Virginia House of Delegates District 34
Current incumbent	Kathleen J. Murphy
Population	80,722
Race	76.4% White, 3.6% Black, 0.4% American Indian, 16.5% Asian, 0.1% Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 2.5% Other, 0.5% Two or more races
Ethnicity	92.8% Not Hispanic, 7.2% Hispanic
Voting age	71.8% age 18 and over
Next general election	November 7, 2017

Virginia's thirty-fourth state house district is represented by Democratic Representative Kathleen J. Murphy.

As of the 2010 census, a total of 80,722 civilians reside within Virginia's thirty-fourth state house district. Virginia's state delegates represent an average of 80,010 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 70,785 residents.

About the office

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

Qualifications

Delegates 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

2017

Elections for the office of Virginia House of Delegates will take place in 2017. All 100 house seats are up for election. The general election will take place on November 7, 2017. A primary election took place on June 13, 2017. The filing deadline for primary election candidates was March 30, 2017. The filing deadline for non-party candidates and candidates nominated by methods other than a primary was June 13, 2017. Incumbent Kathleen J. Murphy (D) and Cheryl Buford (R) are running in the Virginia House of Delegates District 34 general election.

This district is a Race to Watch because the incumbent won less than 55 percent of the vote in 2015. District 34 was competitive in elections from 2013 to 2015. Incumbent Kathleen J. Murphy (D) was first elected to the seat in a 2015 special election, winning by a margin of 2.6 percent. She won re-election in the 2015 general election with 50.4 percent of the vote, defeating her special election opponent Craig A. Parisot (R) again by a margin of 0.6 percent. She first ran for the seat in 2013 and was defeated by incumbent Barbara Comstock (R) by 1.4 points. District 34 was one of 51 Virginia House districts that Democrat Hillary Clinton won in the 2016 presidential election. Clinton carried District 34 by 21.6 points. Democrat Barack Obama won the seat in the 2012 presidential election by 0.5 points. As of 2017, District 34 covered parts of Fairfax County and parts of Loudoun County.

Incumbent Kathleen J. Murphy ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 34 Democratic primary.

Cheryl Buford ran unopposed in the Virginia House of Delegates District 34 Republican primary.

2015

Elections for the office of Virginia House of Delegates 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 Kathleen J. Murphy was unopposed in the Democratic primary. Craig A. Parisot was unopposed in the Republican primary. Murphy defeated Parisot in the general election.

Kathleen J. Murphy (D) defeated Craig A. Parisot (R) in the special election on January 6, 2015.

The seat was vacant following Barbara Comstock's (R) election to the 10th Congressional District of Virginia.

A special election for the position of Virginia House of Delegates District 34 was called for January 6. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was November 16, 2014.

2013

Elections for the office of Virginia House of Delegates consisted of a primary election on June 11, 2013, and a general election on November 5, 2013. Republican incumbent Barbara Comstock defeated Democrat Kathleen Murphy in the general election. Both candidates were unopposed in the primary elections.

Campaign contributions

Since 2001, candidates for Virginia House of Delegates District 34 have raised a total of $4,857,122. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $441,557 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.