Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • 1 in 4 parents report being fired for work interruptions due to child care breakdowns

        Chabeli Carrazana · February 2
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Connecticut voters approved early voting. Here’s how their new secretary of state wants to make it happen.

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 13
      • Women lawmakers in Minnesota are in the vanguard of the democracy movement

        Barbara Rodriguez · February 3
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Election 2024
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Military
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Candi King, photographed here in a blue outfit, won a special election the Virginia House of Delegates, bringing the total number of women in the state's General Assembly to 42, a record.
Candi King won a special election the Virginia House of Delegates, bringing the total number of women in the state's General Assembly to 42, a record. (Courtesy of Candi King/Facebook)

Election 2020

Virginia now has more women in its state legislature than ever before

Two women were elected to fill vacancies in the state’s House of Delegates in Tuesday’s special elections.

Mariel Padilla

General Assignment Reporter

Mariel Padilla portrait

Published

2021-01-07 16:12
4:12
January 7, 2021
pm

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Democrats Candi King and Angelia Williams Graves won their special elections as Virginia delegates on Tuesday — continuing the blue wave that helped flip the state from Republican to Democratic control in 2019. With the addition of King and Graves to the Virginia House of Delegates, there are now 42 women in the General Assembly — or 30 percent of the state’s legislators — a record for Virginia. 

King, a community leader and former small business owner, will succeed former delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy who stepped down to focus on her 2021 gubernatorial campaign. After her victory, King said she was “ready to hit the ground running” on day one and promised to be a “voice for working families.”

Graves, a Norfolk council member and former vice mayor, ran against Republican Sylvia Bryant and won by more than 1,500 votes. On Tuesday, Graves celebrated on social media: “Thank you to the voters of the 90th District for believing in me. I am excited to be your next delegate!”

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, noted that Virginia’s historic moment matches up with a broader trend; a record number of women are serving in state legislatures nationally. 

“Virginia is in the middle of the pack,” Sinzdak said, though she acknowledged that they are ahead of many of the other Southern states. “They’re not falling behind but keeping pace with the growth of the country.”

Nevada leads the nation in gender parity, with women accounting for more than 60 percent of its legislature, according to CAWP data. Colorado and Rhode Island follow with 46 percent and 45 percent, respectively. At the bottom of the list is West Virginia with women comprising less than 12 percent of its lawmakers. 

Research shows that when women run for office, they win at the same rate as men, Sinzdak said. The representation discrepancies across states can be attributed to the number of women running, state culture and political partisanship. More Democratic women run than their Republican counterparts, she added.

Stories by experienced reporters you can trust and relate to.

Delivered directly to your inbox every weekday.

Please check your email to confirm your subscription!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Sinzdak also noted that research shows women legislators “make government more transparent and accessible, especially to marginalized groups.” They’ve also proven more likely to build consensus and work across the aisle, she added.

Pieter Brower, the regional press secretary at the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said Virginia continues to make history after installing Eileen Filler-Corn, its first woman speaker, and Louise Lucas and Charniele Herring as the commonwealth’s first Black and female Senate president pro tem and House majority leader, respectively. 

“The government works far better when our elected representatives reflect the diversity of their constituents,” Brower said. “The General Assembly session will start with more women this session, and that’s something worth celebrating.”

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

The 19th Represents Summit

Don’t miss our biggest event of 2023!

Register Today

Become a member

From the Collection

On The Rise

Illustration of three women marching
  • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

    Candice Norwood · October 11
  • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

    Nadra Nittle · September 8
  • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

    Candice Norwood · July 20

Up Next

Natalia Reyes sits in the exam room as she gets a health care checkup.

Election 2020

Democrats’ Georgia victories put Joe Biden’s health care proposals back in play

Some parts of the president-elect's health care agenda — which would particularly affect women and LGBTQ+ people — are likely to gain traction.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram