January Special Election for Three General Assembly Seats
Virginia voters in three locations will participate in a Special Election on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, one day before the start of this year’s General Assembly session. Republicans have high hopes of keeping two of the seats but did not run a candidate for the third.
State Senate District 22
The person to vote for here is Republican Mark Peake who overwhelmingly won the GOP nomination.
The seat was vacated by Republican Tom Garrett when he won the 5th Congressional District seat in November, and includes part of Lynchburg City, Amherst County, Appomattox County, Buckingham County, Cumberland County, Fluvanna County, Goochland County, and part of Louisa County.
Democrats are running former Fluvanna County Sheriff Ryant Washington and feel they have a chance to pick up this seat which would create a 20-20 tie in the State Senate with Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam as the tie breaker. Even though the 22nd District is usually reliably red, Dems smell blood in the water with a split vote between Republican Peake and Independent Joseph Hines.
House District 85
The person to vote for here is Norman “Rocky” Holcomb, a Captain in the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Department and Marine Corps veteran.
The seat was vacated by Republican Scott Taylor when he won the 2nd Congressional District seat in November. Captain Holcomb is running against Democrat Cheryl Turpin. This district is evenly divided so, even though Taylor was a Republican, it is not a given that the GOP will hold onto the seat.
State Senate District 9
The seat was vacated by Democrat Donald McEachin when he won the 4th Congressional District seat in November, and includes Charles City County and parts of Henrico County, Hanover County, and Richmond City. This is a blue district and Democratic Delegate Jennifer McClellan “is a virtual lock to win the Democratic-leaning district,” according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch. She faces Libertarian Corey Fauconier.
