When the Virginia General Assembly reconvenes in January, there will be a record number of women in the House of Delegates, a majority of them part of a blue wave of women.

When District 14’s Vivian Watts was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1982, she was one of 19 women. You have to search to find her among the men on the 100 member composite.

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“Up until that point there had only been 21 total women who had ever served in the Virginia legislature since women got the right to vote,” Watts said.

It wasn't until the 2017 election that the first surge came, with many of the newcomers from Northern Virginia. But Election Night 2025 was an even bigger breakthrough.

For women House of Delegates candidates,

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