Candidates vying for nominations in General Assembly races

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The November elections will bring big changes in the Virginia General Assembly, but many of the races are being decided right now, as candidates fight for their parties’ nominations.

Some candidates are unopposed. Others have already been nominated through mass meetings and conventions. And the remaining primaries are scheduled on June 20.

In many cases, winning the nomination is tantamount to winning the general election.

“Certainly, one of the marquee races is in the 47th House District between Wren Williams and Marie March,” said WDBJ7 political analyst Bob Denton. That race includes two incumbents, each with one term in the books, battling for the nomination.

The district, Denton said, gave Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin 78% of the vote.

So the winner of the nomination is the odds-on favorite in November. And that situation is repeated in a number of other districts.

“When you look at the House, maybe only 17 out of 100 seats might be competitive in the fall and only eight or so out of 40 in the Senate,” Denton said. “The vast majority of the districts in both the House and the Senate, they absolutely favor one party or the other, so really the interparty primary is the real election and will determine likely who will be elected in the fall.”

No matter what happens during primary season, or in the general election in November, we will see many new faces in the General Assembly next year.

In the wake of redistricting, 10 members of the Senate are not running for reelection. And 30 members of the House are retiring or leaving the House to run for the Senate.

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