The special election to determine who will represent Virginia’s 10th Senate District has been scheduled for Jan. 7, the day before the 2025 legislative session is slated to begin.
Senate leadership was unable to set a date for the special election until state Sen. John McGuire formally resigned from his seat to serve in Congress in the coming year. McGuire issued his resignation Tuesday.
In a statement he shared after he sent his resignation letter to Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth. McGuire noted his work on bipartisan legislation while a member of the House of Delegates and state Senate as highlights of his time in the General Assembly.
“Many know we decided to run for Congress after receiving countless complaints around the 5th Congressional District about our current congressman for his disrespect towards fellow constituents,” McGuire said, referring to outgoing Rep. Bob Good, R-Farmville.
McGuire beat Good in a hotly contested primary election with a margin of roughly 370 votes and a subsequent recount. McGuire went on to win election to Congress in the solidly Republican 5th District.
Why did McGuire wait to resign?
It’s unclear why McGuire waited longer than a month after the Nov. 5 election and more than a week after the election results were certified on Dec. 2 to formally resign from the Senate. Sean Brown, a spokesperson for his Congressional campaign, said he did not know why McGuire waited until Dec. 10 to submit his resignation.
The date for special elections in the 32nd Senate District and the 26th House of Delegates District was determined in November. Those elections will take place on Jan. 7 as well.
McGuire noted in his statement that the Republican Party had already scheduled a nominating process to select his successor. That process will be a mass meeting, scheduled for Friday.
Seven candidates lined up for Republican nomination
McGuire’s delayed resignation did not stop seven candidates from lining up to seek the Republican nomination in the upcoming race.
Those candidates are, in alphabetical order: Duane Adams, chair of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors; Amanda Chase, a former state senator who lost a primary election in the 12th District 2023 race to Sen. Glen Sturtevant; Alex Cheatham, a recent college graduate who said he’s seeking to motivate young Republicans; Luther Cifers, a businessman who launched YakAttack; Jean Gannon, former chair of the Powhatan County Republican Party; Bryan Hamlet, a member of the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors; and Shayne Snavely, a former legislative aide to Chase and Sen. Bryce Reeves.
The deadline for candidates to file to run in the race for the 10th Senate District is 5 p.m. Dec. 16.
Whoever wins the Republican nomination will go up against Democrat Jack Trammell. Virginia’s 10th Senate District is considered a Republican stronghold.
Republican mass meeting to take place Friday
The mass meeting to determine the GOP nominee is scheduled to take place Friday at the Goochland Sports Complex. Residents of the 10th District who want to take part in the process can register at the complex between 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. that day.
Mass meeting attendees, who are credentialed when they register at the door, will vote in rounds for one candidate each round until a candidate receives the majority of the votes.
District 10 encompasses 11 localities, including Appomattox, Amelia and Louisa counties.
