Paired House Incumbents

A year ago, the Supreme Court of Virginia drew maps that will be used in state legislative elections this year without regard to the addresses of sitting legislators. The result was 44 of 100 delegates were drawn into the same district with one or more colleagues, most of them from the same political party. While some pairings have been resolved, VPAP’s unofficial list shows that 21 delegates still face the option of moving into a different district, running for a different office, retiring or battling a colleague for the party nomination.

House Districts with Paired Incumbents

View interactive list

Why does this matter? In past years, legislators controlled the redistricting process. The party in power could draw districts designed to hold onto power for another decade and to give its members the best chance to win re-election. Pairing legislators from the same party into a single district was a hostile act in which the party in power sought to thin the ranks of the other side.

The large-scale pairings in the new maps are the result of voters approving in November 2020 an amendment to the state constitution that lessened legislators’ grip in drawing legislative maps. The amendment called for a bipartisan Redistricting Commission to draw the maps. But when the commission deadlocked, the decision fell to the Supreme Court of Virginia, which cut out legislators completely.

The large number of same-party pairings will mean as many as 12 sitting delegates must decide whether to move their residence to another district, seek a different office, retire or this spring battle a colleague for their party’s nomination.

Notes: Updated 1/5/2023 to include HD 37 and HD80. Updated 1/3/2023 to show Del. Bobby Orrock running in HD 66.

Source: VPAP placed sitting legislators in newly drawn districts based on legislator addresses listed in the state voter file. Information about the resolution of pairings came from public announcements by candidates and statements of organization filed with the Virginia Department of Elections. For corrections/additions, please contact webmaster@vpap.org