Candidates Set For March Special Election To Fill McClellan’s Richmond-Based Seat

FILE - Virginia Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Richmond, speaks during the House session at the Capitol, Feb. 1, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Bagby has defeated two opponents in a firehouse primary to advance to a March special general election for the blue-leaning, Richmond-based 9th Senate District of Virginia. He will face GOP nominee Stephen Imholt. The 9th District seat in the 40-member, Democrat-controlled state Senate is open due to Democratic Sen. Jennifer McClellan’s election to the U.S. House of Representatives last week. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, file)

By Meghin Moore

February 27, 2023

After a Sunday firehouse primary and canvass, two candidates will face off against each other to replace US Rep.-elect Jennifer McClellan’s seat in the Virginia state Senate.

After Sunday’s primary, the candidates are set for a March 28 special election in Virginia’s 9th Senate District: Del. Lamont Bagby will face off against Republican Stephen Imholt.

Del. Bagby won with about 72% of the votes cast in Sunday’s Democratic “firehouse primary,” in which 6,525 voter cast ballots. His opponents Alexsis Rogers and Del. Dawn Adams received 21% and 6.5% of the votes cast, respectively.

Bagby is currently the chairman of the Virginia Black Legislative Caucus and spoke about his win on Monday with Susan Swecker, chair of the Virginia Democrats. If he wins the special election, Virginia Democrats will have to hold yet another special election to fill his current House seat in Virginia’s 74th House District.

“I’ve been in this community for a long time whether it’s serving in a leadership role as chair of the Black Caucus or as delegate, or on the business end of the community…working in a community development center in one of the most impoverished parts of the community and seeing that community and work to break cycles of poverty,” Del. Bagby said.

His opponent, Stephen Imholt, unsuccessfully ran as an Independent against Jennifer McClellan for the House of Delegates back in 2015 and was the only Republican candidate to file an intent to run for SD-09. He was declared the nominee without a contest on Sunday.