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.
Republicans ran on issues that Trump touted, including no tax on tips and border security. As in-person early voting drew to a close, Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other GOP leaders rallied with Harding and Venkatachalam.
Democratic candidates argued they needed to keep control of the state legislature to serve as a check on Trump’s power. Losing either seat would have led to a tie in the state House or Senate at a time when Democrats are hoping to advance a trio of proposed constitutional amendments on voting rights, marriage equality and abortion access.
“As we face increasing extremism at the federal level, it’s more important than ever for Democrats to fight back in the states, build local power, and win elections up and down the ballot,” Roger Lau, the deputy executive director of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement.
Democrats will now have a 21-19 majority in the state Senate and a 51-49 majority in the House.
The results are a boon to Democrats, who are hoping for a repeat of the blue wave that happened during Trump’s first term in office. In 2017, Virginia Democrats won the governorship and made large gains in the state legislature.
This November, both parties will fight for control of the state House and seek to elect a successor to Youngkin, who is term-limited.
“While we celebrate tonight, our focus is already on November, when the Virginia House of Delegates will be on the ballot again,” Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats in state legislatures, said in a statement. “With Trump and his MAGA allies in the states returning to office, building and defending Democratic power in the states is essential.”