On Tuesday, Virginia voters approved a marriage equality amendment to the state constitution, and they sent Sen. Mark Warner back to the Senate for a fourth term. What they did not finish Tuesday was the House map: the results available left two of the state’s 11 congressional races undecided.
It was over early. By 7 p.m. EST, The Associated Press had called the Senate race for Warner, the winner over Republican Bert Mizusawa.
Nine House seats drew calls. The split: seven for Democrats, two for Republicans, each projected to win their race. Still open were the 1st and the 5th. In the 1st, Democrat Shannon Taylor held the lead; in the 5th, it was Republican John McGuire in front.
Then there was the 2nd District rematch. Democrat Elaine Luria faced Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans again. Kiggans had beaten her in 2022 and held the seat since. This time Luria won, AP reported early Wednesday. She heads back to the House.
Where the House Races Stand
The numbers below come from the Virginia Department of Elections, in its Nov. 4 update at 3:17 a.m. EST. They are the state’s unofficial percentages; the projected winners reflect reported AP calls.
District 1: Shannon Taylor (Dem.), 50.48% — Leading; race uncalled.
District 2: Elaine Luria (Dem.), 53.06% — Projected to win.
District 3: Robert “Bobby” Scott (Dem.), 72.59% — Projected to win.
District 4: Jennifer McClellan (Dem.), 72.19% — Projected to win.
District 5: John McGuire (Rep.), 50.29% — Leading; race uncalled.
District 6: Ben Cline (Rep.), 55.52% — Projected to win.
District 7: Eugene Vindman (Dem.), 59.70% — Projected to win.
District 8: Donald Beyer (Dem.), 79.31% — Projected to win.
District 9: Morgan Griffith (Rep.), 65.95% — Projected to win.
District 10: Suhas Subramanyam (Dem.), 61.38% — Projected to win.
District 11: James Walkinshaw (Dem.), 73.69% — Projected to win.
In the 1st, Taylor’s 50.48% put her ahead of Republican Rep. Rob Wittman, who stood at 49.28%. The 5th was close the other way: McGuire at 50.29%, against 47.91% for Democrat Tom Perriello.
Neither race had been called in the reporting available, and a lead in an unofficial count is not the same as a declared victory.
Marriage Equality Wins Statewide
The marriage vote replaces a constitutional ban with legal protections for couples. Under Ballot Question 2, two adults have the right to a lawful marriage without discrimination based on sex, gender or race.
The count was not close. Yes votes totaled 2,030,841, against 1,513,822 no votes — 57.29% to 42.71% — with results reported from all 133 localities in the Nov. 4 update.
What changes in practice: Virginia and its local governments may not refuse a lawful marriage license on those grounds. They must also recognize lawful marriages and treat them equally under the law.
Abigail Spanberger welcomed the vote in the statement supplied to Virginia Times. She thanked those who had worked for the amendment and said the outcome affirmed that Virginia welcomes all families.
“Today is a historic day for our Commonwealth,” she wrote.
The ban being removed had stayed in Virginia’s constitution for years after it stopped being enforceable. Explaining the question to voters, the Department of Elections pointed to the Supreme Court’s 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges as the ruling that made it unenforceable.
That same ballot explanation carried a warning: if the court ever overturned that decision, the prohibition could become enforceable again. The amendment takes the ban out and writes marriage protections into the state Constitution instead.
All of the totals remain unofficial. They are still subject to certification.
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