2015 Virginia Senate election

2015 Virginia Senate election
All 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia; 21 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	1,362,664
	Results:; Democratic hold ; Republican hold
Majority leader before election; Tommy Norment; Republican	Elected Majority leader ; Tommy Norment; Republican

The 2015 Virginia Senate election was held on November 3, 2015, to elect all 40 members of the Virginia Senate. Republicans retained their 21–19 majority in the chamber.

As of 2023, this is the most recent time that Republicans won a majority in the Senate.

District 1 • District 2 • District 3 • District 4 • District 5 • District 6 • District 7 • District 8 • District 9 • District 10 • District 11 • District 12 • District 13 • District 14 • District 15 • District 16 • District 17 • District 18 • District 19 • District 20 • District 21 • District 22 • District 23 • District 24 • District 25 • District 26 • District 27 • District 28 • District 29 • District 30 • District 31 • District 32 • District 33 • District 34 • District 35 • District 36 • District 37 • District 38 • District 39 • District 40

Previous composition

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total

	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of Previous Session (2008–2012)	22	18	40	0

Begin	20	20	40	0
July 3, 2012^{[c 1]}	19		39	1
September 17, 2012^{[c 2]}	20		40	0
August 5, 2013^{[c 3]}		19	39	1
August 16, 2013^{[c 4]}		20	40	0
January 11, 2014^{[c 5]}	18		38	2
January 24, 2014^{[c 6]}	19		39	1
January 28, 2014^{[c 7]}	20	20	40	0
June 8, 2014^{[c 8]}	19	20	39	1
July 2, 2014^{[c 9]}	18	20	38	2
August 19, 2014^{[c 10]}	18	21	39	1
November 4, 2014^{[c 11]}	19		40	0
January 13, 2015^{[c 12]}	19		40	0
Latest voting share	47.5%	52.5%

^ Democrat Yvonne B. Miller (District 5) died.
^ Democrat Kenny Alexander replaced Miller after September 4 special election.
^ Republican Harry Blevins (District 14) resigned. Although in theory Democrats had a brief numerical majority, the Senate was not in session. Additionally, rules adopted at the beginning of the 2012 session required a two-thirds supermajority vote to reorganize the Senate mid-session.
^ Republican John Cosgrove replaced Blevins after August 6 special election.
^ Democrats Ralph Northam (District 6) and Mark Herring (District 33) resigned upon being inaugurated Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, respectively.
^ Democrat Jennifer Wexton elected to succeed Herring.
^ Democrat Lynwood Lewis replaced Northam after January 7 special election and January 27 recount. After regaining a numerical majority in the Senate, the Democrats voted to change the Senate's rules and reorganize the chamber, putting the Senate back under Democratic control.
^ Democrat Phillip Puckett (District 38) resigned. Republicans regained effective control and adopted their own rules change effective June 12.
^ Democrat Henry L. Marsh (District 16) resigned to take a seat on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
^ Republican Ben Chafin elected to succeed Puckett.
^ Democrat Rosalyn Dance elected to succeed Marsh.
^ Republicans Jeffrey McWaters (District 8), John Watkins (District 10), Walter Stosch (District 12) & Ralph K. Smith (District 19) & Democrats Charles Colgan (District 29) & Toddy Puller (District 36) Retiring, Replaced respectively by, Republicans Bill DeSteph, Glen Sturtevant, Siobhan Dunnavant & David Suetterlein & Democrats Jeremy McPike & Scott Surovell, No seats changing party.

Summary

2015 Virginia Senate election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	30 candidates (21 elected)	716,331	52.57%	+0
	Democratic	30 candidates (19 elected)	596,198	43.75%	+0
	Independent Greens	3 candidates	14,622	1.07%	+0
	Independents	4 candidates	12,731	0.93%	+0
	Libertarian	1 - Carl Richard Loser	527	0.04%	+0
	Write-ins		22,255	1.63%	N/A
Total votes			1,362,664	100.0%
	Republican hold		Swing	0

Results by district

District 1

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Virginia Senate, 1st District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Clifford Miller (incumbent)	17,989	59.3%
	Republican	Mark Randolph Matney	12,278	40.5%
	Write-ins		69	0.2%
Total votes			30,336	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 2

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Virginia Senate, 2nd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mamie Evelyn Locke (incumbent)	17,459	94.1%
	Write-ins		1,087	5.9%
Total votes			18,546	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 3

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Virginia Senate, 3rd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thomas Kent Norment Jr. (incumbent)	35,520	69.5%
	Democratic	Hugo Eduardo Reyes	15,432	30.2%
	Write-ins		147	0.3%
Total votes			51,099	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 4

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Virginia Senate, 4th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Ryan Todd McDougle (incumbent)	37,882	96.0%
	Write-ins		1,573	4%
Total votes			39,455	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 5

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Virginia Senate, 5th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kenneth Cooper Alexander (incumbent)	13,955	95.4%
	Write-ins		668	4.6%
Total votes			14,623	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 6

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Virginia Senate, 6th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lynwood Wayne Lewis Jr. (incumbent)	16,738	59.5%
	Republican	Richard Hooper Ottinger	11,386	40.4%
	Write-ins		29	0.1%
Total votes			28,153	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 7

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Virginia Senate, 7th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank W. Wagner (incumbent)	18,266	53.9%
	Democratic	Gary Thomas McCollum	15,434	45.5%
	Write-ins		208	0.6%
Total votes			33,908	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 8

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Virginia Senate, 8th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Howard David Belote	11,075	40.9%
	Republican	Bill R. DeSteph Jr.	15,905	58.7%
	Write-ins		106	0.4%
Total votes			27,086	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 9

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Virginia Senate, 9th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	A. Donald McEachin (incumbent)	31,067	95.0%
	Write-ins		1,620	5%
Total votes			32,687	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 10

Virginia Senate, 10th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Daniel Allen Gecker	26,173	47.1%
	Republican	Glen Howard Sturtevant Jr.	27,651	49.8%
	Independent Greens	Marleen K. Durfee	1,136	2.0%
	Libertarian	Carl Richard Loser	527	1.0%
	Write-ins		60	0.1%
	Republican hold
Total votes			55,547	100.0%

District 11

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Virginia Senate, 11th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ernest Wayne Powell	15,485	36.2%
	Republican	Amanda Freeman Chase	27,218	63.6%
	Write-ins		111	0.3%
Total votes			42,814	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 12

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Virginia Senate, 12th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Deborah M. Repp	16,797	38.0%
	Republican	Siobhan Stolle Dunnavant	25,504	57.6%
	Independent	Robert Scott Johnson	1,881	4.3%
	Write-ins		65	0.1%
Total votes			44,247	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 13

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Virginia Senate, 13th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	R. H. Black (incumbent)	25,898	52.3%
	Democratic	Barbra Jill McCabe	23,544	47.5%
	Write-ins		84	0.2%
Total votes			49,526	100.0
	Republican hold

District 14

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Virginia Senate, 14th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	J. A. Cosgrove Jr. (incumbent)	15,371	92.4%
	Write-ins		1,266	7.6%
Total votes			16,637	100.0
	Republican hold

District 15

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Virginia Senate, 15th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Frank Miller Ruff Jr. (incumbent)	32,745	98.3%
	Write-ins		572	1.7%
Total votes			33,317	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 16

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Virginia Senate, 16th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Rosalyn Randolph Dance (incumbent)	17,331	72.7%
	Independent	Joseph D. Morrissey^[2]	6,090	25.5%
	Write-ins		428	1.8%
Total votes			23,849	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 17

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Virginia Senate, 17th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bryce E. Reeves (incumbent)	24,519	62.1%
	Democratic	Ned Lee Gallaway	14,915	37.8%
	Write-ins		53	0.1%
Total votes			39,487	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 18

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Virginia Senate, 18th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Lillie Louise Boone Lucas (incumbent)	20,321	95.6%
	Write-ins		942	4.4%
Total votes			21,263	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 19

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Virginia Senate, 19th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael Lawrence Hamlar	15,738	30.8%
	Republican	David Robert Suetterlein	33,120	64.9%
	Independent	Steven Lee Nelson	2,134	4.2%
	Write-ins		71	0.1%
Total votes			51,063	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 20

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Virginia Senate, 20th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	William Martin Stanley Jr. (incumbent)	22,701	57.9%
	Democratic	Kimberly Elliott Adkins	16,455	42.0%
	Write-ins		67	0.2%
Total votes			39,223	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 21

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Virginia Senate, 21st District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Saul Edwards (incumbent)	20,881	50.9%
	Republican	Nancy Vivian Dye	17,438	42.5%
	Independent	Donald Stevens Caldwell	2,626	6.4%
	Write-ins		42	0.1%
Total votes			40,987	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 22

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Virginia Senate, 22nd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Thomas A. Garrett Jr. (incumbent)	24,913	95.3%
	Write-ins		1,219	4.7%
Total votes			26,132	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 23

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Virginia Senate, 23rd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Stephen Dwayne Newman (incumbent)	27,309	96.7%
	Write-ins		923	3.3%
Total votes			28,232	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 24

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Virginia Senate, 24th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Emmett Wilson Hanger Jr. (incumbent)	34,980	97.9%
	Write-ins		765	2.1%
Total votes			35,745	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 25

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Virginia Senate, 25th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Robert Creigh Deeds (incumbent)	34,419	97.2%
	Write-ins		984	2.8%
Total votes			35,403	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 26

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Virginia Senate, 26th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Mark Dudley Obenshain (incumbent)	25,042	68.7%
	Democratic	April Dorothea Moore	11,308	31.0%
	Write-ins		89	0.2%
Total votes			36,439	100.0
	Republican hold

District 27

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Virginia Senate, 27th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jill Holtzman Vogel (incumbent)	34,203	97.3%
	Write-ins		964	2.7%
Total votes			35,167	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 28

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Virginia Senate, 28th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard Henry Stuart Sr. (incumbent)	30,187	95.4%
	Write-ins		1,446	4.6%
Total votes			31,633	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 29

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Virginia Senate, 29th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jeremy Scott McPike	16,489	53.7%
	Republican	Harry "Hal" Jacob Parrish, II	14,131	46.1%
	Write-ins		60	0.2%
Total votes			30,680	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 30

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Virginia Senate, 30th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Adam Paul Ebbin (incumbent)	27,274	76.7%
	Independent Greens	James Ronald Fisher	7,431	20.9%
	Write-ins		842	2.4%
Total votes			35,547	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 31

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Virginia Senate, 31st District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Barbara Ann Favola (incumbent)	26,373	62.3%
	Republican	George Forakis	15,904	37.5%
	Write-ins		81	0.2%
Total votes			42,358	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 32

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Virginia Senate, 32nd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Janet Denison Howell (incumbent)	31,156	94.0%
	Write-ins		1,974	6%
Total votes			33,130	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 33

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Virginia Senate, 33rd District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jennifer Tosini Wexton (incumbent)	18,577	56.6%
	Republican	Stephen Bartholomew Hollingshead	14,190	43.2%
	Write-ins		59	0.2%
Total votes			32,826	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 34

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Virginia Senate, 34th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Chapman "Chap" Petersen (incumbent)	27,690	93.6%
	Write-ins		1,881	6.4%
Total votes			29,571	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 35

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Virginia Senate, 35th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Lawrence Saslaw (incumbent)	18,754	74.4%
	Independent Greens	Terrence Wayne Modglin	6,055	24%
	Write-ins		383	1.5%
Total votes			25,192	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 36

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Virginia Senate, 36th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Scott A. Surovell	18,320	60.5%
	Republican	Gerald Moodrow Foreman, II	11,890	39.3%
	Write-ins		62	0.2%
Total votes			30,272	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 37

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Virginia Senate, 37th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David William Marsden (incumbent)	18,966	55.4%
	Republican	David Michael Bergman	15,216	44.5%
	Write-ins		38	0.1%
Total votes			34,220	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 38

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Virginia Senate, 38th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Augustus Benton Chafin Jr. (incumbent)	31,025	98.3%
	Write-ins		537	1.7%
Total votes			31,562	100.0%
	Republican hold

District 39

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Virginia Senate, 39th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	George L. Barker (incumbent)	20,083	53.9%
	Republican	Joseph "Joe" Robert Murray	17,101	45.9%
	Write-ins		85	0.2%
Total votes			37,269	100.0%
	Democratic hold

District 40

Virginia Senate, 40th District general election
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	C. W. "Bill" Carrico (incumbent)	36,838	98.4%
	Write-ins		595	1.6%
Total votes			37,433	100.0%
	Republican hold

Notes

^ A majority of 20 is also possible as the Lt. Gov. of Virginia holds a tie-breaker vote.

References

^ "Virginia Elections Database » Search Elections".
^ Joseph Morrissey withdrew from the race on September 10, 2015, however he remained on the ballot.

[2] Democrat Yvonne B. Miller (District 5) died.

[3] Democrat Kenny Alexander replaced Miller after September 4 special election.

[4] Republican Harry Blevins (District 14) resigned. Although in theory Democrats had a brief numerical majority, the Senate was not in session. Additionally, rules adopted at the beginning of the 2012 session required a two-thirds supermajority vote to reorganize the Senate mid-session.

[5] Republican John Cosgrove replaced Blevins after August 6 special election.

[6] Democrats Ralph Northam (District 6) and Mark Herring (District 33) resigned upon being inaugurated Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, respectively.

[7] Democrat Jennifer Wexton elected to succeed Herring.

[8] Democrat Lynwood Lewis replaced Northam after January 7 special election and January 27 recount. After regaining a numerical majority in the Senate, the Democrats voted to change the Senate's rules and reorganize the chamber, putting the Senate back under Democratic control.

[9] Democrat Phillip Puckett (District 38) resigned. Republicans regained effective control and adopted their own rules change effective June 12.

[10] Democrat Henry L. Marsh (District 16) resigned to take a seat on the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

[11] Republican Ben Chafin elected to succeed Puckett.

[12] Democrat Rosalyn Dance elected to succeed Marsh.

[13] Republicans Jeffrey McWaters (District 8), John Watkins (District 10), Walter Stosch (District 12) & Ralph K. Smith (District 19) & Democrats Charles Colgan (District 29) & Toddy Puller (District 36) Retiring, Replaced respectively by, Republicans Bill DeSteph, Glen Sturtevant, Siobhan Dunnavant & David Suetterlein & Democrats Jeremy McPike & Scott Surovell, No seats changing party.

[1] A majority of 20 is also possible as the Lt. Gov. of Virginia holds a tie-breaker vote.

[14] "Virginia Elections Database » Search Elections".

[15] Joseph Morrissey withdrew from the race on September 10, 2015, however he remained on the ballot.

[a]

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