Virginia Democrats maintain narrow legislative majorities after special election wins

Democrats won a pair of special legislative elections in Northern Virginia on Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, allowing the party to maintain its narrow majorities in both chambers.

The special elections, both in districts in suburban Loudoun County, were the first since President-elect Donald Trump won a second term in November. While Democrats were favored, the results offered an early test of the political environment in Virginia, which is hosting a major governor's race this year and where Republicans have made inroads in recent years.

In a special state Senate election, Democrat Kannan Srinivasan, currently a member of the state House, defeated Republican Tumay Harding. The seat had been vacant after Sen. Suhas Subramanyam was elected to Congress in November. 

And in a special House race, Democrat JJ Singh, a former Capitol Hill aide and small-business owner, defeated Republican Ram Venkatachalam. The seat was left vacant after Srinivasan decided to run for the state Senate.

Republican Luther Cifers, who runs a kayak sales company, defeated Democrat Jack Trammell in a third special election Tuesday in a Senate district west of Richmond. The seat was left vacant when Sen. John McGuire, who narrowly defeated U.S. Rep. Bob Good in a bitter Republican primary last year, was elected to Congress.

The candidates in all three races had been expected to win: Vice President Kamala Harris won the two Loudoun County districts comfortably, while Trump easily carried the Richmond-area district last year, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

But special elections in off years, typically low-turnout affairs, can be unpredictable. In addition, voters had to deal with a winter storm that barreled through the region