By Caitlyn Meisner | cmeisner@alextimes.com
Democrats maintained their hold on the city of Alexandria – and took full control of the state legislature – Tuesday night as both chambers in the General Assembly now tout a Democratic majority.
Incumbent State Senator Adam Ebbin (D-39) and incumbent Delegates Alfonso Lopez (D-3), Charniele Herring (D-4) and Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-5) all won easily, with Herring and Bennett-Parker running unopposed. Though Alexandria’s district numbers and boundaries changed due to redistricting, the result was familiar.
There was a 36% voter turnout in the city of Alexandria, with more than 40,000 registered voters casting ballots out of the 112,080 total registered voters.
The odd-year election for General Assembly seats and and other local offices will likely thwart much of the ambitious agenda that had been laid out by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, which included a 15-week ban on abortions, except in cases of rape, incest or for the life of the mother.
Republicans had hoped to flip the State Senate, which the Democrats narrowly controlled for the last two years, and to maintain their slender control of the House of Delegates. Instead, it was the Democrats who maintained their hold on the Senate and narrowly captured the House.
Democrats won 21 seats in the Senate and Republicans had captured 19. In district 16 – which represents Richmond – Schuyler VanValkenburg, a Democrat, flipped the seat from incumbent Republican Siobhan Dunnavant. Both candidates spent more than $4.5 million in the campaign, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
In the House, Democrats won 51 seats and Republicans took 48 as of the Times’ deadline. Dozens of races went uncontested around the state. In district 97, which represents parts of Virginia Beach City, Democrat Michael Feggans unseated incumbent Republican Karen Greenhalgh. This race was also expensive, as both candidates spent upwards of $2 million according to the VPAP.
Ebbin said he was excited to get to work with fellow Democrats in the House and Senate now that there is a majority in his party’s favor.
“After [Youngkin] was just served the biggest political rejection by Virginia voters … Democrats remain ready to work across the aisle to find bipartisan solutions for the betterment of our Commonwealth,” Ebbin wrote on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – Tuesday night.
Here are the Alexandria results, with 97% of the vote in.
State Senate District 39
State Senator Adam Ebbin won reelection Tuesday night in a race against Republican Sophia Moshasha. Ebbin managed to get nearly 79% of the vote, with Moshasha taking 21% according to the official Virginia election results website.
Ebbin, who has represented Alexandria in the State Senate since 2012, said he remains committed to the district and is excited for the upcoming session.
“I remain eager to serve all Alexandrians to the best of my ability,” Ebbin said. “I want to serve the people of the 39th in good faith.”
Ebbin also said – in a late-night phone call with the Times – he and the Democratic Party are “where they’ve always been,” in terms of looking for solutions.
“Republicans were clearly for book bans and MAGA,” Ebbin said. “The people of Virginia don’t want to let Youngkin run amok. We are in sync with the Virginia voters.”
Looking ahead to the next session, which starts January 10, Ebbin said he is hopeful the General Assembly can pass or consider constitutional amendments on marriage equality and other progressive policies.
“Republicans are ideologically rigid and out of step [because] they have refused to consider [constitutional] amendments,” Ebbin said. “Now, that’s all back on the table.”
This will be Ebbin’s fourth term in the State Senate.
House of Delegates, Third District
Democrat Alfonso Lopez won the third House district with a share of 78% of the vote compared to opponent Maj. Mike Webb, an independent, who received nearly 20% of the vote according to the official Virginia election results website.
Lopez represents parts of both Arlington and Alexandria. In Alexandria, Lopez represents the Charles Barrett, George Mason School, Chinquapin Park and Blessed Sacrament Church precincts.
This will be Lopez’s seventh term in the House of Delegates. He was the first Latino Democrat elected to the General Assembly in 2011. He also served as the Democratic Whip in the House from 2016 to 2022.
House of Delegates, Fourth District
Democrat Charniele Herring won the fourth House district with a share of nearly 93% of the vote according to the official Virginia election results website. She ran uncontested.
On X, Herring posted her excitement for taking back the House of Delegates and her win.
“This would not have been possible without the hard work of our amazing candidates, volunteers, donors and staff,” Herring wrote. “You all made history and I couldn’t be more proud. Let’s keep moving Virginia forward!”
Herring represents parts of Fairfax County and the city of Alexandria. In Alexandria, Herring represents James K. Polk School, Charles E. Beatley Library, Olympus Condo and South Port precincts.
This will be Herring’s eighth term in the House. She also serves as the Democratic Caucus Chair, a position she’s held since 2015, and was the first African American elected to the chair position of the state’s Democratic Party.
House of Delegates, Fifth District
Democrat Elizabeth Bennett-Parker won the fifth House district with a share of 91% of the vote according to the official Virginia election results website. She ran uncontested. Write-in candidates received nearly 2,100 votes, or nearly 9% of the vote.
Bennett-Parker represents almost all of the city of Alexandria, excluding the precincts covered by Herring and Lopez. The largest precincts under Bennett-Parker include Douglas Macarthur School, Temple Beth El Synagogue, Ladrey Senior Building and City Hall.
“I am so honored and grateful to … continue to serve Alexandria,” Bennett-Parker wrote on X. “I’m thrilled to be returning with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate.”
Bennett-Parker was elected to City Council in 2018, and received the most votes to become vice mayor, a position she held from 2019 through 2021. She ran in 2021 for the House Delegate seat, unseating incumbent Democrat Mark Levine in the primary.
