The Senate of Virginia is the upper house of the Virginia General Assembly. The Senate is composed of 40 senators representing an equal number of single-member constituent districts. The Senate is presided over by the lieutenant governor of Virginia. Prior to the American War of Independence,the upper house of the General Assembly was represented by the Virginia Governor's Council,consisting of up to 12 executive counselors appointed by the colonial royal governor as advisers and jurists.
Aston Donald McEachin was an American politician and lawyer who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district from 2017 until his death in 2022. His district was based in the state capital,Richmond;it included much of the area between Richmond,a portion of its suburbs,and Hampton Roads.
Joseph Dee Morrissey is an American Democratic politician,businessman,and former lawyer who won election to both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly from districts including Richmond or surrounding Henrico County,Virginia. He represented Virginia's 16th Senate district from 2020 to 2024,having been elected during the 2019 election. He represented much of southern Richmond,as well as all of the cities of Petersburg and Hopewell and portions of Chesterfield,Dinwiddie and Prince George counties. He lost the 2023 Democratic primary for his district.
Jennifer Leigh McClellan is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,she represented the 9th district in the Virginia State Senate from 2017 to 2023 and the 71st district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2009 to 2017. She ran in the Democratic primary for governor of Virginia in the 2021 election,losing to former governor Terry McAuliffe.
John Chewning Watkins is a Virginia businessman and politician,who served in the Virginia General Assembly for 34 years. A Republican,Watkins served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1982 to 1998,when he was elected to the Senate of Virginia. He represented the 10th district,situated in part of the city of Richmond and its westerly suburbs,including all of Amelia and Powhatan counties and parts of four others.
Virginia's 11th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It is currently represented by Democrat Creigh Deeds. It had been represented up until 2024 by Republican Amanda Chase since her 2015 defeat of longtime incumbent Steve Martin in the Republican primary.
Virginia's 12th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Republican Glen Sturtevant since 2024.
Jennifer Lynn Wexton is an American lawyer and politician who has served as the United States representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district since 2019. The district is anchored in the outer portion of Northern Virginia,and includes all of Fauquier County,Loudoun County,and Rappahannock County,parts of Fairfax County and Prince William County,and the independent cities of Manassas and Manassas Park.
Amanda Chase is an American far-right politician and conspiracy theorist. From 2016 to 2024,she was a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District and represented Amelia County,the city of Colonial Heights,and part of Chesterfield County. Chase,self-described as "Trump in heels" was narrowly defeated in the primary of her reelection campaign for a redrawn 12th District in June 2023 and left office in January 2024.
Nicholas J. Freitas is an American politician and social media influencer. A Republican,he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018,losing in the primary election to Corey Stewart. He was the Republican nominee in the 2020 election to represent Virginia's 7th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives,which he narrowly lost to Abigail Spanberger,the incumbent Democratic congresswoman. Before entering politics,he served in the United States Army.
Virginia's 26th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It is currently represented by Ryan T. McDougle,who had represented the 4th District since 2006. Before the district moved,it was represented by Republican Mark Obenshain from 2004 to 2024,succeeding fellow Republican Kevin Miller.
Schuyler Thomas VanValkenburg is an American teacher and politician. He was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates representing the 72nd District on November 7,2017,to replace retiring delegate Jimmie Massie. He defeated Republicans Eddie Whitlock and GayDonna Vandergriff in the 2017 and 2019 elections,respectively. In the 2023 state elections,VanValkenburg was elected over incumbent Siobhan Dunnavant in the newly redrawn 16th District. The race was considered highly competitive for control of the Virginia Senate.
The 2019 Virginia Senate election was held on November 5,2019,concurrently with the House election,to elect members to all 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia for the 161st Virginia General Assembly and the 162nd Virginia General Assembly. Primaries were held on June 11. The elections resulted in Democrats gaining 2 seats in the senate,and gaining control of both chambers of the General Assembly,marking the first time that Democrats held control of both legislative and executive branches in Virginia since 1993.
The 2021 United States elections were held in large part on Tuesday,November 2,2021. This off-year election included the regular gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. In addition,state legislative elections were held for the New Jersey Legislature and Virginia House of Delegates,along with numerous state legislative special elections,citizen initiatives,mayoral races,and a variety of other local elections. Six special elections to the United States House of Representatives also took place on November 2 or earlier as a result of either deaths or vacancies. The first of these was held on March 20.
The 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 2,2021,to elect the next governor of Virginia. The election was concurrent with other elections for Virginia state offices. Incumbent Democratic governor Ralph Northam was ineligible to run for re-election,as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits governors from serving consecutive terms. Businessman Glenn Youngkin won the Republican nomination at the party's May 8 convention,which was held in 37 polling locations across the state,and was officially declared the nominee on May 10. The Democratic Party held its primary election on June 8,which former governor Terry McAuliffe easily won.
The 2024 United States Senate election in Virginia was held on November 5,2024,to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the Commonwealth of Virginia. Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine won re-election to a third term,defeating Republican former U.S. Navy captain Hung Cao. Primary elections took place on June 18,2024.
Ghazala Firdous Hashmi is an Indian-born American politician and former academic administrator and educator. A Democrat,Hashmi represents the 15th district in the Senate of Virginia. She worked as an educator and academic administrator for 25 years before running for office.
The 2022 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 8,2022,to elect the 11 U.S. representatives from the state of Virginia,one from each of the state's 11 congressional districts. The elections coincide with other elections to the House of Representatives. Pursuant to state law,primaries organized through the Department of Elections were held on June 21,2022. However,some Republican firehouse primaries were held on dates as late as May 21,2022.
The 2023 Virginia Senate election was held on Tuesday,November 7,2023,concurrently with elections for the Virginia House of Delegates,to elect senators to all 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia for the 163rd and 164th Virginia Assembly. Nomination primaries held through the Department of Elections were held June 20,2023. These were the first elections held following redistricting as a result of the 2020 census. The Democrats retained control of the Senate.
Steven Rawlings is an American attorney and politician who has served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from Kentucky's 66th House District since January 2023. His district includes the northern part of Boone County. He is running to be a member of the Kentucky Senate from Kentucky's 11th Senate District in the 2024 Kentucky Senate election.
