NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A special election for Virginia House of Delegates 90th District was held in Norfolk and part of Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Angelia Williams Graves and Sylvia Bryant ran for the seat, with Graves — a former Norfolk City Council member — coming out on top with 63.49% of the vote and 3,668 votes, according to unofficial election results.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, 22 of 22 precincts were reporting results. Only 6 write-in votes were submitted, per the results.
Click here to see the unofficial election results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
This election fills the seat of former Norfolk Del. Joseph Lindsey, who was recently appointed to be a judge in the Norfolk General District Court.
Virginia requires that voters be registered to vote in the precinct in which they live in order to be qualified to vote. The House of Delegates 90th District encompasses Norfolk and only a small portion of Virginia Beach voters registered in Precinct 0061 Baker were eligible to vote in this election.
Shortly after results were tallied, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe — who’s running again for the position — released a statement. McAuliffe’s campaign donated $2,500 to the Graves campaign.
““Congratulations to Delegate-Elect Angelia Williams Graves on her resounding victory tonight. Angelia has been a bold leader in Norfolk for affordable housing, education, and criminal justice reform, and that is exactly the kind of leadership we need in Richmond,” said Terry McAuliffe. “We’ve got to rebuild the post-COVID economy and make sure it works for all Virginians. Thanks to tonight’s victory, Delegate-Elect Angelia Williams Graves will be the champion in the General Assembly that Virginians need.”
Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe
Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) also released a statement on Williams Graves’ win.
“Congratulations to Delegate-Elect Angelia Williams Graves on her victory today. I was excited to campaign with Delegate-Elect Graves this weekend in Norfolk, and I know she will be a strong leader for Hampton Roads. After 10 years of public service on the Norfolk City Council, Delegate-Elect Graves has a strong grounding in the community and will be ready to hit the ground running this legislative session.
“As Vice Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, I’m proud to welcome Angelia Williams Graves to our caucus and to the legislature. And I’m glad to see our former member Joe Lindsey continue his public service as a judge on the Norfolk General District Court.
“With Delegate-Elect Graves’ election, Virginia will now have the most women in the legislature in our Commonwealth’s history. When I first ran for office in 2005, Virginia had only 14 women legislators. Now, that number has tripled to 42 in the past 15 years. This is a major step forward to more equitable policy, but we still have a long way to go to elect women and men up-and-down the ballot who represent the full diversity of Virginia.”
Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond)
“Democrats have made historic progress on making the commonwealth a better place for every Virginian,” said Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee President Jessica Post. “These victories represent a ringing endorsement of our work as we head into the legislative session and look forward to defending the majority this November.”
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
“Candi King and Angelia Williams Graves were great candidates who ran excellent campaigns in an incredibly tough situation. We are not only proud of the hard work these amazing women have done, but also what they will bring as members of the House Democratic Caucus with their commitment to helping Virginia’s families.
“Tonight’s victory proves that Virginian voters want candidates who will work to move the Commonwealth forward. Candi King and Angelia Williams Graves exemplified those values on the campaign trail and will put their vision to good use as members of the House of Delegates.”
Virginia House Democratic Caucus Executive Director Jaime Reimers
Stay with WAVY.com for updates.