SUFFOLK, Va. — Democrat Nadarius Clark has won the race in Virginia's 84th House District, defeating Republican challenger Mike Dillender in an election covering Franklin and parts of Suffolk, Isle of Wight County and Chesapeake.
As of 11:20 p.m. Tuesday, Clark is leading the race with 53% of the vote, compared to 47% for Dillender.
Clark's victory will mark his second term in the House of Delegates, although in a new district. He previously represented the 79th District, which used to be comprised of Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth. He resigned his seat earlier this year to run in the 84th District.
"First, I want to start by thanking God, my family, my staff, my friends, and all of whom I couldn’t have gotten through these past months without," Clark wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). "Your support drives me and will continue to as I get ready to head back to Richmond."
In 2021, he made history as the youngest Democrat ever elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Before his time in office, Clark was an activist in other Democratic campaigns and radio host. He graduated from I.C. Norcom High School in Portsmouth.
This year, Clark campaigned on addressing gun violence, debt relief at the state level and protecting abortion access.
"They care about funding public school, they stood for gun violence prevention, they stood up for women's right to choose and so many more issues that matter to the voters. This is not just a win for [me] but a win for the issues that matter to the 84th district," Clark said after his election night watch party.
Clark will be sworn in on January 10, when the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly convenes.