Results confirmed around 8 p.m. on Tuesday that Democrat Candi King won the special election in the 2nd District to replace Fmr. Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy

King, a former small business owner and parent advocate, began running for the seat after Carroll Foy resigned to focus on her gubernatorial campaign on December 9, 2020. During the month-long special election, King beat her primary opponents, earning the Democratic nomination.

King’s campaign released the following statement:

“I want to thank the voters of Virginia’s Second House District, and I’m honored that they have chosen me to represent them in Richmond. I began my career in the General Assembly and am ready to hit the ground running for them on Day One. This district has been hard hit by COVID-19, and I will work to ensure that no teacher, student, worker, family or small business owner is left behind as we begin to recover from this pandemic. I will fight for paid sick days and paid family leave, and I will ensure our schools have the resources they need to re-open safely and to close the achievement gap for the children who fell behind while doing virtual learning. As we work to find solutions to these challenges, I believe teachers and support staff should have a meaningful seat at the table through collective bargaining rights. We must also make sure there are good jobs available in District 2 and affordable transportation options for those who must commute.

“I want to thank my family, friends and all my supporters, but especially my husband, Josh, and our three children for the sacrifices we made as a family campaigning these last three weeks. I am grateful to our many volunteers and am proud of the broad coalition of labor unions and grassroots advocacy groups whose herculean efforts in a compressed time period propelled our team to victory tonight. I promise I will always be a voice for the working and commuting families like mine.”

King competed against Republican Heather Mitchell for the seat. The final results saw King receive 4,175 votes while Mitchell received 3,912. 

Mitchell previously ran for the seat against Carroll Foy in 2019. In that election, Carroll Foy received 60.56% of the vote with 11,828 ballots while Mitchell received 38.73% with 7,563. The seat is typically viewed as a swing district.

King’s campaign focused on COVID-19 recovery, racial justice, and education.

The special election saw low turnout rates across the district both in early voting and on election day.

Since King’s victory means that Democrats will maintain a 55-45 majority in the Virginia House of Delegates.