Democrats currently have a one-vote majority in the Virginia House of Delegates, so adding to their numbers will give them more breathing room for members to vote against the leadership – or even miss a few votes because members are sick or out of town. Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says Democrats have a structural advantage running in an environment where Trump is so unpopular.
It’s not too late to learn about the elections, which could see turnout of less than 10 percent of registered voters, according to Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies.
During the 2025 election cycle, Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, said there’s a lot of energy on the Democratic side because of what’s happening on the federal level. “I think you can generate a lot of energy and attention to your campaign right now by turning that old adage on its head, the old saying that all politics is local in Virginia, particularly in a Democratic primary in 2025 all politics is national,” he said.
Political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, Stephen Farnsworth, said that Weingarten and Saunders leaving the DNC highlights the internal conflict within the party. “I think the Democratic party is really going through something of an identity crisis at the moment,” Farnsworth said.
One thing that both of those races have in common with other swing seats across Virginia – they’re deep in the suburbs. Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington says this is where elections are won or lost.
Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington, said this year’s primary season offers “a chance to decide whether the party wants to aim for a consistently centrist message, or push in a more liberal direction.”
