Two special elections scheduled in Virginia on January 6

Both of the major political parties have nominated candidates for a special election to take place for a vacant seat in the Virginia Senate.

The incumbent, Ghazala Hashmi, has been elected as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. A writ of election set January 6 as the date to pick a successor in Senate District 15. That is a week before the 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly is set to convene.

Two Richmond area delegates sought to be the Democratic nominee for the race. Delegate Mike Jones (D-77) defeated Delegate Debra Gardner (D-76) and will now face Republican John Thomas of Chesterfield County.

Democrats held a 21 to 19 advantage in the Senate before Hashmi’s election to higher office. Senate District 15 covers part of Chesterfield County and the city of Richmond according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Jones has resigned from the House of Delegates to mount a full campaign for the seat. Today Speaker of the House Don Scott issued a writ of election for a special election for House District 77.

“The last day for filing as a candidate for such office in said election shall be Monday, December 15, 2025 at 5:00 p.m.,” reads the writ.

House District 77 covers a portion of southwest Richmond and northern Chesterfield according to VPAP.

There was a special election in Fairfax County on December 9 to fill a vacant seat on the Braddock seat on the Board of Supervisors to replace James Walkinshaw after his election to a Congressional vacancy.

According to preliminary results on the Virginia Department of Elections website, Rachna Sizemore Heizer won a three-way election with 66.99 percent of the vote.

Before you go: Paid subscribers cover the cost of conducting research for this article which was originally published in the December 9, 2025 edition of Charlottesville Community Engagement.  You can either subscribe through Substack, make a monthly contribution through Patreon, or consider becoming a sponsor. The goal of Town Crier Productions is to increase awareness about what is happening at the local, regional, state, and federal government levels. Please share the work with others if you want people to know things.