Virginia’s primary election results are in, setting the stage for the general election.
This year, all seats in the General Assembly are re-elected. Now that we know which candidates are advancing, political analyst Dr. Eric Claville sat down with News 3 anchors Jessica Larché and Erin Miller to break down the results.
Louise Lucas comes out on top in the 18th Senate District
State Sen. Louise Lucas defeated state Sen. Lionell Spruill in the Democratic primary in the 18th Senate District, which includes parts of Portsmouth and Chesapeake. The race was intense, with both candidates running attack ads against each other. Dr. Claville had this to say about Lucas’ win:
“[Her victory] it means a lot in terms of the power structure in the Senate, and also in the General Assembly itself. This means that Senator Luis Lucas is now the highest ranking senator in the state. This is a very important position: it has the ability to assign commissions [and] the ability to do it quite through the legislature itself,” said Dr. Claville.
He also commented on the loss of Senator Spruill.
“Unfortunately, we’re losing Senator Spruill, a longtime public servant. But redistricting played a big role in this particular race. It pitted two incumbents, two long-term public servants, against each other. in a new Senate district,” said Dr. Clove
What changed after redistricting?
Dr. Claville explained the impact redistricting has had on the Commonwealth and how it could change the political landscape in the future.
“Since 2016, we have changed more than 100 seats. And because of redistricting, we’re going to see more of that. So with that, we see where a lot of legislators decided to resign, retire or run for a different office,” said Dr. Claville. “We also saw that here in the city of Norfolk, where the now delegate Angelia Williams Graves, ran for the Senate seat here in Norfolk, which is a newly created seat.”
Will the Democrats flip the House? Will the Republicans flip the Senate?
Dr. Claville predicts that the Democrats will come out on top in the fall.
“We’re probably going to see the Democrats take back the House. We’re probably going to see the Democrats continue to hold the Senate,” Dr. Claville said.
He also highlighted how many influential political leaders are from Hampton Roads and the impact the region has on state political affairs.
“We still have the executive offices that are based in Virginia Beach here in Hampton Roads — the governor [lived in] Virginia Beach, the lieutenant governor resides in Virginia Beach, and so does the attorney general,” said Dr. Claville. “So when we look at the history of the legislature, when we look at the power structure of government. Hampton Roads is the powerhouse for that.”
What topics will be hotly debated among legislators?
Dr. Claville says she expects fights over the following major issues: reproductive freedom and women’s rights, gun safety, education and voting rights. He said lawmakers could also clash over climate mitigation measures.
Click on the video player to listen to Dr. Claville with Jessica and Erin.
