Virginia Democrats preserve majority in first statewide elections since Trump’s victory
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Results could limit governor’s conservative agenda and give Democrats a boost before Trump takes office again. Democrats in Virginia preserved their majority in the state legislature late on Tuesday in the first statewide elections since Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November.
In special elections for open seats, Kannan Srinivasan, a Democratic state representative, defeated Republican Tumay Harding in a race for an open state senate seat in Loudon county, Virginia, just outside of Washington DC. Democrat JJ Singh won an open state house seat in the same county, over Republican Ram Venkatachalam. Republicans held on to a state senate seat vacated by John McGuire, who won a first term in the US House of Representatives in November 2024.
The state Democrats have a slim 21-to-19 seat majority in the state senate and a 51-to-49 lead in the state house, making things difficult for the state’s Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, in the final year of his first term in office. He flipped the governorship to Republican in the November 2021 election.
The results could limit Youngkin’s conservative agenda and give Democrats a boost before Trump is set to take office later this month. Democrats are seeking to pass three constitutional amendments in Virginia this year to codify abortion rights, same-sex marriage equality and the restoration of voting rights for Virginians after a felony conviction. These measures must pass the state legislature prior to being placed on the ballot for voters later this year.
