The second time appears to have been the charm for Democrat Jessica Anderson, who defeated incumbent Republican Del. Amanda Batten in the race to represent District 71 in the Virginia House of Delegates.

Preliminary figures on Tuesday identified Anderson as the winner by 5.5 percentage points. Absentee and provisional ballots must still be tallied, which will be completed by Nov. 12 in Williamsburg, city spokeswoman Nicole Trifone said.

The rematch was among Virginia’s costliest House of Delegates contests, with Anderson raising nearly $3 million — more than twice what Batten’s campaign brought in, according to the latest campaign finance figures. State Democratic leaders poured resources into Anderson’s campaign, identifying District 71 earlier this year among 14 seats in the House of D

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