It’s been a nail-biter of a Primary Election in the 29th Virginia Senate District, which includes eastern Prince William and northern Stafford counties.
Incumbent Democrat Jeremy McPike is trying to hold on to his seat but faces tough competition from challenger and current House of Delegates member Elizabeth Guzman.
A total of 46 votes separates McPike and Guzman in the party’s primary challenge. McPike has held the seat since 2016. Guzman was elected to the House of Delegates in 2017.
The Virginia Supreme Court redrew the state’s political districts in 2021, reshaping the 29th Senate District and redrawing Guzman’s House district seat, prompting her to run for Senate.
Guzman’s statement: “Given the narrow margin in a race in which more than 12,000 votes were cast, the campaign of Delegate Elizabeth Guzman will wait for every vote – including provisional ballots and absentee ballots that were postmarked by June 20 – to be counted in the race for Senate District 29.”
“Democracy is worth waiting for. We look forward to allowing the process to play out, including the canvassing of the votes and the counting of provisional and outstanding absentee ballots.”
McPike raised over $1 million for the campaign, about double what Guzman raised. McPike works for the Alexandria City government as its General Services Director. Guzman is a social worker who gained national attention when WJLA-TV reported she would pen legislation requiring social services to be dispatched to a home if parents did not affirm a child’s gender, similar to legislation passed in California.
It’s equally tight in the Republican Primary in the 29th, where Maria Martin is challenging Nikki Rattray Baldwin for the party’s nomination. Only 10 votes separates the two candidates.
Martin has sought state-level office since 2019, first in the House of Delegates and now in the Senate.
Martin and Baldwin live in Prince William County. Martin is a Bolivian immigrant and Marine Corps wife and homemaker. Baldwin is a Navy veteran, a wife of a U.S. Marine of 13 years, and the mother of a 9-year-old boy.
The final results should be determined on Friday. A recount is possible in each race.
