Voters in parts of Virginia Beach and Norfolk will elect a new state senator on Tuesday.

The special election is to fill Republican Jen Kiggans’ seat for District 7. Kiggans stepped down after winning her bid for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She had one year left in her four-year term.

The election takes place the day before the General Assembly begins its annual session. Republican Kevin Adams, a Navy veteran and small-business owner, is facing Democrat Aaron Rouse, a former NFL player and previous Virginia Beach city councilman, for the open position.

Both candidates have raised roughly $1 million for their campaigns, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Adams, 61, says he will be tough on violent crime, cut taxes and support veterans. Adams is a retired lieutenant commander who served for 26 years in the Navy. He owns a small business, Adams Family Handyman Services. He has not previously held elected office.

Rouse, 39, says protecting abortion access is a top priority along with pay raises for teachers and modernizing schools. Rouse was born in Norfolk and grew up in Virginia Beach. After retiring from football, he returned home and was elected to an at-large seat on the City Council in 2018. During his four-year term, he was the liaison to the city’s minority business council and Pharrell Williams’ Something in the Water festival.

The special election covers the same district boundaries that were in place when Kiggans won the seat in 2019 before the districts were redrawn.

Polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. To determine if you are represented in the 7th District, enter your address on the “Who Is My Legislator” tool on the General Assembly website.

Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com