Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at the Salem Civic Center, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, in Salem, Virginia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
The third special election on Tuesday took place in a state Senate district west of Richmond, Virginia's capital city, where Republican Luther Cifers defeated Democrat Jack Trammell.
The seat became vacant when state Sen. John McGuire, who with the support of Trump, narrowly edged U.S. Rep. Bob Good in a contentious GOP primary last June before winning election to Congress in November.
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Democrats will retain their 21-19 majority in the Virginia Senate and their 51-49 control of the state House of Delegates, during Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's final year in office.
Youngkin energized Republicans nationwide three years ago, as the first-time candidate who hailed from the party’s business wing edged out former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021 to become the first GOP candidate in a dozen years to win a gubernatorial election in the one-time swing state that had trended towards the Democrats over the previous decade.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Salem Virginia, on Saturday, Nov 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Virginia is unique due to its state law preventing governors from serving two consecutive four-year terms, so Youngkin cannot run for re-election next year.
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Virginia and New Jersey are the only two states in the nation to hold gubernatorial elections in the year after a presidential election. Because of that, both contests receive outsized national attention, and Virginia in particular is often seen as a bellwether of the national political climate and how Americans feel about the party in the White House.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/what-virginias-special-elections-tell-us-about-bigger-ballot-box-battles-come-2025-2026