According to Decision Desk Headquarters, Democrat JJ Singh defeated Republican Ram Venkachalam in the special election for Virginia's 26th Congressional District.
This seat was previously held by Rep. Kannan Srinivasan (D), who ran in a special election for State Senate District 32.
Singh's victory was widely expected given the district's strong blue hue, located in Loudoun County on the outskirts of Washington, D.C.
But there were some potential warning signs for Democrats from the 2024 presidential election. Vice President Harris easily won Loudoun County, but fell short of President Biden's vote margin in 2020.
President Biden won the county by 26 points in 2020, while Harris won by 16 points. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (Democratic) ran unsuccessfully for a second gubernatorial election against Gov. Glenn Youngkin (Republican) in 2021, with low turnout for a year without a president, but 11% in the county. We won by a point difference.
Democrats said they would not take any chances in the election. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced last month that it would invest $100,000 in the Virginia House of Delegates ahead of next month's special election.
