Virginia State Senate District 32 special election, 2025
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Kannan Srinivasan (D) defeated Tumay Harding (R) in the special election for District 32 of the Virginia Senate on January 7, 2025. This seat was vacant as a result of incumbent Suhas Subramanyam (D) resigning to take office as congressman for Virginia's 10th Congressional District.
The Downballot's David Nir and Jeff Singer wrote before the election, "Given Democrats' slender 21-19 edge in the Senate, the stakes are exceptionally high. An upset for Republicans would force a tie in the chamber and allow Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to break ties for her party. And barring any further special elections, January's contest will determine who holds the majority until 2027, when the Senate next goes before voters."[1]
Srinivasan was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, who represented District 26. On his website, Srinivasan said he was a "problem solver who delivers meaningful results for Loudoun families."[2] Srinivasan campaigned on improving the economy, saying, "I'm a CPA. I love economy. I love numbers. As I said earlier, I worked for then a small company and helped it grow to a global industry giant. Economy is very close to what I do. I work very hard to ensure people who need help get the help. People who are hurting get the help."[3] He campaigned on abortion access and said, "Virginia is the last, the only state in the South where women don't have to worry about [the legality of abortion]. And I am very, very committed to keeping it that way."[4]
Harding was a business owner and teacher.[5][6] Harding said, "The current majority has failed our District and our Commonwealth. Our schools are faltering and riddled with politics and division, our neighbors have been made victims of illegal migrant crime, and our families are struggling to afford groceries, gas, and housing. All of this could change if we win this election and give Governor Youngkin a new majority in the Senate."[7] Harding ran on eliminating the state's car tax. He said, "[E]liminating the car tax will put money back into the pockets of Loudouners so that they can afford the soccer teams, so that they can afford their rent and groceries and housing."[4] Harding also focused on education and said, "Time and time again, parents have been left in the dark in Loudoun County Public Schools ... I will work to pass a Parent’s Bill of Rights, protecting your right to be involved in your children’s education and your right to be informed of all matters regarding your children."[8]
The 32nd District typically voted for Democratic candidates in previous elections. In 2023, Subramanyam defeated Gregory Moulthrop (R) 60.5% to 39.0%. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, former Vice President Kamala Harris (D) won the district 58.8% to 37.2% against President Donald Trump (R) in 2024.[9] Even though the district largely voted for Democratic candidates in prior elections, Radford University professor Chapman Rackaway said, "Special elections are really kind of a wild-west type of situation. You may see very, very low turnout involved, and you can also see incredibly high turnout."[10]
Virginia Republican Party Rich Anderson said, "We are dead serious about flipping these seats. If you don’t try, you have a guaranteed bad outcome. … We are going to put everything on the table."[11] The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee announced plans to spend $100,000 on the race. Chair Heather Williams said, "The stakes couldn’t be higher as we approach the first special elections of 2025. We must preserve our majorities to lead the upcoming legislative agenda and position Democrats for success heading into November’s elections."[12]
In Virginia's past special elections, turnout was often lower than in the general election. While the incumbent party most often retained the seat, seats changed control in the 2023 and 2014 special elections. In 2023, Aaron Rouse (D) won in the special election for District 7, which was vacated by Jennifer Kiggans (R). In 2014, Republicans won a majority in the Senate after A. Benton Chafin (R) won a special election in District 38 for a seat previously held by a Democrat. Additionally, some special elections were much closer than the general election for the seat. In the 2014 special election in District 6, Lynwood Lewis (D) won with 50% of the vote and a margin of nine votes. Former incumbent Ralph Northam (D) won that same seat with 56% of the vote in the 2011 general election.
Srinivasan's final result of 61.3% was 0.8% higher than Subramanyam's (D) 60.5% in 2023. Harding's 38.6% was 0.4% lower than Gregory Moulthrop's (R) 39.0% in 2023.
Candidates and election results
See also: Virginia state legislative special elections, 2025
General election
Special general election for Virginia State Senate District 32
Kannan Srinivasan defeated Tumay Harding in the special general election for Virginia State Senate District 32 on January 7, 2025.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Kannan Srinivasan (D) | 61.7 | 18,825 |
 | Tumay Harding (R) | 38.1 | 11,629 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 39 | ||
| Total votes: 30,493 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Comparison to previous election
The total turnout in 2025 was 49% of the turnout in the 2023 election. The number of Democratic votes was 49.6% of the number received in 2023. The number of Republican votes was 48.6% of the number received in 2023. The margin of victory (MOV) in the special election was 6,704 votes, which was closer than the 2023 MOV (13,049).
The following chart compares the results and total votes between the November 7, 2023, regular election for this seat and the 2025 special election.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Virginia
Candidate comparison
Candidate profiles
This section includes candidate profiles that may be created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff may compile a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy. For more on how we select candidates to include, click here.
Party: Democratic Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office:
Biography: Srinivasan received his bachelor's degree in commerce from the University of Madras and his master's in accounting at Old Dominion University. He worked as a business analyst.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Virginia State Senate District 32 in 2025.
Party: Republican Party
Incumbent: No
Political Office: None
Biography: Harding received her bachelor's degree in English Literature and Master's in Curriculum Development from George Mason University. She previously worked as a teacher, a sales executive, and a business owner with her husband.
Show sources
This information was current as of the candidate's run for Virginia State Senate District 32 in 2025.
Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey responses
Ballotpedia asks all federal, state, and local candidates to complete a survey and share what motivates them on political and personal levels. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
No candidate in this race completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign ads
Kannan Srinivasan
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Kannan Srinivasan while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Tumay Harding
Ballotpedia did not come across any campaign ads for Tumay Harding while conducting research on this election. If you are aware of any ads that should be included, please email us.
Election competitiveness
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from FiveThirtyEight and RealClearPolitics, when available. No polls were available for this election. To notify us of polls published in this election, please email us.
Endorsements
Click the links below to see official endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites for any candidates that make that information available. If you are aware of a website that should be included, please email us.
Election spending
Campaign finance
The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidate’s loan totals, if any, by clicking "View More" in the table below and learn more about this data here.
Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[13][14][15]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
District analysis
District map
Campaign contributions
From 2003 to 2023, candidates for Virginia State Senate District 32 raised a total of $3,103,710. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $282,155 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money
| Campaign contributions, Virginia State Senate District 32 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Amount | Candidates | Average |
| 2023 | $875,097 | 3 | $291,699 |
| 2019 | $555,980 | 2 | $277,990 |
| 2011 | $850,362 | 2 | $425,181 |
| 2007 | $241,951 | 1 | $241,951 |
| 2003 | $580,320 | 3 | $193,440 |
| Total | $3,103,710 | 11 | $282,155 |
Other election results in district
The map below highlight's this state legislative district and provides election results from the most recent election. Using the dropdown on the left, you can choose to view results for the most recent presidential election or U.S. House district election instead. This will show you the votes cast in this district for that election. The dropdown on the right will let you see either the map colored by the percentage of votes the winning candidate received or let you know the number and type of votes cast by size and shade of the circle in each county.
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Historical party control
Democrats won a 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate in 2019, gaining control of the chamber for the first time since 2007.
The table below shows the partisan history of the Virginia Senate following every general election from 1991 to 2023. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.
Virginia State Senate election results: 1991-2023
| Party | 91 | 95[16] | 99 | 03 | 07 | 11[17] | 15 | 19 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 22 | 20 | 19 | 16 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
| Republicans | 18 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 19 | 19 |
Trifecta history
A state government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Virginia was under the following types of trifecta control:
- Democratic trifecta: 1992-1993, 2020-2021
- Republican trifecta: 2000-2001, 2012-2013
- Divided government: 1994-1999, 2002-2011, 2014-2019, 2022-2023
Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas • Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | R | R | D | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | S | S | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | R | R | D | D |
Election context
Ballot access requirements
The following table lists the signature requirements needed to be on the ballot in Virginia:
| Signature requirements | |
|---|---|
| Office sought | Signature requirements |
| Governor, United States Senate, and other statewide offices | 10,000, including 400 qualified voters from each congressional district |
| United States House of Representatives | 1,000 |
| Virginia State Senate | 250 |
| Virginia House of Delegates | 125 |
District election history
2023
See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2023
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 32
Suhas Subramanyam defeated Gregory Moulthrop in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 32 on November 7, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Suhas Subramanyam (D) | 60.5 | 36,590 |
 | Gregory Moulthrop (R) | 39.0 | 23,541 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.5 | 300 | ||
| Total votes: 60,431 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 32
Suhas Subramanyam defeated Ibraheem Samirah in the Democratic primary for Virginia State Senate District 32 on June 20, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Suhas Subramanyam | 73.6 | 11,178 |
 | Ibraheem Samirah | 26.4 | 4,000 | |
| Total votes: 15,178 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
The Republican primary election was canceled. Gregory Moulthrop advanced from the Republican primary for Virginia State Senate District 32.
2019
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2019
General election
General election for Virginia State Senate District 32
Incumbent Janet Howell defeated Arthur Purves in the general election for Virginia State Senate District 32 on November 5, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Janet Howell (D) | 73.5 | 48,581 |
 | Arthur Purves (R) | 26.3 | 17,376 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 127 | ||
| Total votes: 66,084 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2015
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2015
Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on June 9, 2015. The general election took place on November 3, 2015. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was March 26, 2015.[18] Incumbent Janet Howell was unopposed in the Democratic primary. No Republican candidates filed for election. Howell was unchallenged in the general election.[19]
2011
- See also: Virginia State Senate elections, 2011
Elections for the office of Virginia State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 23, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. Democratic incumbent Janet Howell defeated Republican Patrick Forrest in the general election. Howell was unopposed in the Democratic primary election. Forrest was unopposed in the Republican primary election.[20][21][22]
| Virginia State Senate, District 32 General Election, 2011 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Janet Howell Incumbent |
60.3% | 26,026 | |
| Republican | Patrick Forrest | 39.7% | 17,122 | |
| Total Votes | 43,148 | |||
See also
Virginia state legislative special elections, 2025
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Downballot, "Morning Digest: Why neither side looks likely to hold a contested primary in the Virginia governor's race," November 19, 2024
- ↑ Kannan Srinivasan's 2024 campaign website, "Home," accessed December 16, 2024
- ↑ ABC 7 News, "Virginia Democrat State Senate majority hinges on Loudoun County special election," November 7, 2024
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Loudon Now, "Srinivasan, Harding Face-Off for 32nd Senate District," December 11, 2024
- ↑ Loudon GOP, "Tumay Harding," accessed December 15, 2024
- ↑ Loudon Now, "Harding, Srinivasan Selected for State Senate Race," November 16, 2024
- ↑ WMAL, "Tumay Harding Announces Her Candidacy For Virginia's 32nd Senate District, Key Endorsements," November 11, 2024
- ↑ Tumay Harding 2024 campaign website, "Issues," accessed December 15, 2024
- ↑ VPAP, "State Senate District 32," accessed December 16, 2024
- ↑ VPM, "Srinivasan, Harding to square off in state Senate special election," November 19, 2024
- ↑ Politico, "Democrats’ first test after November drubbing will take place in Virginia," December 18, 2024
- ↑ DLCC, "DLCC Announces Six-Figure Investment into Virginia Ahead of Majority-Making Special Elections," December 17, 2024
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
- ↑ Chamber governed by a power-sharing agreement.
- ↑ Control of the Senate varied between the 2011 and 2015 elections. Republicans controlled the chamber from 2012 through 2013, with a Republican lieutenant governor serving as a tie-breaking vote. Democrats won the lieutenant governorship in 2013, giving them control for the first half of 2014. One Democrat resigned in June 2014 and Republicans won the August 2014 special election, giving the party a 21-19 majority.
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2015 November Election Calendar," accessed January 2, 2015
- ↑ Virginia Board of Elections, "2015 General election candidates," accessed August 21, 2015
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official Democratic Primary Results, accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official Republican Primary Results, accessed October 29, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, Official General Election Results, accessed October 29, 2013
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