Former delegate soundly defeats incumbent in Democratic primary

She outraised him. She out-endorsed him. And in the end, she outpolled him.

Former Del. Lashrecse Aird of Petersburg handily defeated incumbent Joe Morrissey in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for the new 13^th state Senate District. Unofficial results showed Aird winning all of the district’s eight localities en route to taking 68% of the total vote to Morrissey’s 32%.

With the victory, Aird moves a step closer to a possible return to Richmond. She still must face Republican candidate Eric Ditri of Prince George County in the November election. However, political analysts have scored the district as predominantly blue.

It was not a good night for any incumbent legislator in the area. North of the Appomattox River in Colonial Heights and parts of Chesterfield County, two-term Sen. Amanda Chase fell in a three-way Republican primary to former state Sen. Glen Sturtevant. GOP activist Tina Ramirez finished third.

Reversal of four years ago

For Morrissey, Tuesday’s outcome was quite like the one four years ago, just with a different result. Four years ago, the former Richmond prosecutor and delegate defeated incumbent Rosalyn Dance in the Democratic primary, and that included a landslide victory – he took four out of every five votes cast – in Dance’s home base of Petersburg.

Tuesday night, the tables were turned. Three out of every five votes cast in Petersburg went Aird’s way.

Results in the other localities within the 13^th were just as wide if not wider. In Charles City, Dinwiddie, Hopewell, Prince George, Surry and Sussex counties, Aird won with 68%, 60%, 58%, 60%, 84% and 61% of the votes, respectively.

In eastern Henrico County, where the majority of the District 13 population lives, Aird won 79% of the vote.

In another twist of fate, Aird defeated the person Tuesday who four years earlier defeated one of her political mentors in Dance.

At her campaign watch party in Highland Springs, Aird thanked her supporters “from the bottom of my heart” for pushing her over the finish line. She said the victory was not just hers but everyone who backed her.

“It is truly a testament to our community and to our commonwealth that I am standing here on this stage,” said Aird, who vowed to “hit the ground running” for the November election.

In conceding defeat, Morrissey said Tuesday night that he hopes Aird “is wildly successful” in the Senate. He also hinted at taking a break from politics to restore an historic residence he purchased on Market Street in Petersburg “and to be a full-time dad to my six children.”

“I’m grateful for my accomplishments in the Senate,” Morrissey said. That included a push to abolish the death penalty in Virginia and to improve treatment options for mental-health patients.

Pro-choice was a major factor

In accepting the nomination, Aird vowed to “be a firewall” to those who want to limit reproductive rights in Virginia. A staunch pro-choice champion, Aird made the issue a cornerstone in her campaign, going after Morrissey’s admittance to being a “pro-life Democrat” in Richmond. Morrissey, who attributed his Catholic faith to his opposition to abortion, was a co-sponsor in unsuccessful legislation that would have banned abortions at 20 weeks into the pregnancy.

Many pro-choice groups got behind Aird’s campaign, claiming that re-electing Morrissey would have been the equivalent of a hall pass for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desire to ban abortions after 15 weeks. They pointed to other southern states where pro-life legislation had been recently passed and said the same could happen in Virginia with Morrissey back in the Senate.

As expected, those pro-choice groups basked in Aird’s decisive victory.

“Lashrecse Aird made this race about protecting abortion rights — something the majority of Americans overwhelmingly agree on,” said Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia. “We look forward to Aird being elected in November and working with her, alongside all of our allies in the General Assembly, who will champion Virginians’ reproductive freedom in the next legislative session and the next several years.”

Aird amassed quite a campaign war chest during the primary, raising in excess of $1.3 million. She also captured the endorsements of most of Virginia’s Democratic establishment, including the two U.S. senators, several congressional representatives and all six of the women serving as Democratic state senators.

The race also delved into character issues. Morrissey has endured many personal, political and professional crises during his time in the public eye – including a battle with his estranged wife over custody of their three children. Morrissey also spent time in jail on charges of having a relationship with an underage staff member in his office who eventually became that wife, but he was pardoned by former Gov. Ralph Northam the day before the Democratic governor left office in 2022.

For a complete list of all local primary results, click here.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on Twitter at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: Former delegate soundly defeats incumbent in Democratic primary