Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, has set a Jan. 6 special election to fill the soon-to-be-vacant seat of Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Richmond, clearing the way for a fast, intraparty fight in one of the state’s safest Democratic districts.

Two Democrats — Del. Debra Gardner of Chesterfield County and Del. Michael Jones of Richmond — have already launched campaigns to succeed Hashmi. The party has not yet set its nomination process, although officials expect a firehouse primary given the compressed calendar. 

Hashmi, first elected to the Senate in 2019, won the lieutenant governorship last month and will vacate the 15th District seat just a year into her second term. 

Under state law, the responsibility for calling a special election falls to the Senate’s highest-ranking member while the chamber remains in session. Lucas, a Hampton Roads Democrat who has long held the pro tempore role, exercised that authority after weeks of anticipation from party leaders. 

Sen. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, who chairs the Democratic Party of Virginia, said the timing of the contest leaves little room for error. 

“I feel good about our chances of winning the district, but we still have to run through the tape and do the work and not take it for granted,” Bagby told the Virginia Mercury last month. 

Democrats caution that even overwhelmingly blue seats can tighten when turnout is unusually low — a common dynamic in Virginia special elections, which often fall during holidays or legislative deadlines. 

“You can’t just assume that you put a Democrat on the ballot and folks are just going to come,” Bagby said. 

The 15th District, redrawn in late 2021, includes large portions of Richmond and northern Chesterfield. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, it has reliably supported Democrats running for statewide and federal office in recent years and is home to more than 133,000 registered voters. 

Analysts say shifting demographics — including diversifying neighborhoods in South Richmond and growing Black and Latino communities in Chesterfield — have only strengthened the party’s advantage. 

No Republican had formally declared. Hayden Fisher, the GOP’s 2023 nominee, said in an email last month that he would not seek a rematch. 

The Democratic field, however, is already taking shape. 

Gardner, first elected to the House of Delegates two years ago, said she intends to build on Hashmi’s legislative work and pointed to her background in social work, advocacy and local government. “I’ve spent my career serving Virginia families — from protecting survivors of abuse to fighting for fair wages and affordable health care,” she said. 

Jones, a former Richmond City Council president who also entered the House in 2024, emphasized his progressive record on public safety, housing, education and health care. He also noted his work on Confederate monument removal and police reforms. 

“I am eager to continue to provide strong, progressive, compassionate, energetic leadership to Chesterfield County and Richmond in the state Senate,” he said. 

Because Jan. 6 falls just days before lawmakers return to Richmond for the 2026 General Assembly session, Democrats expect a tight turnaround for voters and campaigns alike. 

Special elections traditionally draw modest participation, and the early January timing — following the holidays and coming on the heels of statewide turnover — may push turnout even lower. 

This story originally appeared on VirginiaMercury.com.