A Virginia House of Delegates seat in Fairfax County will stay in Democratic hands, after former teacher Holly Seibold prevailed in a special election held Tuesday.
Unofficial results from the Fairfax County Board of Elections showed Seibold winning about 67% of the vote against Republican Monique Baroudi, who conceded in a brief statement on Facebook.
A total of 10,887 votes were cast in the election, according to unofficial results, amounting to a turnout of about 17.88%.
“I am beyond grateful to the voters of the 35th District for electing me to the Virginia House of Delegates,” Seibold said on Twitter. “Virginia rejected extremism in 2022, and in 2023, we have rejected it again. Because equality, justice and freedom are Virginian values!”
I am beyond grateful to the voters of the 35th District for electing me to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Virginia rejected extremism in 2022, and in 2023, we have rejected it again. Because equality, justice, and freedom are Virginian values! pic.twitter.com/lQBhoaT4yc
— Holly Seibold (@HollySeiboldVA) January 11, 2023
The 35th House District, which includes Dunn Loring, Tysons, Oakton and Vienna, is considered solidly Democratic territory. The seat was previously held by Democrat Mark Keam, who stepped down in September to serve in the Biden administration.
Seibold is a former teacher who heads a nonprofit focused on providing for menstrual supplies in schools and prisons.
The debate over limiting access to abortion was one of the top issues cited by voters who went to the polls Tuesday. Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin had proposed banning most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy with some exceptions.
The special election came one day before the start of the session of Virginia’s General Assembly, and Seibold was sworn in Wednesday.
Swearing in @HollySeiboldVA, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing the Thirty-Fifth District! pic.twitter.com/wF8HLdxqsm
— Del. Kaye Kory (@KayeKory) January 11, 2023
Republicans still hold a slim majority in the House of Delegates.
However, the effort to limit abortion access may face hurdles in the General Assembly thanks to an apparent Democratic win in a closely-watched special election for a state Senate seat.
The race for the state Senate’s 7th District in the Norfolk and Virginia Beach areas resulted in an apparent narrow victory for Democrat Aaron Rouse — a flip from Republican control.
While the Associated Press is not calling the race, Rouse has declared victory, and Republican Kevin Adams issued a statement congratulating Rouse, calling him senator-elect.
The seat was left vacant by Republican Jen Kiggans, who defeated Democrat Elaine Luria in November for a U.S. House seat.
Rouse’s win pads the slight Democratic majority in the state Senate.
In addition to abortion, other issues that lawmakers are expected to take up include Youngkin-proposed tax cuts, several proposed amendments to the state constitution and an attempt to repeal a measure related to rules for transitioning to zero-emission vehicles.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
