Local Democratic members of the House of Delegates won comfortable victories Nov. 2, even as Virginia voters appear to have selected Republicans for the top statewide offices.
All 100 House of Delegates seats were up for grab this November, as they always are during odd-numbered years, and every seat was contested, which is not a regular occurrence.
Del. Marcus Simon (D) defeated Republican challenger Sarah White in the 53rd District, which includes Falls Church and parts of the McLean area.
According to unofficial results, Simon received 22,292 votes (71.69 percent) and White 8,749 (28.14 percent). There also were 55 write-in votes (0.18 percent)
Simon, a lawyer and businessman, has held the seat since 2013, when he succeeded his mentor, the late Del. James Scott (D). White manages several restaurants and was a first-time candidate.
Del. Mark Keam (D) won a seventh two-year term after beating Republican challenger Kevin McGrath in the 35th District, which covers the Oakton and Vienna areas.
Voters cast 24,044 ballots (68.26 percent) for Keam and 11,132 (31.6 percent) for McGrath, according to the unofficial tally. There also were 48 write-in votes (0.14 percent).
Keam first was elected to the seat in 2009 and until this year had been challenged only once for re-election. McGrath is a retired CIA employee and was making is first bid for office.
Del. Kathleen Murphy (D) bested Republican Gary Pan again in the 34th District, which includes Great Falls and parts of McLean and Sterling.
Unofficial results listed Murphy as receiving 22,496 votes (56.74 percent) to Pan’s 17,109 (43.15 percent). Forty-five voters cast write-in ballots, which amounted to 0.11 percent of the tally.
Murphy, who also defeated Pan in the 2019 contest, first was elected to the seat in a January 2015 special election held after Del. Barbara Comstock was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2014. Murphy had to beat a challenger to win a full term in 2015 and has faced challengers in every election since.
Del. Rip Sullivan (D), whose 48th District contains parts of Arlington and McLean, easily beat Republican challenger Edward Monroe.
In unofficial results, Sullivan received 27,847 ballots (72.05 percent) to Monroe’s 10,709 (27.71 percent). Voters cast 92 write-in ballots (0.24 percent).
While not finding much success in liberal-leaning Northern Virginia, Republicans were poised for victory in the statewide races.
As of the morning of Nov. 3, with some precincts still not having reported their results, preliminary vote tallies put Glenn Youngkin (R) ahead of former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) for the governorship. McAuliffe has conceded Youngkin’s victory.
Youngkin received 1,663,982 votes (50.68 percent) to McAuliffe’s 1,594,221 (48.55 percent). Liberation candidate Princess Blanding received 22,631 votes (0.69 percent) and there were 2,633 write-ins (0.08 percent), according to the unofficial tally.
Unofficial results also put Winsome Sears (R) in front of Hala Ayala (D) for lieutenant governor, with 1,660,174 votes for Sears and 1601,728 for Ayala, and Jason Miyares (R) in the lead over two-term incumbent Mark Herring (D) in the race for Virginia attorney general. Miyares has 1,650,072 votes to Herring’s 1,615,206, according to the unofficial results.
Election officials will accept mailed-in absentee ballots through noon on Nov. 5 and will not certify the election until Nov. 15.