ELECTION 2025: Democrats dramatically expand control over General Assembly
Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger meets VCU students in Monroe Park on Nov. 3. Photo by Burke Loftus.
Molly Manning, News Editor
Sarah Hagen, Managing Editor
Democrats flipped 13 House of Delegates seats through the statewide election on Nov. 4. The party came out of the night with an impending trifecta — only several seats shy of a supermajority.
Before Election Day, Democrats held 51 seats in the House compared to Republicans’ 49, a slim margin. Democrats now hold 64 seats compared to Republicans’ 36 — the best position the party has held in decades.
The General Assembly, the legislative branch of Virginia’s government, is made up of 100 members in the House of Delegates and 40 members in the Senate. With a slim 21 seats in the Senate, Democrats have expanded their control over the centuries-old legislature.
Last year, Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, was chosen as the first Black Speaker of the House in Virginia. The 2024 session also included other historic markers of diversity, including the highest number of female members in the Senate, according to Virginia Mercury.
The new cast of the General Assembly reflects Democrats’ statewide ticket: Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones — who just became the first female governor of Virginia, first Muslim woman to hold statewide office and first Black attorney general of Virginia respectively.
Much of Democrats’ legislation did not pass the General Assembly under Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who set a record number of vetoes during his third year in office, opposing 201 bills, according to The Virginia Public Access Project.
With Youngkin out and Spanberger in, some lawmakers and lobbyists are already preparing to introduce more ambitious legislation during the next session in January.
Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, pointed to four amendments midway through the legislative process, which he said may not have gone anywhere in the new session should the House be controlled by Republicans.
“This would be removing the ban on gay marriage from the Constitution of Virginia, the automatic restoration of felon voting rights, the codification of Roe v. Wade in the Virginia Constitution, and the new redistricting amendment,” Farnsworth said.
Members of United Campus Workers unions from multiple universities, as well as the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights have drafted bills for the General Assembly to give professors and students voting power on the governing boards of universities and cap salaries for university presidents, according to a previous report by The CT.
Five key districts that turned blue
House District 71, previously held by Del. Amanda Batten, R-James City County, will now be represented by Democrat Jessica Anderson, who won on Tuesday with 52.68% of the vote, according to VPAP.
Democratic civil rights attorney Leslie Mehta flipped House District 73 with 51.54% of the vote, beating out incumbent Del. Mark Earley, R-Chesterfield.
“I ran for the House of Delegates because families like mine deserve a voice that listens and leads with empathy,” Mehta stated in an X post. “Tonight, you gave me that chance — and I’m ready to fight for you.”
While Jones was elected in spite of scandals on violent text messages he sent, the Republican delegate who initially shared the messages, Carrie Coyner, was unseated in House District 75, which represents Hopewell City and parts of Chesterfield and Prince George.
Coyner’s Democratic replacement Lindsey Dougherty said she looks forward to serving the district “holistically” by ensuring that legislation and the budget reflect the community’s needs alongside other female government officials.
“We’ve been waiting 400 years and I’m really excited to not only serve alongside an expanded majority in the House with more women, but also to have a female lieutenant governor and governor,” Dougherty said.
House District 57, previously held by David Owen, R-Goochland, will now be represented by Democrat May Nivar after she won with 55.26% of the vote.
Democrat Kimberly Pope Adams flipped House District 82 with 53.64% of the vote, defeating incumbent Del. Kim Taylor, R-Petersburg.
“I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful to the people of the 82nd District for placing their trust in me,” Pope Adams stated.
Del. Joshua Cole, D-Fredericksburg, will continue to represent House District 65 after winning reelection with 58.42% of the vote against Republican Sean Steinway.
VCU Capital News Service contributed to this article.
