Virginians are headed to the polls on Nov. 4 to choose between a slew of candidates campaigning for seats in the House of Delegates.
In Democrats’ fight to hold on to their razor-thin 51-49 majority in the state House, the party is running candidates in all 100 districts for the first time in recent history. Republicans are battling to keep rivals from flipping Republican-held seats, particularly in districts former Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris won last year.
Here’s a rundown of the closest races to watch, based on the Virginia Public Access Project’s “VPAP Index,” which classified 10 districts this year as competitive.
District 97: Feggans v. Anderson
In District 97, Democrat incumbent Del. Michael Feggans is facing former Del. Tim Anderson, a Republican attorney who represented western Virginia Beach and part of Norfolk’s Ocean View area from 2022-23.
Feggans, a 20-year Air Force veteran, flipped the seat blue in 2023. The swing district narrowly went for Harris during the 2024 election after Youngkin won it by 50.6%.
This year, in terms of fundraising, Feggans was ahead with over $627,000 as of the end of August, compared to Anderson’s nearly $385,000.
District 97 “is going to be the road to the majority,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) said during a recent Republican fundraiser. “That’s the 50th seat right there…That’s going to be the seat that changes everything.”
District 89: Carnegie v. Lamonea
In District 89, Democrat attorney Karen Carnegie will face GOP candidate Mike Lamonea, a current Chesapeake School Board member and retired special agent with ICE Homeland Security Investigations. The seat is open after Republican incumbent Baxter Ennis declined to seek reelection.
Carnegie holds a fundraising advantage in the district, which Harris narrowly won last year, according to the Augusta Free Press. Ennis won in 2023 by 521 votes.
The district encompasses parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk.
District 86: Cordoza v. Thornton
In District 86, Republican incumbent A.C. Cordoza is running against Democratic challenger Virgil Gene Thornton Sr.
The race is the second tightest in the General Assembly, according to data from State Navigate, a nonpartisan political research nonprofit. A recent poll from the organization handed Thornton, who was a civilian technician for the U.S. Navy, a razor-thin lead ahead of the election, after the Democrat released an attack ad alleging his Republican opponent “has a long history of predatory behavior.” Cordoza has denied all allegations.
Thornton has outraised Cordoza, collecting more than $370,000 in donations compared to Cordoza’s roughly $220,000, according to campaign finance reports.
The district narrowly went for Harris last year after Cordoza secured reelection in 2023 and defeated Democrat challenger Jarris Taylor Jr. by roughly 13 points.
The working-class district comprises Poquoson and parts of Hampton and York County.
District 82: Taylor v. Adams
In District 82, Republican incumbent Del. Kim Taylor is hoping to fend off Democratic challenger Kimberly Pope Adams. The two women are in a rematch after Taylor, the co-owner of three auto repair shops, beat Adams in the 2023 election by just 53 votes, in what was the closest House race that year.
This time around, Adams, who has a background as an accountant and has made abortion access a cornerstone of her campaign, has outraised the Republican incumbent by a large margin.
The district encompasses Petersburg, as well as eastern Dinwiddie County to Surry County, and parts of Prince George’s County.
District 75: Coyner v. Dougherty
In District 75, incumbent Republican Del. Carrie Coyner and Democrat Lindsey Dougherty are engaging in a rematch six years after they first squared off in the south Richmond suburbs. At the time, Dougherty lost by a 55–45 margin.
Dougherty is a senior research administrator at Virginia Commonwealth University who manages NIH and NSF grants, according to the Virginia Mercury. The Democrat holds a massive fundraising lead, according to VPAP, as she fights to flip the once-reliably Republican seat, which went for Harris 52% to 46% in the 2024 presidential election.
Coyner is the lawmaker whom Lt. Gov. Jay Jones sent the inflammatory texts to in 2022 that blew up his attorney general’s campaign this year. Coyner confirmed the veracity of the leaked messages earlier this month, explaining that Jones had initially mistakenly texted her “terrible” messages in which he mused about killing then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert, thinking she was someone else, before continuing to send additional messages.
Coyner’s district comprises portions of Hopewell, Prince George’s, and Chesterfield counties.
District 71: Batten v. Anderson
In District 71, Republican incumbent Amanda Batten, who has represented the area since 2019 and is seeking her fourth full term, is running against Democratic challenger Jessica Anderson.
The race marks a Virginia rematch, after Batten won a 2023 race against Anderson by just 667 votes. This time around, Anderson has outraised the GOP incumbent by a significant margin, according to data from VPAP.
Democratic House Speaker Don Scott has described this as one of the five priority races in Virginia. The swing district combines historic Williamsburg, neighborhoods in James City County, and the suburbs of New Kent.
District 65: Cole v. Steinway
In District 65, Democratic incumbent Del. Joshua Cole is running for re-election against GOP challenger Sean Steinway.
Cole, a former Stafford NAACP president and local pastor, was first elected in 2019. Steinway is a Marine Corps veteran and former Fairfax County police officer who is currently a Stafford deputy sheriff and small business owner.
The district covers Fredericksburg and parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties.
District 57: Owen v. Nivar
In District 57, Republican incumbent Del. David Owen is facing a challenge from Democrat May Nivar in a race that has shaped up to center around abortion access, among other issues.
Nivar has outraised the Republican freshman by over $200,000.
The district includes parts of Henrico and Goochland counties.
District 22: Lovejoy v. Guzmán
In District 22, first-term incumbent Republican Del. Ian Lovejoy faces Elizabeth Guzmán, who once served in the House of Delegates. Guzman’s campaign has financially outperformed her opponent’s, raising over $946,000 compared to Lovejoy’s roughly $537,000 as of Oct. 5, according to VPAP.
The district includes parts of Prince William County and narrowly favored Harris in the 2024 election.
District 21: Thomas v. Gorham
In District 21, incumbent Democratic Del. Josh Thomas faces a challenge from Republican Gregory Lee Gorham. Thomas has outraised Gorham by a sweeping margin of $1,158,942 is how many times as much as $21,570, according to VPAP.
The district includes parts of Prince William County. Harris won the district, taking 51.5% of the vote in 2024.
Honorable mention: District 30
In addition to the 10 races rated competitive by VPAP, State Navigate categorized District 30 as the tightest race in the House of Delegates this year.
Republican Del. Geary Higgins is facing off against Democrat John McAuliff. The Democratic challenger spent three years in the House of Delegates as a Chief of Staff and worked under then-President Biden’s Office of Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. He is now a small business owner in Warrenton.
LIVE RESULTS: CHECK OUR INTERACTIVE MAP FOR VIRGINIA GUBERNATORIAL RACE
Trump carried the Northern Virginia district by one percentage point last year.
The district spans from Marshall in northern Fauquier County to Lovettsville in northern Loudoun County.
