Virginia Democrats officially have control of the State Senate.
Delegate Lynwood Lewis Junior has won the recount for the Hampton Roads Senate seat that became vacant after Democrat Ralph Northam was elected to serve as Lt. Governor. Included in this district are parts of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.
Lewis beat his Republican challenger Wayne Coleman by just nine votes in a special election. After the recount, Lewis’ lead grew to 11 points.
The victory means Democrat legislation is now more likely to pass the Senate, although Republicans continue to hold a strong majority in the state House of Delegates.
In a separate special election, Democrats also kept the Northern Virginia seat previously held by Attorney General Mark R. Herring.
Lieutenant Governor Northam issued a statement congratulating Senator-elect Lewis after the recount, and also thanking all election officials and volunteers that participated in the recount process.
“I look forward to the Sixth District being represented by Senator-elect Lewis and, again, I congratulate him and am looking forward to his joining the Senate, Northam wrote.
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe also issued a statement congratulating Lewis, and commending “Wayne Coleman for participating in this process with professionalism and respect.”
“I am glad that the process of filling each vacant seat in the General Assembly is now complete and I look forward to working with Lynwood and members of both parties in the General Assembly to tackle the challenges facing Virginia’s economy and communities,” McAuliffe said.
The Commonwealth state-wide elections were not with a recount either. Attorney General candidate Mark Obenshain (R – Virginia) conceded the Virginia Attorney General race to Democrat Mark Herring more than a month after the election.
