Virginia's twenty-first state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator John Edwards.

As of the 2011 redistricting, a total of 200,511 civilians reside within Virginia's twenty-first state senate district. Virginia state senators represent an average of 200,026 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 176,963 residents.

About the office

Members of the Virginia State Senate serve four-year terms and are not subject to term limits. Virginia legislators assume office the second Wednesday in January after the election.

Qualifications

Senators must be at least 21 years of age at the time of the election, residents of the district they represent, and qualified to vote for members of the Virginia General Assembly.

Salaries

Vacancies

If there is a vacancy in the Virginia General Assembly, a special election must be conducted to fill the vacant seat. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in session, the presiding officer of the house in which the vacancy happens must call for a special election. If the vacancy occurs while the legislature is in recess, the governor shall call the special election. All special elections must be held promptly. However, no special election can be held if it occurs less than 55 days before any statewide primary or general election or if there are fewer than 75 days remaining in the vacated term.

Elections

2019

Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on June 11, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 28, 2019.

The primary elections were canceled.

The primary elections were canceled.

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. Incumbent John S. Edwards was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Nancy Dye was unopposed in the Republican primary. Donald Caldwell (Independent) ran as a third party candidate. Edwards defeated Dye and Caldwell in the general election.

Race snapshot

In the only state Senate district in Southwest Virginia still held by a Democrat, Sen. Edwards fended off two challengers this general election. When Edwards was first elected to the chamber in 1995, four out of the six senators elected to the chamber from Southwest Virginia were Democrats. Because of this trend, Republican groups targeted District 21 as a seat up for grabs. David "Mudcat" Saunders, a Democratic strategist, said on the trend that, "In the far end of the county, you can’t find a Democrat with a search warrant." Edwards won re-election to the district in 2011 by a margin of victory of 12 percent. Edwards' opponents in the election were Republican Nancy Dye, a retired surgeon, and Independent Donald Caldwell, a long-time Democrat, and the longest serving commonwealth’s attorney in Roanoke. Bob Denton, a political analyst and head of Virginia Tech’s communications department, said that Caldwell's candidacy could boost Dye's campaign and provide the GOP with a potential upset.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Dye raised $541,545, Edwards raised $478,662 and Caldwell raised $61,518 through September. In September, the Republican State Leadership Committee gave Dye a $90,000 check and the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus gave her campaign more than $66,000. Gov. Terry McAuliffe's PAC poured $52,500 into Edwards' campaign in September. As of September 30, 2015, Dye had the lead in the cash-on-hand battle. According to campaign finance reports, Dye had $157,479 in cash-on-hand, while Edwards had $138,848 and Caldwell had $35,280.

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 John Edwards defeated Republican David Nutter in the general election. Edwards was unopposed in the Democratic primary election. Nutter defeated Tripp Godsey in the Republican primary election.

Virginia State Senate, District 21 General Election, 2011

Virginia State Senate Republican Primary, 2011

Campaign contributions

From 2003 to 2011, candidates for Virginia State Senate District 21 raised a total of $1,740,831. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $348,166 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Virginia State Senate District 21