League Monitoring Primaries as Virginia Voters Pick Nominees in Hotly Contested Races

Your League is closely monitoring today's primaries, as they'll set the stage for November's general elections which will see dozens of first-time lawmakers taking seats in the General Assembly. Look for a detailed summary from your League this week on the outcome of key primary races. 

• Related: League Readies for Busy Primary, Election Seasons and Unprecedented Turnover in General Assembly
• Related: Glenn Youngkin Eyes Total Control in Virginia
• Related: What Turnout Can We Expect Today?
• Related: As Primary Returns Come in Tonight, Here’s Where to Look for Election Trends

From the Associated Press: A Virginia legislative primary season marked by hard-fought campaigns in both parties will come to a close Tuesday, as voters pick their party’s nominee for dozens of seats, including some swing districts that will help determine the balance of power in the General Assembly.

Both parties and both chambers have competitive contests on the ballot in the primary election. An unusually high number of sitting officeholders are also facing serious challenges in an election season upended by new political maps.

This year marks the first cycle in which legislative candidates are running in districts created during the redistricting process that ended in late 2021. The new maps were drawn by outside experts without regard to incumbent protection. That’s contributed to a wave of retirements by many of the General Assembly’s veteran lawmakers and diminished the name-recognition advantage for incumbents, some of whom are running in almost entirely new districts.