'Our focus is already on November': VA special elections offer Dems hopeful sign in first post-2024 test

08 January

Although Virginia was once a deep red state, it has evolved into more of a swing state in recent years. Many Democratic strategists now consider Virginia their strongest state in the South, and although Vice President Kamala Harris lost other swing states to President-elect Donald Trump in 2024, she carried Virginia by roughly 6 percent.

In early 2025, the results of three special elections offer Democrats a hopeful sign in Virginia. Democrats held, by comfortable margins, two seats in the Virginia State Legislature — while Republicans held a third, according to Semafor.

In Virginia's 32nd Legislative District, Democrat Kannan Srinivasan defeated Republican Tumay Harding by roughly 23 percent. And in Virginia's 26th Legislative District, Republican Ram Venkatachalam lost to Democrat J.J. Singh by roughly that same margin.

However, in Virginia's 10th Legislative District, Republican Luther Cifers defeated Democrat John Trammel by roughly 17.5 percent, Semafor reports.

Semafor reporter David Weigel explains, "The wins helped Democrats retain razor-thin majorities in Richmond and answered a post-election question: Whether liberals were so depressed about their defeat that their Biden-era turnout operation would suffer."

Virginia Democrats are looking ahead to November, when the state will hold its gubernatorial election. Conservative Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin pulled off an upset when he won in 2021, but supporters of former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) are bullish on the former CIA agent's chances of winning this year's gubernatorial race if she becomes the Democratic nominee.

Heather Williams, the president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, told Semafor, "While we celebrate tonight, our focus is already on November."

Read Semafor's full article at this link.

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