Virginia Democrats to hold firehouse primary for Richmond senate race -- but what does that mean?
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Democrats will be holding a firehouse primary on Sunday to determine who will be representing them in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi (D) — but what in the world is a firehouse primary?
In early November, Virginia voters took to the polls and chose then-Senator Hashmi to be their next lieutenant governor. She will be the first Muslim to ever hold statewide office in the Commonwealth.
As she takes on this new role, she leaves her Senate seat empty and District 15 — which includes parts of Chesterfield County and the city of Richmond — without a senator.
To fill that gap, a special election will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.
https://www.wric.com/news/politics/local-election-hq/firehouse-primary-explainer-hashmi-senate-seat/