|
| 21 |
Kelly Convirs-Fowler: 12,540 a |
Ronald Villanueva: 11,309 (I) |
|
| 22 |
No candidate |
Kathy Byron: 19,041 (I) a |
|
| 23 |
Natalie Short: 9,050 |
T. Scott Garrett: 17,370 (I) a |
|
| 24 |
No candidate |
Ben Cline: 17,351 (I) a |
John Winfrey: 6,683 (Ind.)
|
| 25 |
Angela Lynn: 12,783 |
Steve Landes: 17,688 (I) a |
|
| 26 |
Brent Finnegan: 9,234 |
Tony Wilt: 11,106 (I) a |
|
| 27 |
Larry Barnett: 14,333 |
Roxann Robinson: 14,461 (I) a |
|
| 28 |
Joshua Cole: 11,760 |
Robert Thomas Jr.: 11,842 a |
|
| 29 |
Casey Turben: 8,390 |
Chris Collins: 15,139 (I) a |
|
| 30 |
Samuel Hixon: 9,333 |
Nick Freitas: 15,355 (I) a |
|
| 31 |
Elizabeth Guzman: 15,466 a |
Scott Lingamfelter: 12,658 (I) |
Nathan Larson: 481 (Ind.)
|
| 32 |
David Reid: 17,865 a |
Thomas Greason: 12,653 (I) |
|
| 33 |
Tia Walbridge: 13,770 |
Dave LaRock: 16,723 (I) a |
|
| 34 |
Kathleen J. Murphy: 20,522 (I) a |
Cheryl Buford: 13,146 |
|
| 35 |
Mark Keam: 22,596 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 36 |
Ken Plum: 24,149 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 37 |
David Bulova: 18,877 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 38 |
Kaye Kory: 16,023 (I) a |
Paul Haring: 5,723 |
|
| 39 |
Vivian Watts: 21,407 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 40 |
Donte Tanner: 15,015 |
Tim Hugo: 15,116 (I) a |
|
| 41 |
Eileen Filler-Corn: 22,985 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 42 |
Kathy Tran: 18,761 a |
Lolita Mancheno-Smoak: 11,967 |
|
| 43 |
Mark Sickles: 22,094 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 44 |
Paul Krizek: 18,243 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 45 |
Mark Levine: 31,417 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 46 |
Charniele Herring: 18,947 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 47 |
Patrick Hope: 29,706 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 48 |
R.C. Sullivan Jr.: 27,670 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 49 |
Alfonso Lopez: 19,308 (I) a |
Adam Roosevelt: 4,391 |
|
| 50 |
Lee Carter: 11,366 a |
Jackson H. Miller: 9,518 (I) |
|
| 51 |
Hala Ayala: 15,244 a |
Richard Anderson: 13,476 (I) |
|
| 52 |
Luke Torian: 14,830 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 53 |
Marcus Simon: 19,235 (I) a |
No candidate |
Mike Casey: 6,362 (Ind.)
|
| 54 |
Al Durante: 9,982 |
Bobby Orrock: 13,782 (I) a |
|
| 55 |
Morgan Goodman: 12,056 |
Buddy Fowler Jr.: 18,087 (I) a |
|
| 56 |
Melissa Dart: 12,761 |
John McGuire: 18,792 a |
|
| 57 |
David Toscano: 25,419 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 58 |
Kellen Squire: 11,797 |
Rob Bell: 18,652 (I) a |
|
| 59 |
Tracy Carver: 8,773 |
Matt Fariss: 15,758 (I) a |
Marcus Sutphin: 297 (G)
David Ball: 863 (Ind.)
|
| 60 |
Jamaal Johnston: 8,177 |
James Edmunds II: 13,330 (I) a |
|
| 61 |
No candidate |
Tommy Wright: 17,507 (I) a |
|
| 62 |
Sheila Bynum-Coleman: 11,344 |
Riley Ingram: 12,163 (I) a |
|
| 63 |
Lashrecse Aird: 15,623 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 64 |
Rebecca Colaw: 11,551 |
Emily Brewer: 19,223 a |
|
| 65 |
Francis Stevens: 12,530 |
Lee Ware: 22,394 (I) a |
|
| 66 |
Katie Sponsler: 10,656 |
Kirk Cox: 18,572 (I) a |
|
| 67 |
Karrie Delaney: 17,036 a |
James LeMunyon: 12,365 (I) |
|
| 68 |
Dawn Adams: 19,772 a |
Manoli Loupassi: 19,427 (I) |
|
| 69 |
Betsy Carr: 19,775 (I) a |
No candidate |
Montigue Magruder: 1,062 (G)
Jake Crocker: 1,931 (L)
|
| 70 |
Delores McQuinn: 20,391 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 71 |
Jeff Bourne: 24,287 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 72 |
Schuyler VanValkenburg: 16,655 a |
Edward Whitlock III: 14,869 |
|
| 73 |
Debra Rodman: 14,697 a |
John O'Bannon: 13,803 (I) |
|
| 74 |
Lamont Bagby: 20,041 (I) a |
No candidate |
Preston Brown: 6,146 (Ind.)
|
| 75 |
Roz Tyler: 16,245 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 76 |
No candidate |
Chris Jones: 22,736 (I) a |
|
| 77 |
Cliff Hayes: 16,483 (I) a |
No candidate |
Jeff Staples: 3,362 (G)
|
| 78 |
No candidate |
Jay Leftwich: 20,768 (I) a |
|
| 79 |
Steve Heretick: 12,864 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 80 |
Matthew James: 20,292 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 81 |
Kimberly Tucker: 9,127 |
Barry Knight: 13,162 (I) a |
|
| 82 |
Leigh Bowling: 11,174 |
Jason Miyares: 16,048 (I) a |
|
| 83 |
David Rose-Carmack: 10,077 |
Christopher Stolle: 13,173 (I) a |
|
| 84 |
Veronica Coleman: 10,093 |
Glenn Davis: 10,835 (I) a |
|
| 85 |
Cheryl Turpin: 11,843 a |
Rocky Holcomb: 11,454 (I) |
|
| 86 |
Jennifer Boysko: 16,865 (I) a |
Linda Schulz: 7,707 |
|
| 87 |
John Bell: 18,234 (I) a |
Subba Kolla: 11,236 |
|
| 88 |
Steve Aycock: 9,918 |
Mark Cole: 14,022 (I) a |
Gerald Anderson: 255 (G)
Amanda Blalock: 2,373 (Ind.)
|
| 89 |
Jerrauld Jones: 16,541 a |
No candidate |
Terry Hurst: 2,944 (L)
|
| 90 |
Joseph Lindsey: 15,996 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 91 |
Michael Wade: 10,764 |
Gordon Helsel: 13,877 (I) a |
|
| 92 |
Jeion Ward: 18,873 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 93 |
Michael Mullin: 15,988 (I) a |
Heather Cordasco: 10,625 |
|
| 94 |
Shelly Simonds: 11,608 |
David Yancey: 11,608 (I) a |
Michael Bartley: 675 (L)
|
| 95 |
Marcia Price: 15,766 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 96 |
Kelly Delucia: 14,947 |
Brenda Pogge: 19,841 (I) a |
|
| 97 |
Cori Johnson: 9,319 |
Chris Peace: 24,363 (I) a |
|
| 98 |
Sheila Crowley: 9,945 |
Keith Hodges: 18,561 (I) a |
|
| 99 |
Francis Edwards: 10,043 |
Margaret Ransone: 16,548 (I) a |
|
| 100 |
Willie Randall: 10,720 |
Robert Bloxom Jr.: 11,720 (I) a |
|
| Notes |
• An (I) denotes an incumbent.
|
| |
• Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.
|
General election vote totals[edit]
Below are results for all elections in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017. All results are unofficial.
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 11 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
 Sam Rasoul Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
15,667 |
| Total Votes |
15,667 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 16 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Republican |
Les Adams Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
16,513 |
| Total Votes |
16,513 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 35 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Mark Keam Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
22,596 |
| Total Votes |
22,596 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 36 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Ken Plum Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
24,149 |
| Total Votes |
24,149 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 75 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Roz Tyler Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
16,245 |
| Total Votes |
16,245 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 92 General Election, 2017 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| |
Democratic |
Jeion Ward Incumbent (unopposed) |
100.00% |
18,873 |
| Total Votes |
18,873 |
| Source: Virginia Department of Elections |
Primary candidates[edit]
According to Virginia Department of Elections rules, in districts where only one candidate filed, that candidate was declared the nominee for the respective party. In such cases, the primary election for that district was canceled. Similarly, in cases where no candidate filed for a party's primary election in a district, that primary election was canceled. The list below is based on an official list which included candidates for contested primary elections only. [11] (I) denotes an incumbent.
| 2017 Virginia House of Delegates primary candidates
|
| District
|
Democrat
|
Republican
|
Other
|
| 1 |
Alicia Kallen a |
Terry Kilgore (I) a |
|
| 2 |
Jennifer Foy: 2,182 a
Joshua King: 2,170 |
Laquan Austion a |
|
| 3 |
Bill Bunch Jr. a |
James Morefield (I) a |
|
| 4 |
No candidate |
Todd Pillion (I) a |
|
| 5 |
No candidate |
Israel O'Quinn (I) a |
|
| 6 |
No candidate |
Jeffrey Campbell (I) a |
|
| 7 |
Flourette Ketner a |
Larry Rush (I) a |
|
| 8 |
Steve McBride: 2,591 a
Bryan Keele: 1,464 |
Greg Habeeb (I) a |
|
| 9 |
Stephanie Cook a |
Charles Poindexter (I) a |
|
| 10 |
Wendy Gooditis a |
Randall Minchew (I) a |
|
| 11 |
Sam Rasoul (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 12 |
Chris Hurst a |
Joseph Yost (I) a |
|
| 13 |
Mansimran Kahlon: 821
Danica Roem: 1,863 a
Steven Jansen: 1,365
Andrew Adams: 290 |
Bob Marshall (I) a |
|
| 14 |
No candidate |
Danny Marshall III (I) a |
|
| 15 |
No candidate |
C. Todd Gilbert (I) a |
|
| 16 |
No candidate |
Les Adams (I) a |
|
| 17 |
Djuna Osborne a |
Chris Head (I) a |
|
| 18 |
Tristan Shields a |
Michael Webert (I) a |
|
| 19 |
No candidate |
Terry Austin (I) a |
|
| 20 |
Michele Edwards a |
Richard Bell (I) a |
|
| 21 |
Tom Brock: 1,459
Kelly Convirs-Fowler: 3,248 a |
Ronald Villanueva: 2,441 (I) a
William Haley: 1,715 |
|
| 22 |
No candidate |
Kathy Byron (I) a |
|
| 23 |
Natalie Short a |
T. Scott Garrett (I) a |
|
| 24 |
No candidate |
Ben Cline (I) a |
|
| 25 |
Angela Lynn a |
Steve Landes (I) a |
|
| 26 |
Brent Finnegan a |
Tony Wilt (I) a |
|
| 27 |
Larry Barnett a |
Roxann Robinson (I) a |
|
| 28 |
Joshua Cole a |
Paul Milde III: 2,067
Robert Thomas Jr.: 3,051 a
Susan Stimpson: 1,087 |
|
| 29 |
Casey Turben a |
Chris Collins (I) a |
|
| 30 |
Samuel Hixon a |
Nick Freitas (I) a |
|
| 31 |
Elizabeth Guzman: 3,062 a
Sara Townsend: 2,809 |
Scott Lingamfelter (I) a |
|
| 32 |
David Reid a |
Thomas Greason (I) a |
|
| 33 |
Tia Walbridge: 2,697 a
Mavis Taintor: 2,460 |
Dave LaRock (I) a |
|
| 34 |
Kathleen J. Murphy (I) a |
Cheryl Buford a |
|
| 35 |
Mark Keam (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 36 |
Ken Plum (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 37 |
David Bulova (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 38 |
Kaye Kory (I) a |
Paul Haring a |
|
| 39 |
Vivian Watts (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 40 |
Donte Tanner a |
Tim Hugo (I) a |
|
| 41 |
Eileen Filler-Corn (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 42 |
Kathy Tran: 3,977 a
Tilly Blanding: 3,437 |
Lolita Mancheno-Smoak a |
|
| 43 |
Mark Sickles (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 44 |
Paul Krizek (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 45 |
Mark Levine (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 46 |
Charniele Herring (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 47 |
Patrick Hope (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 48 |
R.C. Sullivan Jr. (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 49 |
Alfonso Lopez (I) a |
Adam Roosevelt a |
|
| 50 |
Lee Carter a |
Jackson H. Miller (I) a |
|
| 51 |
Kenny Boddye: 1,876
Hala Ayala: 3,695 a |
Richard Anderson (I) a |
|
| 52 |
Luke Torian (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 53 |
Marcus Simon (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 54 |
Al Durante a |
Bobby Orrock: 4,254 (I) a
Nick Ignacio: 987 |
|
| 55 |
Morgan Goodman a |
Buddy Fowler Jr. (I) a |
|
| 56 |
Lizzie Drucker-Basch: 2,481
Melissa Dart: 2,608 a |
Matt Pinsker: 2,008
Graven Craig: 2,070
George Goodwin: 995
Surya Dhakar: 952
John McGuire: 2,732 a
Jay Prendergast: 73 |
|
| 57 |
David Toscano: 8,656 (I) a
Ross Mittiga III: 4,304 |
No candidate |
|
| 58 |
Kellen Squire a |
Rob Bell (I) a |
|
| 59 |
Tracy Carver a |
Matt Fariss (I) a |
|
| 60 |
Jamaal Johnston a |
James Edmunds II (I) a |
|
| 61 |
No candidate |
Tommy Wright (I) a |
|
| 62 |
Sheila Bynum-Coleman a |
Riley Ingram (I) a |
|
| 63 |
Lashrecse Aird: 5,062 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 64 |
Gerry Rawlinson: 1,958
John Wandling: 1,660
Jerry Cantrell: 1,437
Rebecca Colaw: 1,937 a |
Rex Alphin: 2,841
Emily Brewer: 4,418 a |
|
| 65 |
Francis Stevens a |
Lee Ware (I) a |
|
| 66 |
Katie Sponsler a |
Kirk Cox (I) a |
|
| 67 |
Karrie Delaney: 3,887 a
John Carey: 706
Hannah Risheq: 1,355 |
James LeMunyon (I) a |
|
| 68 |
Dawn Adams: 4,556 a
Mary Jo Sheeley: 3,487
Ben Pearson-Nelson: 1,590 |
Manoli Loupassi (I) a |
|
| 69 |
Betsy Carr (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 70 |
Alexander Mejias: 1,719
Delores McQuinn: 7,082 (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 71 |
Jeff Bourne (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 72 |
Schuyler VanValkenburg a |
Edward Whitlock III: 4,140 a
Ernesto Sampson Jr.: 2,019 |
|
| 73 |
Debra Rodman a |
John O'Bannon (I) a |
|
| 74 |
Lamont Bagby (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 75 |
Roz Tyler (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 76 |
No candidate |
Chris Jones (I) a |
|
| 77 |
Cliff Hayes (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 78 |
No candidate |
Jay Leftwich (I) a |
|
| 79 |
Steve Heretick (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 80 |
Matthew James (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 81 |
Kimberly Tucker: 2,309 a
Nancy Carothers: 1,060 |
Barry Knight (I) a |
|
| 82 |
Leigh Bowling a |
Jason Miyares (I) a |
|
| 83 |
David Rose-Carmack: 2,970 a
Justin Morgan: 1,221 |
Chris Stolle (I) a |
|
| 84 |
Veronica Coleman a |
Glenn Davis (I) a |
|
| 85 |
Cheryl Turpin a |
Rocky Holcomb (I) a |
|
| 86 |
Jennifer Boysko (I) a |
Linda Schulz a |
|
| 87 |
John Bell (I) a |
Subba Kolla a |
|
| 88 |
Steve Aycock a |
Mark Cole (I) a |
|
| 89 |
Jerrauld Jones: 5,242 a
Joe Dillard: 2,678 |
No candidate |
|
| 90 |
Joseph Lindsey (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 91 |
Michael Wade a |
Gordon Helsel (I) a |
|
| 92 |
Jeion Ward: 7,030 (I) a
Michael Harris: 960 |
No candidate |
|
| 93 |
Michael Mullin (I) a |
Heather Cordasco a |
|
| 94 |
Zachary Wittkamp a |
David Yancey (I) a |
|
| 95 |
Marcia Price (I) a |
No candidate |
|
| 96 |
Kelly Delucia a |
Brenda Pogge (I) a |
|
| 97 |
Cori Johnson a |
Chris Peace (I) a |
|
| 98 |
Sheila Crowley a |
Keith Hodges (I) a |
|
| 99 |
Vivian Messner: 1,551
Francis Edwards: 1,822 a |
Margaret Ransone (I) a |
|
| 100 |
Willie Randall a |
Robert Bloxom Jr. (I) a |
|
| Notes |
• An (I) denotes an incumbent.
|
| |
• Candidate lists can change frequently throughout an election season. Ballotpedia staff update this list monthly. To suggest changes, click here to email our State Legislature Project.
|
Primary results[edit]
Below are election results for all contested primary elections in the Virginia House of Delegates in 2017. All results are official.
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 2 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Jennifer Foy |
50.14% |
2,182 |
| Joshua King |
49.86% |
2,170 |
| Total Votes |
4,352 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 8 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Steve McBride |
63.90% |
2,591 |
| Bryan Keele |
36.10% |
1,464 |
| Total Votes |
4,055 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 21 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Kelly Convirs-Fowler |
69.00% |
3,248 |
| Tom Brock |
31.00% |
1,459 |
| Total Votes |
4,707 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 21 Republican Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Ronald Villanueva Incumbent |
58.73% |
2,441 |
| William Haley |
41.27% |
1,715 |
| Total Votes |
4,156 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 31 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Elizabeth Guzman |
52.15% |
3,062 |
| Sara Townsend |
47.85% |
2,809 |
| Total Votes |
5,871 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 33 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Tia Walbridge |
52.30% |
2,697 |
| Mavis Taintor |
47.70% |
2,460 |
| Total Votes |
5,157 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 42 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Kathy Tran |
53.64% |
3,977 |
| Tilly Blanding |
46.36% |
3,437 |
| Total Votes |
7,414 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 51 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Hala Ayala |
66.33% |
3,695 |
| Kenny Boddye |
33.67% |
1,876 |
| Total Votes |
5,571 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 54 Republican Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Bobby Orrock Incumbent |
81.17% |
4,254 |
| Nick Ignacio |
18.83% |
987 |
| Total Votes |
5,241 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 56 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Melissa Dart |
51.25% |
2,608 |
| Lizzie Drucker-Basch |
48.75% |
2,481 |
| Total Votes |
5,089 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 57 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| David Toscano Incumbent |
66.81% |
8,665 |
| Ross Mittiga III |
33.19% |
4,304 |
| Total Votes |
12,969 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 63 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Lashrecse Aird Incumbent |
72.11% |
5,062 |
| Gerry Rawlinson |
27.89% |
1,958 |
| Total Votes |
7,020 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 64 Republican Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Emily Brewer |
60.86% |
4,418 |
| Rex Alphin |
39.14% |
2,841 |
| Total Votes |
7,259 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 70 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Delores McQuinn Incumbent |
80.47% |
7,082 |
| Alexander Mejias |
19.53% |
1,719 |
| Total Votes |
8,801 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 81 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Kimberly Tucker |
68.54% |
2,309 |
| Nancy Carothers |
31.46% |
1,060 |
| Total Votes |
3,369 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 83 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| David Rose-Carmack |
70.87% |
2,970 |
| Justin Morgan |
29.13% |
1,221 |
| Total Votes |
4,191 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 89 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Jerrauld Jones |
66.19% |
5,242 |
| Joe Dillard |
33.81% |
2,678 |
| Total Votes |
7,920 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 92 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Jeion Ward Incumbent |
87.98% |
7,030 |
| Michael Harris |
12.02% |
960 |
| Total Votes |
7,990 |
| Virginia House of Delegates, District 99 Democratic Primary, 2017 |
| Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
| Francis Edwards |
54.02% |
1,822 |
| Vivian Messner |
45.98% |
1,551 |
| Total Votes |
3,373 |
Qualifications[edit]
- See also: State legislature candidate requirements by state
Candidates must be qualified to vote, have been a resident of Virginia for one year immediately preceding the election, and be a resident of the city or town in which they file for election.[12]
Salaries and per diem[edit]
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
| State legislators |
|---|
| Salary | Per diem |
|---|
| $18,000/year for senators. $17,640/year for delegates. | $211/day |
When sworn in[edit]
- See also: When state legislators assume office after a general election
Virginia legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.
Races we watched[edit]
Ballotpedia identified 13 races to watch in the Virginia House of Delegates 2017 elections: four Democratic seats and nine Republican seats. Based on analysis of these districts' electoral histories, these races had the potential to be more competitive than other races and could possibly have led to shifts in a chamber's partisan balance. Heading into the general election, Republicans held a 66-34 majority. Democrats needed to pick up 17 seats in order to take control of the chamber. Republicans needed to pick up one seat in order to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to override gubernatorial vetoes.
To determine state legislative races to watch in 2017, Ballotpedia looked for races that fit one or more of the four factors listed below:
- If the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in the most recent election prior to 2017
- If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent’s margin of victory in the previous election was 10 percentage points or less
- If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections and the incumbent did not file to run for re-election
- If the presidential candidate opposite of the incumbent's party won the district in the 2016 elections by 20 points or more
Other factors could also trigger a race to watch. For example, if an outside group or a national or state party announced that they were targeting a specific seat in order to flip it, then Ballotpedia studied the race for that district as a race to watch. Similarly, if a race received an unusual amount of media attention, Ballotpedia also studied the race for that district as a race to watch. Two additional factors were open seats and districts impacted by redistricting.
This map shows the Virginia state House districts where the races we highlighted occurred. In 2017, there were 11 counties with races to watch. Three counties—Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William—had races involving both Democratic and Republican seats that we highlighted. Two counties—James City and York—had races involving Democratic seats that we highlighted. Six counties—Fauquier, Giles, Henrico, Montgomery, Pulaski, and Stafford—had races involving Republican seats that we highlighted.
| Click [show] to read about the District 2 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015 and did not file to run in 2017. Moreover, the presidential candidate of the opposite party won the district in 2016 by more than 20 points. Incumbent Mark Dudenhefer (R) was first elected in 2011, but was defeated by Democrat Michael Futrell in 2013. Dudenhefer won the seat back in 2015 by 1.1 points and opted not to run for re-election in 2017. District 2 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 2 by 20.4 points. Democrat Barack Obama won District 2 in the 2012 presidential election by 19.2 points. As of 2017, District 2 covered parts of Prince William County and parts of Stafford County. In August 2017, Republican primary winner Laquan Austion dropped out of the general election after it was reported that he had falsified his education credentials. He was replaced by Mike Makee.[13] According to the New York Times, Foy won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 12 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district that did not meet any of the four factors. It was included due to the media attention it received. In this race, incumbent Republican Joseph Yost was challenged by Chris Hurst (D). Hurst formerly served as the evening anchor for WDBJ7 Roanoke. In 2015, Hurst's girlfriend, Alison Parker, a correspondent for WDBJ7 Roanoke, was shot and killed while reporting live on television from Moneta, Virginia. Her cameraman Adam Ward was also killed. Hurst cited Parker's death as a reason for his run for office.[15]
Yost won the seat by 16.8 points in 2015. District 12 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 12 by 2.9 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 4.1 points. As of 2017, District 12 covered Giles County and parts of Montgomery and Pulaski counties. According to the New York Times, Hurst won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 13 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district that did not meet any of the four factors. It was included due to the media attention it received. In this race, incumbent Republican Bob Marshall was challenged by Danica Roem, a Democratic candidate who is openly transgender. According to NBC, Roem was the first openly transgender candidate to win a primary election in Virginia and ran to be the third transgender state legislator elected in the United States.[16] In 2017, Marshall introduced HB 1612, The Physical Privacy Act. HB 1612 would have required that government buildings maintain separate bathrooms for males and females and individuals use the bathroom designated for the sex listed on their birth certificate.[17]
Marshall won the seat by 12.2 points in 2015. District 13 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 13 by 14.8 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 11.1 points. As of 2017, District 13 covered parts of Prince William County. According to the New York Times, Roem won the seat on election night.[18] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 28 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district that did not meet any of the four factors. It was included because it was an open seat with a close margin of victory in the 2016 presidential election. Incumbent Bill Howell (R), first elected in 1987, won re-election in 2015 by 20.9 points. He declined to run in 2017. District 28 was one of 49 Virginia House districts that Republican Donald Trump won in the 2016 presidential election. Trump carried District 28 by 1.1 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 0.1 points. As of 2017, District 28 covered parts of Stafford County. Robert Thomas Jr. won the election. Democrats originally attempted to challenge the results of the race due to voting irregularities, but they later dropped their lawsuit.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 31 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015 and where the presidential candidate of the opposite party won in 2016. Incumbent Scott Lingamfelter (R) was first elected to the seat in 2001. He won re-election in 2015 with 53.4 percent of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger by 6.8 points. He won in 2013 by 1.0 points. District 31 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 31 by 10.3 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 7.4 points. As of 2017, District 31 covered parts of Fauquier County and parts of Prince William County. According to the New York Times, Guzman won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 32 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015 and where the presidential candidate of the opposite party won by more than 20 points in 2016. Incumbent Thomas Greason (R) was first elected to the seat in 2009. He won re-election in 2015 with 53.1 percent of the vote, defeating his Democratic challenger by 6.2 points. He won in 2013 by 2.8 points. District 32 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 32 by 20.9 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 5.6 points. As of 2017, District 32 covered parts of Loudoun County. According to the New York Times, Reid won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 34 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015. District 34 was competitive in elections from 2013 to 2015. Incumbent Kathleen J. Murphy (D) was first elected to the seat in a 2015 special election, winning by a margin of 2.6 percent. She won re-election in the 2015 general election with 50.4 percent of the vote, defeating her special election opponent Craig A. Parisot (R) again by a margin of 0.6 percent. She first ran for the seat in 2013 and was defeated by incumbent Barbara Comstock (R) by 1.4 points. District 34 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 34 by 21.6 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 0.5 points. As of 2017, District 34 covered parts of Fairfax County and parts of Loudoun County. According to the New York Times, Murphy won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 42 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent did not file to run for re-election and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won by more than 20 points in 2016. In 2015, incumbent Dave Albo (R), who was first elected in 1993, won re-election by 26.9 points. He declined to run in 2017. District 42 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 42 by 23.1 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 6.5 points. As of 2017, District 42 covered parts of Fairfax County. According to the New York Times, Tran won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 67 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the presidential candidate of the opposite party won by more than 20 points in 2016. Incumbent James LeMunyon (R), who was first elected in 2009, was unopposed in his 2015 re-election. In his 2013 re-election, he defeated Democrat Hung Nguyen by 9.2 points. District 67 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 67 by 26.7 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 8.9 points. As of 2017, District 67 covered parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties. According to the New York Times, Delaney won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 72 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent did not file to run for re-election and the presidential candidate of the opposite party won in 2016. In 2015, incumbent Jimmie Massie (R), who was first elected in 2007, was unopposed in his bid for re-election. In his five elections for the Virginia House of Delegates, Massie only faced competition once—his first election in 2007. He declined to run in 2017. District 72 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 72 by 5.4 points. Republican Mitt Romney won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 8.7 points. As of 2017, District 72 covered parts of Henrico County. According to the New York Times, VanValkenburg won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 86 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015. In 2015, Jennifer Boysko (D) first won election to the seat. She received 54.5 percent of the vote and defeated her Republican challenger by 12.5 points. She had previously ran in 2013 and was defeated by incumbent Tom Rust (R) by 0.3 points. District 86 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 86 by 35.3 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 21.6 points. As of 2017, District 86 covered parts of Fairfax County and parts of Loudoun County. According to the New York Times, Boysko won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 87 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015. In 2015, John Bell (D) first won election to the seat. He received 49.9 percent of the vote and defeated his Republican challenger by 1.9 points. He had previously run in 2013 and was defeated by incumbent David Ramadan (R) by 1.0 points. District 87 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 87 by 25.6 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 13.8 points. As of 2017, District 87 covered parts of Loudoun County and parts of Prince William County. According to the New York Times, Bell won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
| Click [show] to read about the District 93 race
|
|
What party controlled the seat heading into the election?
Did the incumbent file to run for re-election?
What made this a race to watch?
| This was a district where the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in a 2016 special election for the seat. Incumbent Michael Mullin (D) first won election to the seat in a 2016 special election that was held following the resignation of T. Monty Mason (D). Mullin received 53.5 percent of the vote and defeated his Republican challenger by 7.3 points. District 93 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 93 by 19.2 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 14.0 points. As of 2017, District 93 covered parts of James City County and parts of York County. According to the New York Times, Mullin won the seat on election night.[14] |
Candidates
These figures are current as of November 3, 2017. The data came from the Virginia Public Access Project.
|
Campaign finance[edit]
Candidates[edit]
The Virginia Public Access Project tracked total spending in Virginia House of Delegates races. These numbers were current as of November 3, 2017.
The Virginia Public Access Project also tracked fundraising by individual candidates in the House elections. As of November 3, 2017, these 10 candidates had received the highest amounts of campaign contributions.
Center for Public Integrity report[edit]
In September 2017, the Center for Public Integrity released a report showing that Republican candidates had a fundraising advantage over Democratic candidates at that point in time. The report showed that in the 60 races featuring Republican and Democratic candidates, Republicans had raised $7.4 million to Democrats' $3.7 million. In the 17 Republican-held seats won by Hillary Clinton (D) in 2016, Republicans had a $2.8 million to $1.6 million advantage. The report also showed that Republicans led fundraising in 45 of the 60 races being contested by both parties and in 11 of the 17 Republican districts that voted for Clinton.[19]
National organizations[edit]
For the 2017 Virginia House of Delegates elections, Ballotpedia identified involvement by five national organizations that invest campaign resources in specific races to influence the partisan control of state legislatures. Four organizations supported Democratic candidates and one supported Republican candidates.
Democratic organizations[edit]
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) is a 527 political organization whose aim is to oversee state-based political campaigns for Democratic candidates. For Virginia in 2017, it identified eight races where Democrats could win Republican seats.[20]
Flippable is a 527 political organization that was founded after the 2016 elections to support Democratic candidates in state legislative races. For Virginia in 2017, it identified five races where Democrats could win Republican seats. According to Wired, Flippable used the Virginia House elections to test its model for identifying vulnerable Republican state legislative seats.[21] For Virginia in 2017, it identified five races where Democrats could win Republican seats.[22]
Forward Majority Action is a super PAC that was founded in 2017 to support Democratic candidates for state legislative races and take control of state legislatures ahead of the redistricting following the 2020 census. In addition to the Virginia House in 2017, it targeted Republican-held state legislative chambers in 2018. As of October 11, 2017, a list of targeted races in Virginia was not available.
These were the 12 states that Forward Majority said it would target in the 2017-2018 state legislative elections. Of the 12 states, only Virginia held elections in 2017. The other 11 states held elections in 2018.
These partisan breakdown figures roughly reflect the partisan breakdown of a chamber heading into either the 2017 or 2018 elections. It does not show the partisan breakdown of the chamber following the election. Please see the chamber page for a more precise count.
Last updated February 2018.
The Sister District Project is a 527 political organization supporting Democratic candidates in state legislative races. As of 2017, its goal was to help Democrats win control of state legislative chambers ahead of the congressional redistricting following the 2020 census.[27] For Virginia in 2017, it identified 13 Sister Races for investment.[28]
Republican organizations[edit]
GOPAC is an organization that supports Republican candidates. For Virginia in 2017, it identified 13 races for investment.[29]
Key endorsements[edit]
On October 17, 2017, former Vice President Joe Biden (D) issued five endorsements in Virginia House races:[30]
Virginia political history[edit]
Overview[edit]
Virginia developed a reputation as a political battleground state in elections leading up to the November 2017 elections, meaning electoral competition between Democrats and Republicans was more intense than in other states, and the outcomes of elections were often difficult to predict. For example, in gubernatorial elections between 1993 and 2013, Democrats and Republicans won three races each. Similarly, in presidential elections between 1992 and 2016, Republican candidates won four times, while Democratic candidates won three times. In 2016, Virginia was a closely watched battleground state in the presidential election. Democrat Hillary Clinton defeated Republican Donald Trump 49.7 to 44.4 percent. When those same results are broken down by state legislative House districts, Clinton defeated Trump in 51 out of 100 districts, based on data compiled by Daily Kos. When the presidential results are broken down by congressional districts, Trump won six districts, while Clinton won five. Five counties in Virginia—Buckingham, Caroline, Essex, Nelson, and Westmoreland—are Pivot Counties, which voted for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but voted for Trump in 2016. Ballotpedia identified a total of 206 Pivot Counties throughout the country.
The state Senate followed patterns similar to those of statewide races in Virginia in elections prior to 2017. Republicans took control of the state Senate in 1997 and maintained their majority in every election until 2007. The chamber became tied at 20-20 in 2011, but Republicans won a 21-19 majority in 2015. The House of Delegates, however, deviated from trends found at the statewide level and in the state senate in elections during roughly this same timeframe. Republicans won control of the chamber in 1999 and defended their majority in the eight elections between 2001 and 2015. Republicans came out of the 2015 elections with a 66-34 majority, down slightly from their 67-33 majority heading into the election.
At the beginning of 2017, Virginia was one of 19 states under divided government.
Party control[edit]
Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates saw their majority drop from 67-33 to 66-34 in the 2015 elections.
Trifectas[edit]
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Democrats held a trifecta in Virginia from 1992 to 1993. Republicans held trifectas from 2000 to 2001 and 2012 to 2013. With the election of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) in 2013, Virginia began operating under a divided government in 2014.
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2021
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year
|
92
|
93
|
94
|
95
|
96
|
97
|
98
|
99
|
00
|
01
|
02
|
03
|
04
|
05
|
06
|
07
|
08
|
09
|
10
|
11
|
12
|
13
|
14
|
15
|
16
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
20
|
21
|
| Governor |
D |
D |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D
|
| Senate |
D |
D |
D |
D |
S |
S |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D |
D |
D |
R |
R |
D |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D
|
| House |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
D |
S |
S |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
R |
D |
D
|
Presidential politics in Virginia[edit]
In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).
2016 Presidential election results[edit]
| U.S. presidential election, Virginia, 2016 |
| Party |
Candidate |
Vote % |
Votes |
Electoral votes |
| |
Democratic |
Hillary Clinton/Tim Kaine |
49.7% |
1,981,473 |
13 |
| |
Republican |
Donald Trump/Mike Pence |
44.4% |
1,769,443 |
0 |
| |
Libertarian |
Gary Johnson/Bill Weld |
3% |
118,274 |
0 |
| |
Green |
Jill Stein/Ajamu Baraka |
0.7% |
27,638 |
0 |
| |
Independent |
Evan McMullin/Nathan Johnson |
1.4% |
54,054 |
0 |
| |
- |
Other/Write-in |
0.8% |
33,749 |
0 |
| Total Votes |
3,984,631 |
13 |
| Election results via: Federal Election Commission |
Presidential results by legislative district[edit]
The following table details results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections by state House districts in Virginia. Click [show] to expand the table. The "Obama," "Romney," "Clinton," and "Trump" columns describe the percent of the vote each presidential candidate received in the district. The "2012 Margin" and "2016 Margin" columns describe the margin of victory between the two presidential candidates in those years. The "Party Control" column notes which party held that seat heading into the 2017 general election. Data on the results of the 2012 and 2016 presidential elections broken down by state legislative districts was compiled by Daily Kos.[31][32]
| In 2012, Barack Obama (D) won 47 out of 100 state House districts in Virginia with an average margin of victory of 30 points. In 2016, Hillary Clinton (D) won 51 out of 100 state House districts in Virginia with an average margin of victory of 34.2 points. Clinton won 17 districts controlled by Republicans heading into the 2017 elections. |
| In 2012, Mitt Romney (R) won 53 out of 100 state House districts in Virginia with an average margin of victory of 18.1 points. In 2016, Donald Trump (R) won 49 out of 100 state House districts in Virginia in 2016 with an average margin of victory of 24 points. |
| 2016 presidential results by state House district
|
| District
|
Obama
|
Romney
|
2012 Margin
|
Clinton
|
Trump
|
2016 Margin
|
Party Control
|
| 1 |
26.01% |
72.71% |
R+46.7 |
17.62% |
80.10% |
R+62.5 |
R
|
| 2 |
59.04% |
39.88% |
D+19.2 |
57.87% |
37.45% |
D+20.4 |
R
|
| 3 |
24.88% |
73.88% |
R+49 |
16.30% |
81.29% |
R+65 |
R
|
| 4 |
30.47% |
68.05% |
R+37.6 |
20.81% |
76.36% |
R+55.6 |
R
|
| 5 |
29.44% |
68.69% |
R+39.2 |
21.26% |
75.41% |
R+54.2 |
R
|
| 6 |
31.26% |
66.22% |
R+35 |
20.71% |
76.13% |
R+55.4 |
R
|
| 7 |
38.17% |
59.15% |
R+21 |
32.27% |
62.51% |
R+30.2 |
R
|
| 8 |
37.06% |
61.18% |
R+24.1 |
33.07% |
61.51% |
R+28.4 |
R
|
| 9 |
34.21% |
62.72% |
R+28.5 |
26.42% |
70.32% |
R+43.9 |
R
|
| 10 |
47.48% |
51.12% |
R+3.6 |
50.29% |
43.91% |
D+6.4 |
R
|
| 11 |
63.96% |
33.68% |
D+30.3 |
60.60% |
33.98% |
D+26.6 |
D
|
| 12 |
50.73% |
46.61% |
D+4.1 |
47.72% |
44.77% |
D+2.9 |
R
|
| 13 |
54.95% |
43.86% |
D+11.1 |
54.77% |
39.92% |
D+14.8 |
R
|
| 14 |
49.19% |
49.53% |
R+0.3 |
44.65% |
52.84% |
R+8.2 |
R
|
| 15 |
34.05% |
64.40% |
R+30.3 |
24.93% |
70.76% |
R+45.8 |
R
|
| 16 |
42.68% |
55.14% |
R+12.5 |
36.89% |
60.41% |
R+23.5 |
R
|
| 17 |
38.69% |
59.54% |
R+20.9 |
35.00% |
59.96% |
R+25 |
R
|
| 18 |
40.27% |
58.14% |
R+17.9 |
34.98% |
59.67% |
R+24.7 |
R
|
| 19 |
35.32% |
62.91% |
R+27.6 |
25.64% |
70.28% |
R+44.6 |
R
|
| 20 |
41.44% |
56.91% |
R+15.5 |
36.92% |
57.53% |
R+20.6 |
R
|
| 21 |
51.95% |
46.81% |
D+5.1 |
49.18% |
44.66% |
D+4.5 |
R
|
| 22 |
37.61% |
60.88% |
R+23.3 |
31.63% |
63.31% |
R+31.7 |
R
|
| 23 |
33.96% |
64.55% |
R+30.6 |
32.18% |
61.35% |
R+29.2 |
R
|
| 24 |
37.17% |
61.27% |
R+24.1 |
30.70% |
64.47% |
R+33.8 |
R
|
| 25 |
37.74% |
60.79% |
R+23.1 |
36.85% |
57.46% |
R+20.6 |
R
|
| 26 |
43.14% |
54.97% |
R+11.8 |
42.74% |
50.56% |
R+7.8 |
R
|
| 27 |
45.26% |
53.32% |
R+8.1 |
45.81% |
48.16% |
R+2.3 |
R
|
| 28 |
49.30% |
49.21% |
D+0.1 |
46.64% |
47.74% |
R+1.1 |
R
|
| 29 |
38.60% |
59.43% |
R+20.8 |
33.50% |
61.42% |
R+27.9 |
R
|
| 30 |
42.64% |
55.96% |
R+13.3 |
35.53% |
60.21% |
R+24.7 |
R
|
| 31 |
53.13% |
45.70% |
D+7.4 |
52.74% |
42.44% |
D+10.3 |
R
|
| 32 |
52.24% |
46.65% |
D+5.6 |
57.53% |
36.65% |
D+20.9 |
R
|
| 33 |
41.81% |
56.45% |
R+14.6 |
40.36% |
53.66% |
R+13.3 |
R
|
| 34 |
49.79% |
49.32% |
D+0.5 |
58.10% |
36.51% |
D+21.6 |
D
|
| 35 |
59.84% |
38.94% |
D+20.9 |
66.43% |
27.32% |
D+39.1 |
D
|
| 36 |
64.03% |
34.66% |
D+29.4 |
69.42% |
24.87% |
D+44.6 |
D
|
| 37 |
60.39% |
38.18% |
D+22.2 |
65.57% |
28.16% |
D+37.4 |
D
|
| 38 |
66.42% |
32.35% |
D+34.1 |
70.87% |
24.46% |
D+46.4 |
D
|
| 39 |
61.92% |
36.96% |
D+25 |
67.36% |
27.54% |
D+39.8 |
D
|
| 40 |
47.57% |
51.40% |
R+3.8 |
52.73% |
41.62% |
D+11.1 |
R
|
| 41 |
58.04% |
40.54% |
D+17.5 |
63.39% |
30.69% |
D+32.7 |
D
|
| 42 |
52.75% |
46.23% |
D+6.5 |
58.77% |
35.72% |
D+23.1 |
R
|
| 43 |
65.21% |
33.57% |
D+31.6 |
69.49% |
24.99% |
D+44.5 |
D
|
| 44 |
64.98% |
34.10% |
D+30.9 |
69.46% |
25.71% |
D+43.8 |
D
|
| 45 |
67.94% |
30.89% |
D+37.1 |
75.38% |
18.34% |
D+57 |
D
|
| 46 |
73.73% |
25.12% |
D+48.6 |
77.76% |
17.55% |
D+60.2 |
D
|
| 47 |
68.31% |
30.13% |
D+38.2 |
76.64% |
17.07% |
D+59.6 |
D
|
| 48 |
63.31% |
35.49% |
D+27.8 |
71.85% |
22.08% |
D+49.8 |
D
|
| 49 |
75.00% |
23.61% |
D+51.4 |
79.63% |
15.15% |
D+64.5 |
D
|
| 50 |
54.09% |
44.59% |
D+9.5 |
54.16% |
40.15% |
D+14 |
R
|
| 51 |
51.24% |
47.44% |
D+3.8 |
51.55% |
42.62% |
D+8.9 |
R
|
| 52 |
72.55% |
26.36% |
D+46.2 |
72.58% |
23.01% |
D+49.6 |
D
|
| 53 |
66.48% |
31.97% |
D+34.5 |
71.31% |
22.32% |
D+49 |
D
|
| 54 |
46.04% |
52.64% |
R+6.6 |
41.88% |
52.70% |
R+10.8 |
R
|
| 55 |
40.01% |
58.64% |
R+18.6 |
37.19% |
57.63% |
R+20.4 |
R
|
| 56 |
37.44% |
61.34% |
R+23.9 |
38.46% |
56.43% |
R+18 |
R
|
| 57 |
70.14% |
28.16% |
D+42 |
74.82% |
18.60% |
D+56.2 |
D
|
| 58 |
41.25% |
57.33% |
R+16.1 |
39.65% |
54.40% |
R+14.8 |
R
|
| 59 |
40.11% |
58.41% |
R+18.3 |
34.52% |
61.75% |
R+27.2 |
R
|
| 60 |
47.49% |
51.18% |
R+3.7 |
41.79% |
55.34% |
R+13.5 |
R
|
| 61 |
44.83% |
53.88% |
R+9.1 |
39.36% |
58.12% |
R+18.8 |
R
|
| 62 |
46.44% |
52.35% |
R+5.9 |
45.21% |
50.46% |
R+5.2 |
R
|
| 63 |
72.77% |
26.55% |
D+46.2 |
67.44% |
30.24% |
D+37.2 |
D
|
| 64 |
41.38% |
57.51% |
R+16.1 |
36.76% |
59.48% |
R+22.7 |
R
|
| 65 |
34.42% |
64.18% |
R+29.8 |
34.47% |
59.99% |
R+25.5 |
R
|
| 66 |
36.83% |
62.01% |
R+25.2 |
36.51% |
59.15% |
R+22.6 |
R
|
| 67 |
53.89% |
45.00% |
D+8.9 |
60.38% |
33.68% |
D+26.7 |
R
|
| 68 |
43.81% |
54.71% |
R+10.9 |
51.50% |
40.73% |
D+10.8 |
R
|
| 69 |
84.61% |
14.11% |
D+70.5 |
83.11% |
12.09% |
D+71 |
D
|
| 70 |
79.37% |
19.88% |
D+59.5 |
77.69% |
19.25% |
D+58.4 |
D
|
| 71 |
85.54% |
12.90% |
D+72.6 |
84.71% |
9.97% |
D+74.7 |
D
|
| 72 |
44.99% |
53.66% |
R+8.7 |
49.37% |
44.00% |
D+5.4 |
R
|
| 73 |
46.45% |
52.11% |
R+5.7 |
50.57% |
42.73% |
D+7.8 |
R
|
| 74 |
74.94% |
24.21% |
D+50.7 |
72.88% |
23.86% |
D+49 |
D
|
| 75 |
62.01% |
37.16% |
D+24.8 |
56.91% |
41.13% |
D+15.8 |
D
|
| 76 |
44.77% |
54.11% |
R+9.3 |
43.74% |
51.51% |
R+7.8 |
R
|
| 77 |
77.95% |
21.34% |
D+56.6 |
72.83% |
23.87% |
D+49 |
D
|
| 78 |
39.23% |
59.55% |
R+20.3 |
38.04% |
56.86% |
R+18.8 |
R
|
| 79 |
61.95% |
36.63% |
D+25.3 |
59.09% |
35.41% |
D+23.7 |
D
|
| 80 |
75.36% |
23.77% |
D+51.6 |
71.64% |
24.42% |
D+47.2 |
D
|
| 81 |
41.54% |
57.13% |
R+15.6 |
36.96% |
57.43% |
R+20.5 |
R
|
| 82 |
40.27% |
58.51% |
R+18.2 |
39.18% |
54.73% |
R+15.5 |
R
|
| 83 |
46.13% |
52.51% |
R+6.4 |
43.48% |
50.52% |
R+7 |
R
|
| 84 |
49.06% |
49.69% |
R+0.6 |
44.71% |
49.15% |
R+4.4 |
R
|
| 85 |
49.11% |
49.37% |
R+0.3 |
46.51% |
47.06% |
R+0.5 |
R
|
| 86 |
60.13% |
38.55% |
D+21.6 |
64.78% |
29.48% |
D+35.3 |
D
|
| 87 |
56.29% |
42.45% |
D+13.8 |
60.14% |
34.51% |
D+25.6 |
D
|
| 88 |
43.41% |
55.11% |
R+11.7 |
40.45% |
53.98% |
R+13.5 |
R
|
| 89 |
80.86% |
18.07% |
D+62.8 |
78.35% |
17.04% |
D+61.3 |
D
|
| 90 |
78.98% |
20.16% |
D+58.8 |
74.89% |
21.26% |
D+53.6 |
D
|
| 91 |
43.64% |
54.82% |
R+11.2 |
41.72% |
52.58% |
R+10.9 |
R
|
| 92 |
80.25% |
18.85% |
D+61.4 |
76.06% |
20.20% |
D+55.9 |
D
|
| 93 |
56.36% |
42.33% |
D+14 |
56.84% |
37.64% |
D+19.2 |
D
|
| 94 |
51.90% |
46.60% |
D+5.3 |
49.56% |
44.01% |
D+5.6 |
R
|
| 95 |
77.86% |
21.12% |
D+56.7 |
73.33% |
22.68% |
D+50.6 |
D
|
| 96 |
41.27% |
57.52% |
R+16.3 |
41.56% |
52.86% |
R+11.3 |
R
|
| 97 |
29.70% |
69.13% |
R+39.4 |
27.91% |
67.45% |
R+39.5 |
R
|
| 98 |
39.24% |
59.29% |
R+20 |
32.71% |
62.81% |
R+30.1 |
R
|
| 99 |
44.31% |
54.54% |
R+10.2 |
38.85% |
57.47% |
R+18.6 |
R
|
| 100 |
54.50% |
44.33% |
D+10.2 |
49.16% |
46.56% |
D+2.6 |
R
|
| Total |
51.25% |
47.37% |
D+3.9 |
50.15% |
44.79% |
D+5.4 |
-
|
| Source: Daily Kos
|
Pivot Counties[edit]
Five counties in Virginia are Pivot Counties, counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and Donald Trump (R) in 2016. There are 206 Pivot Counties in the country, scattered mostly throughout the northern midwest and northeast. A total of 477 state house districts and 233 state senate districts intersect with these Pivot Counties. This includes districts that intersected with only small portions of a county as well as districts that overlapped with multiple counties. These 710 state legislative districts account for approximately 10 percent of all state legislative districts in the country. Six House districts in Virginia intersect with Pivot Counties. As of May 2017, Republicans controlled all six of them.
Voter turnout in Virginia[edit]
Virginia has elections scheduled every year, with presidential elections occurring every other even-numbered year, congressional elections occurring every even-numbered year, state Senate elections occurring every other odd-numbered year, and state House elections occurring every odd-numbered year. The chart below shows turnout among registered voters in elections from 1997 to 2016. Note that turnout in presidential election years was the highest and that turnout in odd-numbered years tended to be lower than turnout in even-numbered years from 2008 to 2016.
The chart below shows voter turnout in odd-year elections from 1997 to 2015. The Virginia House of Delegates held elections every odd-numbered year from 1997 to 2015, while the Virginia State Senate held elections in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. Turnout tended to be higher in the years following presidential elections, which were also years where Virginia held gubernatorial elections.
The chart below shows the number of registered voters, ballots cast, and the turnout rate for all elections from 1997 to 2016. All data comes from the Virginia Department of Elections.[33]
| Voter turnout in Virginia elections: 1997-2016
|
| Year
|
Registered voters
|
Ballots cast
|
Turnout
|
| 2016 |
5,529,742 |
3,984,631 |
72.1%
|
| 2015 |
5,196,436 |
1,509,864 |
29.1%
|
| 2014 |
5,281,011 |
2,194,346 |
41.6%
|
| 2013 |
5,240,286 |
2,253,418 |
43.0%
|
| 2012 |
5,428,833 |
3,858,043 |
71.1%
|
| 2011 |
5,116,929 |
1,463,761 |
28.6%
|
| 2010 |
5,032,144 |
2,214,503 |
44.0%
|
| 2009 |
4,955,750 |
2,000,812 |
40.4%
|
| 2008 |
5,034,660 |
3,723,260 |
74.0%
|
| 2007 |
4,549,864 |
1,374,526 |
30.2%
|
| 2006 |
4,554,683 |
2,398,589 |
52.7%
|
| 2005 |
4,452,225 |
2,000,052 |
44.9%
|
| 2004 |
4,517,980 |
3,198,367 |
70.8%
|
| 2003 |
4,217,227 |
1,296,955 |
30.8%
|
| 2002 |
4,219,957 |
1,331,915 |
31.6%
|
| 2001 |
4,109,127 |
1,905,511 |
46.4%
|
| 2000 |
4,073,644 |
2,739,447 |
67.2%
|
| 1999 |
3,808,754 |
1,373,527 |
36.1%
|
| 1998 |
3,724,683 |
1,229,139 |
33.0%
|
| 1997 |
3,565,697 |
1,764,476 |
49.5%
|
Historical partisan balance[edit]
Between 1991 and 2015, partisan control of the Virginia House of Delegates shifted in favor of the Republican Party. As a result of the 1991 elections, Democrats held a 52-47 majority. Republicans gained control of the chamber in 1999 and, by 2015, expanded their majority to 66-34. The table below shows the partisan history of the Virginia House of Delegates following every general election from 1992 to 2016. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Virginia House of Delegates Party Control: 1991-2015
| Party
|
91
|
93
|
95
|
97
|
99
|
01
|
03
|
05
|
07
|
09
|
11
|
13
|
15
|
| Democrats |
52 |
52 |
52 |
50 |
47 |
31 |
37 |
39 |
44 |
39 |
32 |
33 |
34
|
| Republicans |
47 |
47 |
47 |
49 |
52 |
67 |
61 |
58 |
54 |
59 |
67 |
67 |
66
|
Republicans began making gains in the state House after the 1997 elections, when they picked up two seats. The chamber moved to a 52-47 Republican majority after the 1999 elections. The largest change in the partisan balance of the state House occurred as a result of the 2001 elections, when Republicans expanded their majority by 15 seats. Democrats gained 13 seats between 2003 and 2007. In 2011, Republicans gained eights eats, moving the chamber to a 67-32 Republican majority.
Two-thirds of members present in both chambers must vote to override a veto. If all members are in attendance, this is 67 of the 100 members in the Virginia House of Delegates and 27 of the 40 members in the Virginia State Senate.
Competitiveness[edit]
- See also: A "Competitiveness Index" for capturing competitiveness in state legislative elections
Every year since 2010, Ballotpedia has used official candidate lists from each state to examine the competitiveness of state legislative elections throughout the country. Nationally, there was a steady decline in electoral competitiveness between 2010 and 2016. Most notable is that the number of districts with general election competition dropped by more than
Open seats[edit]
- See also: Open seats in the 2017 state legislative elections
In 2017, seven incumbents (7 percent) did not file to run for re-election, leaving seven seats open.
| Open Seats in the Virginia House of Delegates: 2011 - 2017
|
| Year
|
Total seats
|
Open seats
|
Seats with incumbents running for re-election
|
| 2017 |
100 |
7 (7 percent) |
93 (93 percent)
|
| 2015 |
100 |
9 (9 percent) |
91 (91 percent)
|
| 2013 |
100 |
9 (9 percent) |
91 (91 percent)
|
| 2011 |
100 |
14 (14 percent) |
86 (86 percent)
|
Major party candidates with and without major party competition[edit]
- See also: Major party candidates with major party competition in the November 2017 state legislative elections
In 2017, there were 40 seats in the Virginia House where a major party candidate faced no major party opposition. These 40 seats included 28 Democratic seats and 12 Republican seats. In 2015, the last time the Virginia House held elections prior to 2017, there were 71 seats where candidates faced no major party opposition. These seats included 27 Democratic seats and 44 Republican seats.
On November 7, 2017, Democrats sought to defend six seats against Republican challengers, while Republicans sought to defend 54 seats against Democratic challengers.
| Races with and without major party opposition in the Virginia House of Delegates
|
| Year
|
Total races
|
Races without major party opposition
|
Races with major party opposition
|
Democrats without major party opposition
|
Republicans without major party opposition
|
| 2017 |
100 |
40 (40 percent) |
60 (60 percent) |
28 |
12
|
| 2015 |
100 |
71 (71 percent) |
29 (29 percent) |
27 |
44
|
| 2013 |
100 |
56 (56 percent) |
64 (64 percent) |
22 |
34
|
Incumbents who did not file for re-election in 2017[edit]
- See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2017
The following incumbents did not file for re-election in 2017:[34][35]
Contested primaries[edit]
- See also: Primary competitiveness in 2017 state legislative elections
The Virginia House of Delegates has 100 seats in 100 districts. A primary in Virginia was considered contested if more than one candidate filed to run for a seat. Virginia parties also use conventions and caucuses to select the candidates who will represent them on the general election ballot. Ballotpedia does not track conventions or caucuses, counting districts that do not have primaries as uncontested.
Out of 200 possible primaries in the Virginia House of Delegates, 26 (13 percent) were contested in 2017: 20 Democratic primaries and six Republican primaries. This was the greatest number of contested primaries and the greatest disparity between Democratic and Republican primaries since 2009.
In 2009, there were 12 contested primaries: eight Democratic primaries and four Republican primaries. In 2011, there were seven contested primaries: two Democratic primaries and five Republican primaries. In 2013, there were 12 contested primaries: three Democratic primaries and nine Republican primaries. In 2015, there were 10 contested primaries: six Democratic primaries and four Republican primaries.
| Contested Primaries in the Virginia House of Delegates: 2009 to 2017
|
| Year
|
Possible primaries
|
Total contested primaries
|
Democratic contested primaries
|
Republican contested primaries
|
| 2017 |
200 |
26 (13 percent) |
20 |
6
|
| 2015 |
200 |
10 (5 percent) |
6 |
4
|
| 2013 |
200 |
12 (6 percent) |
3 |
9
|
| 2011 |
200 |
7 (4 percent) |
2 |
5
|
| 2009 |
200 |
12 (6 percent) |
8 |
4
|
Incumbents who faced primary challengers[edit]
- See also: Incumbents with a primary challenger in the 2017 state legislative elections
In 2017, six incumbents faced challengers in the 2017 primary elections: four Democrats and two Republicans.[36] In 2015 and 2013, two incumbents in the Virginia House were defeated by challengers in primary elections.
| Incumbents who faced primary challengers: 2011 - 2017
|
| Year
|
Total seats
|
Seats with incumbents running for re-election
|
Incumbents facing primary challengers
|
Incumbents defeated in a primary
|
| 2017 |
100 |
93 (93 percent) |
6 (6.4 percent) |
0
|
| 2015 |
100 |
91 (91 percent) |
6 (6.5 percent) |
2
|
| 2013 |
100 |
91 (91 percent) |
7 (7.6 percent) |
2
|
| 2011 |
100 |
86 (86 percent) |
1 (1.1 percent) |
0
|
Historical context[edit]
- See also: Competitiveness in State Legislative Elections: 1972-2014
Uncontested elections: In 2014, 32.8 percent of Americans lived in states with an uncontested state senate election. Similarly, 40.4 percent of Americans lived in states with uncontested house elections. Primary elections were uncontested even more frequently, with 61 percent of people living in states with no contested primaries. Uncontested elections often occur in locations that are so politically one-sided that the result of an election would be a foregone conclusion regardless of whether it was contested or not.
Open seats: In most cases, an incumbent will run for re-election, which decreases the number of open seats available. In 2014, 83 percent of the 6,057 seats up for election saw the incumbent running for re-election. The states that impose term limits on their legislatures typically see a higher percentage of open seats in a given year because a portion of incumbents in each election are forced to leave office. Overall, the number of open seats decreased from 2012 to 2014, dropping from 21.2 percent in 2012 to 17.0 percent in 2014.
Incumbent win rates: Ballotpedia's competitiveness analysis of elections between 1972 and 2014 documented the high propensity for incumbents to win re-election in state legislative elections. In fact, since 1972, the win rate for incumbents had not dropped below 90 percent—with the exception of 1974, when 88 percent of incumbents were re-elected to their seats. Perhaps most importantly, the win rate for incumbents generally increased over time. In 2014, 96.5 percent of incumbents were able to retain their seats. Common convention holds that incumbents are able to leverage their office to maintain their seat. However, the high incumbent win rate may actually be a result of incumbents being more likely to hold seats in districts that are considered safe for their party.
Marginal primaries: Often, competitiveness is measured by examining the rate of elections that have been won by amounts that are considered marginal (5 percent or less). During the 2014 election, 90.1 percent of primary and general election races were won by margins higher than 5 percent. Interestingly, it is usually the case that only one of the two races—primary or general—will be competitive at a time. This means that if a district's general election is competitive, typically one or more of the district's primaries were won by more than 5 percent. The reverse is also true: If a district sees a competitive primary, it is unlikely that the general election for that district will be won by less than 5 percent. Primaries often see very low voter turnout in comparison to general elections. In 2014, there were only 27 million voters for state legislative primaries, but approximately 107 million voters for the state legislative general elections.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," accessed March 21, 2017
- ↑ Business Insider, "Democrats just picked up their biggest gains in the Virginia House since the 1800s as part of a complete annihilation," November 8, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Vote margin calculated with 18 of 19 precincts reporting.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Incumbent was unopposed in 2013
- ↑ Virginia Law, "§ 24.2-674. Determination by lot in case of tie.," accessed December 20, 2017
- ↑ WTOP, "Va. Democrat Simonds concedes tied Newport News race," January 10, 2018
- ↑ Virginia General Assembly, "Senate Joint Resolution 295," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑ Virginia General Assembly, "House Joint Resolution 545," accessed February 22, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of candidate: 2017 November General Member House of Delegates," accessed October 24, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "June 13, 2017 Primary Filing Information," accessed April 10, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election," January 3, 2016
- ↑ insidenova.com, "New candidate picked for 2nd District delegate race," August 15, 2017
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 Cite error: Invalid
<ref> tag;
no text was provided for refs named NYT
- ↑ Washington Post, "In a polarized Virginia district, differences between the Republican and the Democrat may surprise you," August 24, 2017
- ↑ NBC News, "Transgender Candidate Danica Roem Wins Virginia Primary, Makes History," June 14, 2017
- ↑ Virginia's Legislative Information System, "HOUSE BILL NO. 1612," accessed August 8, 2017
- ↑ New York Times, "Live Election Results: Virginia," accessed November 7, 2017
- ↑ The Center for Public Integrity, "Can anti-Trump fervor win elections? These Democrats aren’t seeing the money," September 5, 2017
- ↑ Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, "Spotlight Races," accessed October 11, 2017
- ↑ Wired, "Anger isn't enough, so the #Resistance is weaponizing data," April 18, 2017
- ↑ Flippable, "Focus States," accessed October 23, 2017
- ↑ The Minnesota Senate held elections in 2020. Sixty-seven seats were up.
- ↑ As of February 2018, the partisan breakdown of the New York State Senate was 31-30 with two vacancies. One Democrat caucused with the Republicans and eight Democrats were members of the Independent Democratic Conference.
- ↑ The Virginia Senate held elections in 2019. Forty seats were up.
- ↑ The Virginia House held elections in 2017.
- ↑ Sister District Project, "What We Do," accessed October 23, 2017
- ↑ Sister District Project, "2017 Sister Races," accessed October 23, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff, Email correspondence with GOPAC, October 25, 2017]
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Biden endorses Danica Roem, four other Va. Democrats in House races," October 17, 2017
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' statewide election results by congressional and legislative districts," July 9, 2013
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Daily Kos Elections' 2016 presidential results for congressional and legislative districts," February 6, 2017
- ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "Registration/Turnout Statistics," accessed October 12, 2017
- ↑ Ballotpedia defines an incumbent as retiring if the incumbent did not file for office or filed for office but withdrew, was disqualified, or otherwise left a race in a manner other than losing the primary, primary runoff, or convention. If an incumbent runs as a write-in candidate, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring. If an incumbent runs in the same chamber for a different seat, Ballotpedia does not consider them to be retiring.
- ↑ WVTF Public Radio, "Eight House of Delegates Members Won't Seek Re-Election; Seven Republicans and One Democrat," April 6, 2017
- ↑ Harry Parrish II initially filed to run against incumbent Jackson H. Miller (R) but withdrew before the primary election.
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