NORTHAMPTON, Va. — Republican State Sen. Bill DeSteph has won the race in Virginia's 20th State Senate District, fending off a challenge from Democrat Victoria Luevanos in the race to seat the new district.
As of 9:20 a.m. Wednesday, DeSteph is leading the race with 56% of the vote, compared to 44% for Luevanos.
The 20th Senate District is made up of a portion of Norfolk, all of Northampton and Accomack counties on the Eastern Shore, and the northern tip of Virginia Beach.
DeSteph, 58, is a businessman and veteran who has served in the Senate since 2016. Before that, he served in the House of Delegates from 2014 to 2016, and, before that, he was a member of the Virginia Beach City Council for eight and half years.
He said his top concerns going into the November election were the cost of gas, inflation, interest rates, crime and the economy.
He pushed for electing "common sense individuals" who can see both sides of the aisle, and ignore the extreme left and right.
"We need people who can look at the middle and say, here's where we're going to put the guardrails on these issues," DeSteph said.
The Senate's 20th District is new. It was re-drawn during redistricting and now includes portions of the old 6th, 7th and 8th districts
The 20th Senate District is made up of a portion of Norfolk, all of Northampton and Accomack counties on the Eastern Shore, and the northern tip of Virginia Beach. But the vast majority of voters, 67.89 %, come from Virginia Beach, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
DeSteph will be sworn in on January 10, when the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly convenes.
