Virginia's twenty-ninth state senate district is represented by Democratic Senator Jeremy McPike.

As of the 2011 redistricting, a total of 203,988 civilians reside within Virginia's twenty-ninth state senate district. Virginia state senators represent an average of 200,026 residents. After the 2000 Census, each member represented 176,963 residents.

About the office

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

Qualifications

Senators 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

2019

Elections for the Virginia State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on June 11, 2019, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 28, 2019.

The primary elections were canceled.

The primary elections were canceled.

2015

Elections for the Virginia State Senate 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. Jeremy McPike defeated Atif Qarni and Michael Futrell in the Democratic primary. Hal Parrish was unopposed in the Republican primary. McPike defeated Parrish in the general election.

Race snapshot

In this Democratic-leaning district, a mayor and city administrator faced off for the open seat to replace outgoing Sen. Charles Colgan (D). Colgan, the longest serving senator in the state's history, decided to retire at the end of his 10th term. Colgan was re-elected to the seat in 2011 by a 10 percent margin of victory. President Barack Obama (D) won the district by 28 points in 2012, and Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) won the district by 18 points in 2013. Even though the district leans Democratic, Republicans fielded a well-funded and well-connected candidate in Manassas Mayor Hal Parrish. Parrish served as mayor beginning in 2009, is an U.S. Air Force veteran and is the owner of Manassas Ice and Fuel. Parrish's father, Harry Parrish, also served as mayor of Manassas and then in the Virginia House of Delegates. Jeremy McPike is an administrator in the city of Alexandria and a Dale City volunteer firefighter. He previously ran for District 31 of the House of Delegates in 2013, but he was defeated by incumbent Scott Lingamfelter (R) by less than 300 votes. Some Democrats were worried about the district, since Parrish dominated fundraising. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Parrish raised $895,000, compared to McPike, who raised $740,000 through September. As of September 30, 2015, Parrish had $143,078 in cash-on-hand, while McPike had $19,841.

On October 19, 2015, The Washington Post endorsed Jeremy McPike for his "nuts and bolts" mentality of effective governance from working for Alexandria’s city government. He also wrote that McPike has some good ideas on fixing traffic and commuting problems. By contrast, he wrote that Hal Parrish has strong positions on Medicaid expansion and "common-sense gun safety" and would just "join the choir of pro-gun voices in Richmond."

On October 22, 2015, Everytown for Gun Safety, a group financed by ex-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced that it planned to spend $1.5 million in TV and online ads for Democrat Jeremy McPike.

In an open letter published October 27, 2015, fourteen members of Colgan's family endorsed Parrish.

Virginia State Senate, District 29 General Election, 2015

Virginia State Senate, District 29 Democratic Primary, 2015

2011

Elections for the office of Virginia State Senate consisted of a primary election on August 23, 2011, and a general election on November 8, 2011. Democratic incumbent Charles Colgan defeated Republican Tom Gordy in the general election. Colgan was unopposed in the Democratic primary election. Gordy was unopposed in the Gordy was unopposed in the Republican primary election.

Virginia State Senate, District 29 General Election, 2011

Campaign contributions

From 2003 to 2011, candidates for Virginia State Senate District 29 raised a total of $2,494,154. Candidates who raised money in contributions earned $415,692 on average. All figures come from Follow the Money.

Campaign contributions, Virginia State Senate District 29