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Republican Ellen Campbell of Rockbridge County easily won the special election to fill the House of Delegates seat previously held by her late husband, but Democrats secured a key pick-up in the state Senate by winning a special election in Hampton Roads.
Campbell swept all but one locality in the district that covers Amherst County, part of Augusta County, Bath County, Buena Vista, Lexington and Rockbridge County. With 54 of 60 precincts reporting, Campbell had 6,279 votes or 62.98%, while Democrat Jade Harris had 3,671 or 36.82%, according to the State Board of Elections.
Campbell’s vote shared ranged from 62.06% in Rockbridge County to 77.91% in Augusta County. Harris won only Lexington, where she took 72.15%. Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge County, passed away in December after a battle with cancer. Because this was a special election to fill the remainder of his term, the election was held in the district that elected him in 2021, not the newly drawn district lines that will take effect in this November’s elections. For those elections, Ellen Campbell will be in the same district as Del. John Avioli, R-Staunton, who has already announced his intention to seek re-election.
In another special election for the House in Fairfax County, Democrats retained a seat. Democrat Holly Seibold easily won the contest to replace Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax County, who resigned to take a position with the Biden administration. With 22 of 23 precincts reporting, Seibold had 67.25% of the vote to 32.65% for Republican Monique Baroudi.
The partisan make-up of the House will remain the same: 52 Republicans, 48 Democrats.
Democrats, though, may have gained a seat in the state Senate to take their margin to 22-18. Democrat Aaron Rouse led Republican Kevin Adams for the seat previously held by Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, who was elected to Congress. With 57 of 59 precincts reporting, Rouse has 19,430 votes or 50.41%, while Adams has 19,082 or 49.51%, according to the State Board of Elections. The precincts remaining are for late-arriving mail ballots.
The significance of the expanded Democratic majority in the state Senate is that Democrats can now afford at least one defection on key votes — such as abortion restrictions — and still prevail.
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8:32 p.m. The Virginia Public Access Project reports that Democrat Aaron Rouse has now pulled ahead of Republican Kevin Adams in the special election in Hampton Roads. VPAP says with 48 of 53 precincts reporting it’s Rouse 18,208, Adams 17,585. The State Board of Elections website shows 40 of 59 precincts reporting with Adams still ahead. It’s unclear why VPAP and the State Board list a different number of precincts, but it’s likely a difference in how absentee ballots and early ballots are counted.
8:20 p.m. In that closely-watched state Senate race, we have 40 of 59 precincts reporting. Republican Kevin Adams leads Democrat Aaron Rouse by 10,841 to 9,089. All but one of the remaining precincts are in Virginia Beach.
Still just 2 of 23 precincts reporting out of Fairfax County in the special House election there.
7:56 p.m. Republican Ellen Campbell is headed to victory in the special election to fill the seat of her late husband, Del. Ronnie Campbell, who died from cancer last month. She will represent a district that stretches from Bath County to Amherst County. With 47 of 60 precincts reporting, Campbell is pulling 66.9% of the vote.
In another special election in Fairfax County, just 2 of 23 precincts have reported, with Democrat Holly Seibold leading handily to fill the seat of Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax.
In the closely-watched Hampton Roads state Senate race, Republican Kevin Adams still holds a lead over Democrat Aaron Rouse for the seat vacated by Republican Jen Kiggans, who was elected to Congress. The margin, though, harrowed to 54% to 46% with 36 of 59 precincts reporting.
7:46 p.m. With 42 of 60 precincts reporting it’s Ellen Campbell (R) 66%, Jade Harris (D) 34% in one of two special elections for the House.
With 2 of 23 precincts in the Fairfax County House race, it’s Holly Seibold (D) 78%, Monique Baroudi (R) 23%.
In the Hampton Roads state Senate race, with 19 of 59 precincts reporting, it’s Kevin Adams (R) 56%, Aaron Rouse (D) 44%.
7:33 p.m. With 35 of 60 precincts reporting, it’s Ellen Campbell (R) 65%, Jade Harris (D) 35% in one of two special elections for the House.
In the state Senate race in Norfolk-Virginia Beach, with 6 of 59 precincts reporting, it’s Kevin Adams (R) 56.9%, Aaron Rouse (D) 43%.
7:24 p.m. With 25 of 60 precincts reporting, it’s Ellen Campbell (R) 65.6%, Jade Harris (D) 34.1%.
There are no results yet in the Fairfax County race. With two of 59 precincts reporting in the state Senate race — both from Democratic Norfolk — it’s Aaron Rouse (D) 153, Kevin Adams (R) 90.
7:09 p.m. The first of 60 precincts in the Ellen Campbell (R) -Jade Harris (D) race is in. Mountain Grove in Bath County has voted Campbell 16, Harris 3.
7 p.m. Polls have closed in the three special elections for the General Assembly being held today — for the House seat of the late Del. Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge County, for the House seat of former Del. Mark Keam, D-Fairfax County, who resigned to take a post with the Biden administration, and for the state Senate seat formerly held by Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach, who was elected to Congress. We’ll post results as we have them. Here’s background.