Democrat Holly Seibold sailed to a 2-to-1 victory over Republican Monique Baroudi Jan. 10 in the special election to fill the vacant 35th District seat in the House of Delegates.
With 22 of 23 precincts reporting as of 9:30 p.m., Seibold had garnered 7,321 votes (67.25 percent) to Baroudi’s 3,555 (32.65 percent). There also were 11 write-in ballots cast, which accounted for the remaining 0.1 percent of the tally.
The 35th District seat has been vacant since Del. Mark Keam (D), who had held the post since 2010, resigned in September to take a job in the Biden administration.
Seibold, a Vienna resident who serves as founder and executive director of BRAWS (Bringing Resources to Aid Women’s Shelters), will not have much time to savor her victory. This year’s General Assembly session in Richmond kicks off Jan. 11 and will last 46 days.
Answering a questionnaire from the Sun Gazette before the election, Seibold said she would like to protect women’s reproductive rights, maintain Democrats’ recent gun-control victories, ensure that children receive high-quality education and address climate change by strengthening the state’s carbon-emissions standards.
Baroudi, who lives in Oakton, had campaigned to improve schools, tackle crime and promote “common-sense” energy legislation that did not overly rely on “green” energy sources.