PORTSMOUTH, Va. — In a race against two Democratic incumbents, State Sen. Louise Lucas is the projected winner over Sen. Lionel Spruill in what was a hotly-contested primary election for a newly drawn district that covers parts of Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
Virginia Senate District 18 was redrawn in December 2021 by the Virginia Supreme Court.
The winner will now face the Republican nominee, Portsmouth businessman Tony Goodwin, in the Nov. 8 general election, when voters across the state will decide which party controls the Virginia General Assembly.
Unofficial results showed Lucas with about a six-point lead, with 98% of precincts reporting.
The new district mainly sprawls across parts of Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Most of it includes Spruill's old District 5.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, 64% of the district is in Chesapeake and 36% in Portsmouth. However, the lines are drawn to include only 10,000 more Chesapeake residents than Portsmouth residents.
"Sad, yes, but in this business, someone has to lose, someone has to win," Spruill said Tuesday night. "Her campaign did a good job on their style. We did the best job, but we just didn't win."
If Lucas wins the November race, she said she is poised to chair the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, since one of its co-chairs, Democratic Sen. Janet Howell, is retiring.
Since the committee has been co-chaired by two Democrats from Northern Virginia, Lucas believes her chairmanship would give her Hampton Roads constituents a bigger seat at the table when it comes to how the state government spends its money.
"We're going to work together to make sure Hampton Roads gets its share of the state pie," Lucas said.
When asked what her first priority would be if she is sent back to Richmond, she answered: "To live up to my commitment to the Superintendents of Schools in Chesapeake and Portsmouth and that is to build a Career & Technical Education Center."
Lucas brands herself a fighter, Spruill's campaign focuses on hot-button issues
Lucas has been in the Virginia Senate since 1992 and is the president pro tempore, one of the highest ranks in that chamber. Spruill was elected in a special election in 2016 but served as a House delegate from 1994 to 2016.
Lucas has positioned herself as a fighter for Democratic values, even donning boxing gloves in recent campaign ads, and has also become known for her vibrant Twitter presence.
With nearly 90,000 followers on the social media platform, she largely takes aim at Gov. Glenn Youngkin and other Republicans, arguing that the Democratic majority in the Senate is the "brick wall" against conservative priorities.
During this election cycle, Spruill has run a more positive campaign focused on more kitchen-table priorities, while not shying away from hot-button issues.
Some of his priorities include expanding Medicare for Virginians, making hearing aids more affordable, protecting abortion rights, strengthening gun laws, and protecting LGBTQ+ rights.
One of Spruill's campaign ads focuses on his childhood dealing with near-deafness and how he overcame obstacles to eventually become an elected official.