The Virginia General Assembly Building. Special elections will take place in each chamber on January 9th, 2024. Both districts, Virginia’s 9th State Senate District and Virginia’s 48th State House of Delegates are based in solidly Republican Southside Virginia.

After being diagnosed with kidney cancer, Republican State Senator Frank Ruff, who had served in the Virginia General Assembly for three decades, opted to resign to undergo aggressive treatment. This created a vacancy in the strongly Republican 9th State Senate District months after Ruff won uncontested in the 2023 Virginia Legislative Elections. The 9th State Senate District covers a large swath of rural territory in Southside Virginia including the state’s black belt region, though the area as a whole remains majority white and majority Republican. The 9th District backed Donald Trump by a 58% – 41% margin in 2020 and backed Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin by an even larger 65% – 34% margin in 2021.

A precinct map of the 2020 Presidential Election results in the 9th State Senate District. Donald Trump carried the 9th State Senate District over Joe Biden 58% – 41%.

Several local Republican elected officials quickly jumped into the race to succeed Ruff, however, the race was dominated by local realtor Tammy Mulchi, who had worked as a legislative aide for Ruff for over 14 years. Mulchi, who received Ruff’s endorsement during the primary, has served on the Town Council of heavily conservative Clarksville, Virginia since first being elected in 2020. During the primary Mulchi touted her upbringing on a tobacco farm, the district is located in the heart of Virginia’s “old belt” and has a large tobacco industry, in addition to her conservative values. Mulchi called herself “a proud conservative who voted for Donald Trump three times” and promised to protect the Second Amendment and lower taxes. Mulchi ended up winning all four rounds of the Republican Firehouse Primary, clinching the GOP Nomination. In the general election, she faces Democrat Tina Younger, a former town councilwoman and vice mayor of South Boston, a majority black Democratic enclave within the district. Mulchi is expected to win convincingly. Election Forecaster Rating: Solid Republican (Hold)

Republican Tammy Mulchi, a legislative aide to former State Senator Frank Ruff, is expected to win the special election on January 9th, 2024 for the conservative 9th State Senate District, which Ruff vacated.