With Republicans in control of Congress and the White House, Democrats are looking to make Virginia a firewall — and possibly a springboard — by retaking ground in the General Assembly.
The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), the national party’s state-focused political arm, announced a seven-figure investment in Virginia’s 2025 elections. All 100 seats in the House of Delegates will be on the ballot, and the group has identified a slate of competitive districts where it plans to go all in.
“All eyes are on Virginia in 2025,” DLCC Director Heather Williams said in a statement. “Opportunities to move policy and build power aren’t happening in Washington – they’re happening in the statehouses. State legislative races are the most immediate opportunity for Democrats to defend and build sustainable power, and Virginia will be the highest profile, most data-rich election of 2025.”
Though the Virginia Senate is not on the ballot this cycle, Democrats are also eyeing the lieutenant governor’s race as a key opportunity. With the party holding just a one-seat majority in the chamber, a Democratic lieutenant governor could play a pivotal role by casting tie-breaking votes to advance the party’s agenda.
During his tenure, former Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax cast several tie-breaking votes in favor of Democratic priorities. In contrast, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has often broken ties against Democratic legislation — most recently in a closely watched vote on contraception access.
In that case, Democrats used a procedural maneuver to set up a tie by having one senator abstain and another vote no on a right-to-contraception bill. With a Republican absent that day, Earle-Sears was forced to cast the deciding vote — and voted against the measure.
Democrats then quickly used a chamber rule that allows members who vote against a bill to request reconsideration. The bill was brought back for a second vote and passed with a Democratic majority. But forcing Earle-Sears to go on the record against the proposal was seen as a strategic move — a way to draw a clear contrast on reproductive rights between her and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger ahead of this November’s election.
Both parties are also preparing for competitive primaries this summer to determine their nominees for lieutenant governor.
Although the DLCC focuses primarily on legislative races, its plan to support the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor underscores the office’s importance in shaping policy outcomes, especially when tie-breaking votes are needed.
So far, the DLCC has announced it will support four Democratic candidates in battleground districts: Dels. Josh Thomas, D-Prince William; Josh Cole, D-Fredericksburg; Nadarius Clark, D-Suffolk, and Michael Feggans, D-Virginia Beach. Each won their last race by between 3 to 6 percentage points in their competitive districts. More DLCC endorsements are also expected after the June primaries.
Democrats also see opportunities to flip Republican-held seats. Two GOP delegates — Chis Obenshain, R-Montgomery, and Kim Taylor, R-Dinwiddie — won in 2023 by razor-thin margins of 183 and 53 votes, respectively. Both will face rematches this year against their former Democratic opponents, Lily Franklin and Kimberly Pope Adams.
In another closely watched race, Del. David Owen, R-Henrico, defeated Democrat Susanna Gibson by just over 700 votes in 2023. His 57th District, which includes parts of increasingly blue Henrico County and more conservative Goochland County, is expected to be competitive again this year. Owen likely will face either Andrew Schear or May Nivar, who are vying for the Democratic nomination.
While the DLCC is focusing heavily on Virginia this year, it is also part of the organization’s broader 2025-2026 Target Map of battleground states. Alongside Virginia, states like North Carolina, Georgia and Arizona are expected to receive investments, with the aim of helping Democrats flip legislatures or build stronger democratic bases.
Virginia remains one of the DLCC’s most closely-watched and supported states this cycle, as the group looks to maintain momentum and build power at the state level.
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