On Tuesday, voters across the Commonwealth of Virginia cast ballots in primary elections that officially kicked off this year’s statewide election cycle. With no gubernatorial primary on either side, all eyes turned to the closely watched races for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and the 100 seats in the House of Delegates—where Democrats currently hold a narrow majority.
This fall, every seat will matter. And the primary showed why early investment pays off.
We’re thrilled to report that many of the candidates supported on our Virginia is for Women slate won their primaries decisively—even those who were out-raised or underfunded. This is a powerful reminder: Early, strategic support is enough to help strong candidates win, particularly women of color. Now, every one of these legislative challengers heads into a tough general election against an incumbent.
Here’s how the women on our slate in competitive primaries performed:
- May Nivar (HD-57, Western Henrico) – won with 62% in a two-person race
- Leslie Mehta (HD-73, Western Chesterfield) – dominated with 76%
- Lindsey Dougherty (HD-75, Chesterfield/Hopewell) – emerged from a crowded field with 44%
- Kacey Carnegie (HD-89 Chesapeake/Suffolk) – secured 77% in the only open seat
- Shannon Taylor – narrowly lost the AG primary with 49% of the vote
- State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi – won in a six-way primary race for lieutenant governor
This is a big deal. These victories underscore just how critical this work is. Especially when you consider that several of these women were previously out-raised, underfunded, and overlooked. What they had was enough: early, targeted support from communities like ours, and donors like you.
And we’re just getting started. Stay tuned for details on the next segment of our efforts—Virginia is for Women, Part. 2!