(The Center Square) – In a historic blue wave across the commonwealth, Virginia Democrats flipped 13 House of Delegates seats on Tuesday, giving the party full control of the General Assembly.
With wins across Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads and Chesterfield County, Democrats expanded their majority in the 100-member chamber from 51 to 64 seats, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
The victories came alongside a clean sweep of statewide offices, as Abigail Spanberger was elected governor, Sen. Ghazala Hashmi became Virginia’s first Muslim lieutenant governor and former delegate Jay Jones unseated Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Spanberger won with 57.1% of the vote to Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ 42.7%. Hashmi defeated Republican radio host John Reid with 55.2% to 44.5%, while Jones topped Miyares 52.7% to 46.8%.
Among the most closely watched House races was District 41, where Democrat Lily Franklin defeated Republican incumbent Chris Obenshain in a rematch two years after losing to him by just 183 votes.
Franklin, a former teacher, said voters are “ready for new leadership” after years of rising costs and long work hours.
Obenshain conceded late Tuesday, saying on X that Franklin “ran a spirited campaign” and that “our society is better off when we have a healthy two-party system that engages in debate.”
He continued, “Tonight was a setback not just for me, but also for the causes I have championed and the people I have sought to represent. Ultimately, though, the voters have the final word, and while this result is disappointing, I respect their decision tonight.”
Another key race was in Chesterfield and Hopewell, where Democrat Lindsey Daugherty defeated Republican Delegate Carrie Coyner in District 75. Coyner made headlines in October after sharing text messages with National Review from Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, alleging violent rhetoric.
In Prince William County, former Del. Elizabeth Guzman returned to the House of Delegates, winning District 22 with 54.6% of the vote. Guzman, who represented the 31st District from 2018 to 2024, previously ran for lieutenant governor before stepping away from the House.
In Chesterfield’s District 73, Republican Del. Mark Earley Jr. conceded Wednesday morning after losing to Democrat Leslie Mehta, who won with 51.5% of the vote to Earley’s 48.3%.
Earley called it a tough election cycle, writing that his campaign “left it all on the field” and that “sometimes there are wave elections, and we got caught in a wave on Tuesday.”
During a Wednesday morning press conference, Gov. Glenn Youngkin congratulated Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger and thanked all candidates and local election officials for what he called an accurate and transparent election process.
Youngkin said he plans to support Spanberger’s transition over the next 10 weeks, noting that Virginia’s one-term system means every governor inherits the baton from the last. He said his administration will “finish strong” before handing off what he described as a stronger Virginia with record job growth, investment and opportunity.
Democrats now enter the 2026 session with control of both chambers and all three statewide offices.
