NORFOLK, Va. — The primary elections on Tuesday are Virginia's first political contests under the newly drawn General Assembly districts, and political experts say that means changes are coming.
Voters will choose party nominees for nine seats in the General Assembly across Hampton Roads. Of those races, five are for the House of Delegates, and four for the State Senate.
The Nov. 7 election is the first time the 40-seat Virginia Senate has been on the ballot since 2019, and the 100-seat House of Delegates since 2021.
Right now, Republicans hold a slight majority of seats in the House, while Democrats hold a slight majority in the Senate.
“Redistricting here in the Commonwealth of Virginia is going to change the landscape of politics in Virginia for years to come,” Dr. Eric W. Claville, a political and legal expert, told 13News Now.
Claville explained that the impact of newly drawn districts is playing out in these primary elections.
Changes to the legislative map prompted a wave of political retirements and contested primaries, including the only battle of incumbents in the Senate between Democrats Louise Lucas and Lionell Spruill in District 18.
Senate District 18 covers parts of Portsmouth and Chesapeake, and depending on the results, there could be a power shift in Richmond, with Lucas being the Senate’s most senior member.
"In the case Sen. Lucas does lose this election, then the power shift of the Senate shifts from this region to the Northern region," Claville said.
Claville expects low voter turnout, which would be consistent with past primaries. With that, he said results will greatly depend on candidates' abilities to work with partners to get people to the polls.
“Primary election I like to say, it’s less about police and more about people’s connection," he said.
He predicts that will also be true in Norfolk, which features a Senate race between two known candidates in the community: Del. Angelia Williams Graves and Norfolk City Councilwoman Andria McClellan.
“Norfolk has never had a minority senate district in the history of the Commonwealth. So right now there’s an opportunity for the City of Norfolk to have a state senator," he said.
On the Republican side, the race for the Senate’s 17th district, which includes Suffolk, Isle of Wight and parts of Portsmouth. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin endorsed Del. Emily Brewer against former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler.
After Tuesday’s dust settles, all eyes will turn to November when all 140 seats in the General Assembly will be on the ballot.