Republicans swept two special elections in two overlapping Southside districts on Tuesday, sending two new lawmakers to Richmond just in time for taking their oaths of office when the General Assembly is set to reconvene for its 2024 session on Wednesday.
In the 9th state Senate District, Republican Tammy Brankley Mulchi defeated Democrat Tina Wyatt-Younger in the special election for the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Frank Ruff, R-Mecklenburg County, who is retiring for health reasons. As of 7:50 p.m., Mulchi led Wyatt-Younger with 62-37%, or 5,886 to 3,527 votes, with six out of eight localities reporting, according to unofficial results by the Virginia Department of Elections.
Mulchi, 57, a member of the Clarksville Town Council and a former legislative aide for Ruff, won her party’s nomination after four rounds of voting during a GOP mass meeting in December that drew hundreds of participants to the Drakes Branch Volunteer Fire Department building in Charlotte County and lasted well past midnight. She defeated four fellow Republicans.
The 9th Senate District includes Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Lunenburg and Charlotte counties, parts of Prince Edward County, and Danville. Glenn Youngkin, the 2021 GOP nominee for governor, carried the district by more than 65%.
In the 48th House District, GOP nominee Eric Phillips prevailed over Democrat Melody Cartwright in a special election triggered by the resignation of Del. Les Adams, R-Pittsylvania County, who is seeking a judgeship in Danville. By 7:55 p.m., Phillips was ahead with 72-28%, or 2,577 to 1,011 votes, with two of three localities reporting.
Phillips is a small-business owner from Henry County who was elected as his party’s nominee at a mass meeting at the Old Dominion Agricultural Center in Chatham just hours before Mulchi’s nomination victory. The 48th House District covers Martinsville and parts of Henry County.
“The sweep of these special elections on Tuesday was not a surprise,” said David Richards, a political analyst and chair of the political science program at the University of Lynchburg. “Both of these districts lean so heavily toward the GOP but they are also very rural and have low turnout rates. I am not even sure that these elections tell us much about how 2024 will go since they were quick elections with low participation,” Richards said.
The two new lawmakers will join their colleagues in both chambers when they convene for their first session on Wednesday. They will also have an opportunity to shape legislation that affects their constituents and influence statewide policies.
