Ap Decision Notes: What To Expect In Virginia's State Legislative Special Elections

Voters in Virginia will begin the new year filling state Senate and House vacancies on Tuesday in a trio of special elections that could determine control of the narrowly divided chambers.

In the Washington suburbs of Loudoun County, Democratic state Sen. Suhas Subramanyam's election to Congress in November has triggered a special election for his seat in state Senate District 32, as well as in state House District 26, where the Democratic incumbent resigned after winning the nomination to fill the state Senate vacancy.

The nominees to replace Subramanyam are Democratic state Del. Kannan Srinivasan and Republican Tumay Harding. Running to replace Srinivasan in the House of Delegates are Democrat JJ Singh and Republican Ram Venkatachalam.

In state Senate District 10 to the west of Richmond, voters will elect a replacement for Republican state Sen. John McGuire, who was elected to Congress. In August, McGuire defeated U.S. Rep. Bob Goode in the Republican primary in Virginia's 5th Congressional District. The nominees are Republican Luther Cifers and Democrat Jack Trammell.

The state Senate and House seats in Loudoun County are both reliably Democratic. Former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe carried the overlapping districts with more than 60 of the vote in his failed 2021 reelection bid. In presidential elections, President Joe Biden carried Loudoun County with about 62 of the vote in 2020, while Vice President Kamala Harris received about 57 of the vote in 2024. Meanwhile, voters in state Senate District 10 preferred Republicans Donald Trump and Gov. Glenn Youngkin in previous elections. McGuire ran unopposed for this seat in 2023.