Jones, Gardner announce campaigns to fill Richmond-area state Senate seat

For some Richmond-area voters, it’s already election season again.

State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi’s victory in the statewide race for lieutenant governor will create a vacancy in the Senate, and two Democratic delegates have announced campaigns to try to win a promotion to the General Assembly’s upper chamber.

Del. Mike Jones, a pastor and former member of the Richmond City Council, announced Thursday that he’ll run for the 15th Senate District being vacated by Hashmi. He’ll be facing off against Del. Debra Gardner, a former social worker who also previously worked at Richmond City Hall, after she announced her own bid for the seat.

Jones, a former Council president, stepped away from the local governing body in late 2023 after winning a seat in the state legislature. His 77th District is split between the city and Chesterfield County.

“I am eager to continue to provide strong, progressive, compassionate, energetic leadership to Chesterfield County and Richmond in the state Senate,” Jones said in his announcement. “Election Night, Virginians spoke overwhelmingly that they are tired and frustrated with President Trump and Republican policies.” 

In addition to several administrative roles in state government related to criminal justice, Gardner worked at City Hall under former Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones in a deputy role dealing with human services. She joined the House in 2024, representing the 76th District based entirely in Chesterfield.

“As your next State Senator I’ll keep fighting for everyone to have the opportunity for a better future,” Gardner said in her announcement. “I’m excited to work with Gov.-Elect Spanberger to move Virginia forward and protect our narrow Senate majority.”

Gardner said she had the backing of Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, the Senate’s president pro tempore and one of the body’s most senior and influential Democrats. 

In a brief interview, Gardner stressed that most of the Senate district is in Chesterfield and a substantial portion overlaps with her current district.

“I have worked and led out here in this area and I have deep roots in the community,” Gardner said.

As a former Council leader in Richmond, Jones arguably has a higher profile in the area. But it’s unclear how his experience in city politics will translate into a Chesterfield-centric contest with Gardner.

When asked about the matchup, Jones said his church, Village of Faith Ministries, is located in Chesterfield.

“It will be a privilege to serve,” Jones said. “And a privilege that only the voters will give.”

A special election for the Senate district has not yet been scheduled. It will most likely be set for December or early January to allow the new senator to be sworn in ahead of the 2026 General Assembly session.

Because of the district’s partisan lean, the eventual Democratic nominee would be a strong favorite to keep the seat blue. A special election would have lower turnout, but Hashmi easily defeated a Republican challenger in 2023, winning more than 62% of the vote. 

The Senate district is based mostly in Chesterfield County, but stretches partially into Richmond’s Southside. The winner of the special election will represent Richmond along with Sen. Lamont Bagby, whose 14th District covers most of the city.

Hashmi won a comfortable victory over Republican John Reid in Tuesday’s lieutenant governor election. That will put her in a statewide office that has little power apart from presiding over the state Senate, but is widely seen as a stop on the way to a future run for governor. 

It’s not clear if any other candidates will emerge for the Senate seat coming open.

Because two Democrats are running, local party officials are expected to organize a firehouse primary or other process to choose a nominee to run in the special election. Those details have also not been finalized yet.

If either of the two state delegates wins the Senate seat, that will trigger another special election to fill their House seat.

Contact Reporter Graham Moomaw at gmoomaw@richmonder.org