Democrats, Republicans nominate candidates in Northern Virginia special election

The outcome of the high-stakes race in Loudoun County will help determine control of the narrowly divided Virginia Senate.

Democrats and Republicans nominated candidates over the weekend to run in a special election in Northern Virginia that will help determine who controls the Virginia Senate. 

Del. Kannan Srinivasan won the Democratic primary on Saturday to run in the special election for Virginia Senate District 32 to represent part of Loudoun County. Srinivasan beat five other candidates to run for the seat formerly held by Democrat Suhas Subramanyam, who resigned from the seat to serve in Congress and endorsed Srinivasan. 

I want to congratulate all of the strong Democratic candidates who stepped up to run in Loudoun County today but especially our Democratic nominee @Kannanforva who will carry our banner for a very important special election on January 7th with control of the Senate on the line!

— L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) November 17, 2024

Republicans on Saturday nominated Tumay Harding to challenge Srinivasan for the Senate seat. Harding describes herself as an advocate for “parents rights,” a term associated with the conservative push to ban books in schools and change school curriculum. She also ran and lost a campaign in 2023 to serve as a Loudoun County Supervisor. 

Congratulations @TumayForVA on earning the Republican nomination for Virginia’s 32nd Senate District. Loudoun County deserves a Senator that knows money belongs to taxpayers, not the government, crime goes down when we back the blue, and that yes, parents matter! https://t.co/7cmbXy3CW4

— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) November 17, 2024

The special election will be held on Jan. 7, 2025, just before the Virginia General Assembly session starts. It’s an important race because Democrats currently have a slight 21-19 edge in the Senate over Republicans. Democrats have an advantage given that the district leans strongly their way, but Republicans are expected to put up a fight given the high stakes. 

Democrats need to win to be able to advance the constitutional amendments they are pushing this year related to reproductive freedom, voting rights, and marriage equality. Should Republicans win the seat and create a 20-20 split in the Senate, then they would have effective control of the chamber. Ties in the Senate are broken by the Lieutenant Governor, an office currently held by Republican Winsome Earle-Sears. 

Another special election will be held to fill the seat held by Republican John McGuire, who will vacate his seat representing Virginia’s Senate District 10 in central Virginia to serve in Congress representing Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. The date for this election has yet to be set.