Candidates in key Basic Meeting races in Northern Virginia stay neck and neck

AP Picture/Jacquelyn Martin

Win McNamee/Getty Photographs

Win McNamee/Getty Photographs

Win McNamee/Getty Photographs

WTOP/Neal Augenstein

Ends in a race close by Richmond recommend that Republicans could battle to take management of each chambers of the state’s Basic Meeting; in the meantime, a number of key races in Northern Virginia stay tight Tuesday evening.

With the Basic Meeting at the moment divided, each events want to achieve management with only a handful of aggressive districts. Republicans maintain a slender majority within the 100-seat Home of Delegates and Democrats preserve a equally slender majority within the 40-seat state Senate.

At stake in Tuesday’s election is the route the commonwealth takes on a variety of controversial points, together with abortion entry, gun legal guidelines and extra — in addition to the political way forward for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has been stumping for Republicans on the marketing campaign path.

As candidates battle it out all through the state, Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg in Senate District 16 has unseated the Republican incumbent, Siobhan Dunnavant in Henrico County, The Related Press declared with 97% of the vote tallied. VanValkenburg took 52.8% of the vote and Dunnavant held simply 47.2%.

Republicans wanted to take two seats within the higher chamber whereas sustaining management of their present seats in an effort to maintain a majority within the Senate. VanValkenburg’s victory makes that purpose tougher for Republicans.

The Democrat has prevailed in Senate District 30, which is made up of a part of Prince William County, in addition to everything of Manassas Metropolis and Manassas Park. Whereas the world leans Democratic, in response to VPAP, it was beforehand seen as a possible seize for Republicans.

With 96% of the vote counted, three-term Del. Danica Roem, a Democrat, seems to have beat Republican Invoice Woolf, a political newcomer. Roem held 51.7% of the vote whereas Woolf earned 48.3%, The Related Press declared.

Roem labored as a journalist earlier than her time in workplace. Woolf has labored in legislation enforcement and at the moment leads a guide group.

Within the days main as much as the election, CNalysis, a nonpartisan website that forecasts state legislative elections, tweaked its ranking to find out that District 21, was leaning in favor of the Democrats.

Who’s forward?

WTOP can have outcomes on legislative districts and native races on-line and on the air.

You can too tune in to 103.5 FM or pay attention stay on-line to WTOP’s protection of the 2023 Virginia election.

Just a few districts in reliably-blue elements of Northern Virginia have already been referred to as by The Related Press; these races embody Senate District 40 in Arlington County the place Democratic Incumbent Barabara Favola prevailed with 86.1% of the vote over Republican David Henshaw. Favola has served within the State Senate since 2012. Outcomes usually are not official till licensed by the Virginia Division of Elections.

Tight races in Northern Virginia

Analysts say it might all come all the way down to a handful of tossup districts, together with just a few in Northern Virginia.

Senate

In Senate District 31, which incorporates elements of Loudoun and Fauquier counties, Democrat Russet Perry earned 50.9% is simply behind Republican Juan Pablo Segura who holds 49.1% of the vote, in response to the Virginia Division of Elections. These outcomes include The Related Press reporting 87% of the votes counted as of 9:00 p.m. Neither candidate is an incumbent.

In an one other tight race, voters in Fredericksburg, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties have three selections on the poll to symbolize District 27 within the Senate and none of them are an incumbent.

Votes are nonetheless being tallied with Democrat Joel Griffin and Republican Tara Durant at occasions showing to be neck-in-neck. Republican Tara Durant leads with 49.4% of the vote and Griffin holds 46.1%, in response to the Virginia Division of Elections. Unbiased candidate Monica Gary holds 4.5% of the votes counted, as of 8:50 p.m.

Durant is ending her first time period within the Home of Delegates, having been elected in 2021 within the “purple wave” that additionally introduced Youngkin to the governor’s mansion. The previous trainer is competing towards Griffin, who served within the Marine Corps and has labored as a authorities contractor for 20 years.

Gary efficiently ran as an impartial for the Stafford County Board of Supervisors and began her time period in 2022. The wild-card candidate has additionally been open about her previous work as a stripper. 

Home 

A number of Home races in Northern Virginia that had been anticipated to be tossups stay aggressive as votes as counted.

Among the many aggressive races within the Home is District 21 in Prince William County. Votes are being counted however preliminary tallies present Democratic newcomer Josh Thomas is main with 54.7% of the vote towards Republican John Stirrup, who has 45.3% of the counted votes, the Related Press reported round 9 p.m. Stirrup has served two phrases on the county’s Board of Supervisors.

Thomas is an legal professional and former Marine Corps officer. Stirrup served on the county’s Board of Supervisors from 2003-2011.

Within the Manassas space of Prince William County,  Democrat Travis Nembhard is forward in District 22 with 52.19% of the vote and Republican Ian Lovejoy holds 47.78%, in response to the Virginia Division of Elections as of 9:10 p.m.

Lovejoy could also be acquainted to some voters having beforehand served on the Manassas Metropolis Council. Nembhard is a former legal professional and D.C. administrative legislation decide.

In Loudoun and Fauquier counties, Republican Geary Higgins is forward within the red-leaning District 30 (in response to VPAP) with 55.57% of the vote and Democrat Rob Banse at 44.7%, in response to the Virginia Division of Elections as of 9:10 p.m.

Higgins served two phrases on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors representing the Catoctin District. Banse is a former Episcopal Church pastor who retired in 2018.

One other aggressive race, per VPAP, is in District 65, which incorporates elements of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. Democrat Joshua Cole, a pastor and president of the Stafford County NAACP, who beforehand represented one other district earlier than dropping in 2021, is simply behind his opponent with 49.76% of the vote.

His Republican challenger Lee Peters, a Marine and captain within the Stafford County Sheriff’s Workplace holds a slender lead with 49.9% of the votes counted as of 9:15 p.m.

Extra election information

What’s at stake? 

The political combat over abortion has been a central theme in most of the key races. Virginia is the one Southern state that’s but to place additional restrictions on the process since Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Courtroom in June 2022.

If Republicans grab each chambers, they’d doubtless move laws proscribing abortion — Youngkin has proposed a 15-week ban.

Within the occasion Virginia is washed in a “purple wave,” it might sign assist for a 2024 presidential run from the conservative governor who previously has denied any curiosity in working.

Democrats, in the meantime, want to retake management of the Home and preserve their maintain on the Senate — strengthening their hand towards Youngkin in legislative wrangling in Richmond subsequent yr.

That is the primary normal election underneath new district boundaries, which had been redrawn throughout redistricting. This has made predicting the outcomes extra sophisticated. Many incumbents are working in races with unfamiliar constituents.

Main as much as Election Day, polls have indicated management of the Basic Meeting is anybody’s sport.

It’s potential voters gained’t know which celebration will management the final meeting for just a few days, as mail-in votes are counted in tight races.

Turnout

A number of Virginia counties are offering updates on voter turnout all through the day.

Listed below are the newest figures:

Loudoun County: As of 4 p.m., roughly 22.27% of registered voters had turned out to vote on Election Day. Mixed with early voting and mail-in ballots, voter turnout was slightly below 38% by late afternoon.

Fairfax County: Primarily based on votes counted at polling locations all through Fairfax County, an estimated 19.3% of registered voters turned out on Election Day as of about 3:25 p.m. The overall turnout, counting early votes and mail-in ballots, was round 33.4% late Tuesday afternoon.

Prince William County: Greater than 33,000 individuals in Prince William County had forged their vote in-person on Election Day, as of 1 p.m. The county workplace of elections mentioned that’s greater than 10% of the county’s registered voters, and that one other 44,900 individuals have already voted early or by mail.

Arlington County: As of 5 p.m., roughly 23% of registered voters in Arlington had voted on Election Day. Counting early and mail in ballots, 35% of registered voters turned out.