VA-SD15: Democrats brace for quick special election in deep-blue Senate district

A special election to fill the state Senate seat being vacated by Lt. Gov.-elect Ghazala Hashmi is expected to take place before the General Assembly convenes for its 2026 session in January, setting up a rapid-fire Democratic contest in a deep-blue district that spans parts of Richmond and Chesterfield County.

Hashmi, a Democrat first elected in 2019, won the lieutenant governorship earlier this month, leaving her 15th District seat open just one year into her second term.

Under Virginia law, the highest-ranking member of the Senate — currently Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth — is responsible for calling a special election while the chamber is still in session. If lawmakers have adjourned, the responsibility shifts to the governor.

Lucas did not respond to a request for comment.



https://virginiamercury.com/2025/11/19/democrats-brace-for-quick-special-election-in-deep-blue-senate-district-15/