Abortion Triumphs in Virginia General Elections

On November 7, with the entire country watching, abortion once again won the day. Virginians overwhelmingly voted to establish pro-Reproductive Freedom majorities in both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly showing once again that voters support abortion rights and access and reject bans on reproductive healthcare. Pro-Reproductive Freedom Democrats held control of the state Senate with a 21-18 majority. Democrats flipped the House of Delegates winning a 51-48 majority.

REPRO Rising Virginia endorsed 82 candidates and currently 76% of them have won their election. We are proud of their unapologetic stance to keep abortion legal and accessible in the Commonwealth.

The majority of Virginians agree that decisions about pregnancy should be made by pregnant people and their medical providers. Our endorsed candidates stood firm in echoing that belief and are committed to keeping those decisions out of the hands of anti-abortion extremists, who pulled out all the stops to push forward their effort to ban abortion. Abortion is, and always has been, a winning issue. Voter turnout for this election proved that if bodily autonomy is on the line, Virginians will show up.

“Virginia voters have spoken loud and clear. They showed up in droves to take a firm stand in support of their reproductive rights and elected Pro-Reproductive Freedom majorities in the State Senate and House of Delegates. Virginians were not fooled by Governor Youngkin’s attempts to strip them of their rights as he masqueraded his abortion ban as “reasonable,” or when they heard anti-abortion candidates lie about their true stance on abortion.  Virginians want power and control over their bodies, lives, and futures. We are ready to get to work with all of Virginia’s newly elected Pro-Reproductive Freedom allies to protect and expand access to the full range of reproductive healthcare in Richmond. This victory also starts the clock on a 2026 ballot initiative to enshrine the right to Reproductive Freedom in the Virginia Constitution. We are ready,” says Tarina Keene, Executive Director of REPRO Rising Virginia. 

“We’re proud to have left it all on the field during this election cycle, from the primary through the general. Every single event held, door knocked and conversation had proved that abortion access is on the minds of voters and that across Virginia, people are seeking power and control over their own bodies. That sentiment was unequivocal — and it translated into these historic results. We’re eager to collaborate with the candidates who were victorious in their races, and we’re thrilled to have new and established allies in our corner. Additionally, we want to extend deep gratitude towards all of the campaigns, candidates, elected officials, organizations and volunteers that we were lucky enough to work in partnership with over the last year and we look forward to building upon this momentum in the next,” states Hannah Servedio, Political Manager of REPRO Rising Virginia.  

During the 2023 General Election cycle, REPRO Rising Virginia knocked on thousands of doors, made thousands of phone calls, sent 520k texts, and reached 1.3 million people through robust digital advertising campaigns. The next phase of our work begins today as we prepare our policy agenda for the 2024 General Assembly session. We will continue to be undeterred until Reproductive Freedom is secured and accessible for all Virginians.

REPRO Rising Virginia congratulates the following endorsed Reproductive Freedom candidates on their victories:

SENATE

Sen. Creigh Deeds- Senate District 11
Lashrecse Aird- Senate District 13
Sen. Lamont Bagby- Senate District 14
Sen. Ghazala Hashmi- Senate District 15
Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg- Senate District 16
Sen. Louise Lucas- Senate District 18
Del. Angelia Williams Graves- Senate District 21
Sen. Aaron Rouse- Senate District 22
Sen. Mamie Locke- Senate District 23
Sen. Jeremy McPike- Senate District 29
Del. Danica Roem- Senate District 30
Russet Perry- Senate District 31
Del. Suhas Subramanyam- Senate District 32
Jennifer Carroll Foy- Senate District 33
Sen. Scott Surovell- Senate District 34
Sen. Dave Marsden- Senate District 35
Stella Pekarsky- Senate District 36
Saddam Salim- Senate District 37
Sen. Jennifer Boysko- Senate District 38
Sen. Adam Ebbin- Senate District 39
Sen. Barbara Favola- Senate District 40

HOUSE OF DELEGATES

Del. Patrick Hope- House District 1
Adele McClure- House District 2
Del. Alfonso Lopez- House District 3
Del. Charniele Herring- House District 4
Del. Elizabeth Bennet-Parker- House District 5
Del. Rip Sullivan- House District 6
Karen Keys-Gamarra- House District 7
Del. Irene Shin- House District 8
Del. Dan Helmer- House District 10
Del. Holly Seibold- House District 12
Del. Marcus Simon- House District 13
Del. Vivian Watts- House District 14
Laura Jane Cohen- House District 15
Del. Paul Krizek- House District 16
Del. Mark Sickles- House District 17
Del. Kathy Tran- House District 18
Rozia Henson- House District 19
Josh Thomas- House District 21
Del. Candi Mundon King- House District 23
Del. Luke Torian- House District 24
Kannan Srinivasan- House District 26
Atoosa Reaser- House District 27
Marty Martinez- House District 29
Del. Sam Rasoul- House District 38
Katrina Callsen- House District 54
Amy Laufer- House District 55
Del. Rodney Willett- House District 58
Joshua Cole- House District 65
Del. Shelly Simonds- House District 70
Debra Gardner- House District 76
Del. Betsy Carr- House District 78
Rae Cousins- House District 79
Del. Delores McQuinn- House District 81
Del. Nadarius Clark- House District 84
Del. Don Scott- House District 88
Bonita Anthony- House District 92
Del. Jackie Glass- House District 93

LOCAL

Parisa Dehghani-Tafti- Arlington County Commonwealth’s Attorney
Steve Descano- Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney