Democrats Danica Roem and Russet Perry are projected to win two closely watched Virginia Senate races.
Roem is projected to win Virginia's 30th Senate District over Republican Bill Woolf, making her the first openly transgender state senator in Virginia history.
“The politics of outright discrimination that the other side attempted way back more than even Bob Marshall did against me in 2017, the politics of discrimination lost this campaign, and our message — fixing roads, feeding kids, protecting land, making Virginia a more inclusive commonwealth — that won this election,” Roem said.
Woolf has not conceded.
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Perry is projected to win Virginia's 31st Senate District over Republican Juan Pablo Segura.
“I think this is about abortion,” Perry said. “I think it’s about abortion rights. I think we saw here in Virginia what we’ve seen across the county that when people try to take women’s rights away, the rights that they’ve had for more than 50 years, people stand up and say no. I think whenever you look at the ballots tonight here in Loudoun, you look at the choices people made, people were smart about what they picked, how they picked. They paid attention and they made a choice, they made a decision. This is a district that Glenn Youngkin won. Not tonight.”
Segura congratulated Perry in a statement Tuesday night.
"I wish her the best of luck in representing this special place," he wrote. "Lessons are learned in losses, but I heard very clearly the deep desire from so many in this district for better representation from their government. This place is too important to stop fighting for, and I’ll be a servant in whatever capacity God’s plan holds for me next."
Polls closed at 7 p.m. on Election Day in Virginia as a carefully watched legislative campaign cycle closes out. Voters were deciding whether to empower Republicans with full state government control or let Democrats keep serving as a bulwark against Gov. Glenn Youngkin's agenda.
Stay with News4 and continue to refresh this story for updated results.
You can track projected results for Virginia here.
The outcome in Virginia — among just four states with legislative elections this year — will be closely scrutinized nationwide for hints of what may come in the 2024 presidential cycle. All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and 40 seats in the Virginia Senate were up for election this November.
Republicans, with a narrow 52-48 majority in the House of Delegates, hoped to gain full control of the state legislature and clear a path for the governor to enact his proposals on abortion, education, taxes and other key policy priorities.
But Democrats, who held a slim 22-17 majority in the state Senate, are projected seek to maintain control of that chamber. They hope to flip the other to serve as a check against Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's agenda. Control of the House of Delegates remained unsettled late into the evening, with vote counting still underway in key races.
As a steady stream of voters arrived at a polling place in Ashburn on Tuesday morning, the governor touted Virginia’s job growth and how the GOP swept statewide constitutional offices in 2021.
“This is what I was asked to do, this is what I ran on, this is what we’ve delivered. And I think voters are going to come around today and extend our license to lead,” Youngkin said. "We've had a really good two years, but I think we can have a fantastic next two years."
Youngkin had arrived at Newton-Lee Elementary School with Segura, whose race against Perry became the most expensive race in the state this cycle, according to Open Secrets, which tracks campaign finance.
"This race is the most competitive race in the entire state. Every vote matters. Every vote counts. Please get out and vote. Protect your right to choose," Perry told News4 Tuesday morning.
Victories by Perry, Roem and others brought the number of Senate seats held by Democrats to at least 20.
State Senate
House of Delegates
Fairfax County
Court clerk, commonwealth's attorney, sheriff, county supervisor positions and school board seats. Go here to learn about one school board candidate who was requalified for the ballot after a typo caused issues.
Loudoun County
Court clerk, commonwealth's attorney, sheriff, commissioner of revenue, treasurer, county supervisor positions, school board members and the soil and water conservation director. There are also ballot measures related to school district construction projects, parks and recreation projects, and transportation projects.
Incumbent Democrat Phyllis Randall is projected to keep her seat as chair of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors.
Prince William County
Court clerk, commonwealth's attorney, sheriff, county supervisor positions, school board seats and the soil and water conservation director. That's in addition to at least one noteworthy state Senate race.
Democrat Deshundra Jefferson is projected to win chair of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, making her the first person of color to take that seat.
Ballot Initiatives
Looking for more projected results in your area? See projected results (when available) for: City of Alexandria | City of Fairfax | Arlington County | City of Falls Church | Fairfax County | Loudoun County | Prince William County
Follow our Decision 2023 coverage.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
