Democrats Prevail in Virginia Races, the First Elections Since Trump’s Win

Democrats on Tuesday held two key state legislative seats in Virginia, retaining their majorities in the General Assembly in the first special elections since President-elect Donald J. Trump won back the White House.

The results were expected in overlapping House of Delegates and State Senate districts in Loudoun County, a Washington suburb. Democrats have traditionally occupied the seats, which became vacant when the local state senator was elected to Congress and the delegate subsequently resigned to run to replace him.

But Democrats, who held single-seat majorities in both chambers, had worried that a shift toward Republicans in Loudoun County could accelerate after Mr. Trump’s victory. They poured far more resources into the contests than Republicans did.

Kannan Srinivasan, a Democrat who had held the State House seat for the last year, won election to the State Senate, defeating Tumay Harding, a Republican schoolteacher, according to The Associated Press. JJ Singh, a former Capitol Hill aide, won Mr. Srinivasan’s old State House seat, topping Ram Venkatachalam, an information technology consultant, The A.P. reported.

In the end, the margins in both Loudoun races tracked the difference between Vice President Kamala Harris and Mr. Trump from November — even though the turnout is just a fraction of the presidential contest.

In a third special election, in central Virginia, Republicans retained a solidly red State Senate seat that John J. McGuire had vacated when he was elected to Congress in November. Luther Cifers, a kayak entrepreneur, easily defeated Jack Trammell, a sociology professor, according to The A.P.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, has one year left in his term.

Democrats focused their efforts on the Loudoun contests, with elected officials from across Virginia and beyond traveling to the districts to help get out the party’s vote in what was expected to be a low-turnout special election.

Ken Martin, the Minnesota Democratic chairman and a contender to lead the party’s national committee, stumped on Saturday in Loudoun and canvassed neighborhoods in the subfreezing temperatures. On Tuesday morning, two precincts in the State Senate district were briefly closed after a winter storm on Monday dumped up to 10 inches of snow across the Washington region.

“In Virginia, everything was at stake,” said Roger Lau, a deputy executive director for the Democratic National Committee. He added, “As we face increasing extremism at the federal level, it’s more important than ever for Democrats to fight back in the states.”

Mr. Srinivasan and Mr. Singh campaigned on the importance of retaining Democratic control of the General Assembly in Richmond, where their party aims this year to advance state constitutional amendments on abortion rights, same-sex marriage and the restoration of voting rights for felons.

“Our win today shows the power of compelling candidates focused on unlocking Virginians’ potential and protecting their rights,” said Dan Helmer, the campaign chair for the Virginia House Democratic caucus. “It bodes well for expanding our majority and taking back the governor’s mansion.”