Virginia's 2003 state elections were held on November 4, 2003. Voters elected all 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates to two-year terms ending in 2006, and all 40 members of the Virginia Senate to four-year terms ending in 2008. There were also elections for local offices (such as Board of Supervisors, Sheriff and Clerk of the Circuit Court) in most counties.

This was the first set of Senate elections since the General Assembly redrew districts as a result of population shifts captured in the decennial federal census. As a result, there were a few members of the House who retired.

Other than the minor effects of redistricting, there was no unifying theme advanced by either party. Governor Mark Warner did not announce his new fiscal plans for the biennium until after the election, to avoid affecting the General Assembly results. According to the University of Virginia's Center for Politics, the election was "about nothing, almost entirely local affairs and personality-driven, with no mandate generated and no meaning beyond the total of seats gained and lost."[1]

State Senate

Previous to the election, Virginia's Senate consisted of 23 Republicans and 17 Democrats. Republicans picked up one open seat, that of retiring Senator Leslie Byrne, who found her district leaning too far to the right to make a serious effort. This resulted in Republican control of the Senate by a 24 to 16 majority, a post-Civil War low for the Democratic Party.[2]

Election Results

Party abbreviations: D - Democratic, R - Republican, I - Independent, IG - Independent Green, L - Libertarian

Note: Only Senate districts that were contested by more than one candidate are included here.

District Incumbent Party Elected Status 2003 Result
2nd W. Henry Maxwell Democrat 1993 Retired Mamie Locke (D) 64.8%
Phil Bomersheim (R) 24.4%
Joyce Hobson (I) 10.7%
3rd Tommy Norment Republican 1991 Reelected Tommy Norment (R) 65.7%
Mary Minor (D) 33.9%
6th Nick Rerras Republican 1999 Reelected Nick Rerras (R) 61.7%
Andy A. Protogyrou (D) 38.3%
7th Frank Wagner Republican 2000 Reelected Frank Wagner (R) 59.0%
Clarence A. Holland (R) 40.6%
13th Fred Quayle Republican 1991 Reelected Fred Quayle (R) 76.4%
Richard H. Ramsey Sr. (D) 23.2%
17th Edd Houck Democratic 1983 Reelected Edd Houck (D) 59.5%
Robert G. Stuber (R) 40.5%
18th Louise Lucas Democrat 1991 Reelected Louise Lucas (D) 69.8%
Walter D Brown, III (R) 30.1%
20th Roscoe Reynolds Democratic 1996 Reelected Roscoe Reynolds (D) 67.8%
Thomas L Peterson (R) 32.2%
22nd Malfourd W. Trumbo Republican 1991 Retired J. Brandon Bell (R) 56.8%
Stephen H. Emick (D) 43.2%
23rd Stephen Newman Republican 1995 Reelected Stephen Newman (R) 64.1%
Robert E Clarke (D) 35.9%
24th Emmett Hanger Republican 1995 Reelected Emmett Hanger (R) 74.3%
Steven Sisson (D) 25.7%<
26th Kevin G. Miller Republican 1983 Retired Mark Obenshain (R) 67.9%
Rodney L. Eagle (D) 31.9%
27th Russ Potts Republican 1991 Reelected Russ Potts (R) 58.2%
Mark R. Herring (D) 41.1%
29th Chuck Colgan Democratic 1975 Reelected Chuck Colgan (D) 54.7%
David C Mabie (R) 45.3%
31st Mary Margaret Whipple Democratic 1995 Reelected Mary Margaret Whipple (D) 69.4%
Kamal Nawash (R) 30.3%
32nd Janet Howell Democratic 1992 Reelected Janet Howell (D) 56.7%
David Hunt (R) 43.3%
34th Leslie Byrne Democrat 1999 Retired Jeannemarie Devolites (R) 52.8%
Ronald F Christian (D) 47.1%
35th Dick Saslaw Democratic 1980 Reelected Dick Saslaw (D) 82.5%
C.W. Levy (I) 16.4%
36th Toddy Puller Democratic 1999 Reelected Toddy Puller (D) 55.4%
Chris Braunlich (R) 44.5%
37th Ken Cuccinelli Republican 2001 Reelected Ken Cuccinelli (R) 53.3%
James E Mitchell, III (D) 46.6%
39th Jay O'Brien Republican 2002 Reelected Jay O'Brien (R) 57.8%
Greg Galligan (D) 42.2%

House of Delegates

Previous to the election, Republicans controlled the House of Delegates with 64 seats, compared to the Democrats' 34 seats, and two seats held by Republican-leaning Independents. Democrats won four seats from the Republicans, defeating one incumbent and taking three open seats, while one Republican took an open seat previously held by a Democrat, making the post-election composition of the House 61 Republicans, 37 Democrats, and 2 Independents.

References

  1. ↑ University of Virginia, Center for Politics. Virginia Votes 2003: Not much to remember, not much to forget. Archived 2015-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ University of Virginia, Center for Politics. Virginia Votes 2003: Not much to remember, not much to forget. Archived 2015-07-20 at the Wayback Machine
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