NORFOLK, Va. - — Virginians head to the polls Tuesday for primary elections.
Dozens of candidates are on the ballot for the primaries and tens of thousands have already voted early.
In Hampton Roads, there are Democratic and Republican primaries in the Southside of Hampton Roads. There are no primaries on the Peninsula.
The winners of the primaries will be on the ballot in November during the General Election, although several of the seats favor one party over another, so the winner of Tuesday's elections will have a big advantage going into the fall in some of the races.
Redistricting has also led to changes for all of the 140 General Assembly seats.
Some lawmakers were drawn into the same districts as others, leading to retirements.
Politics
Election Guide: Virginia June 2023 Primary
"We're going to see a lot of new faces," said political analyst Dr. Eric Claville.
Veteran Senators Louise Lucas and Lionell Spruill are battling it out for the Democratic nomination in the 18th District, which includes parts of Portsmouth and Chesapeake.
"We're going to lose one of those lawmakers, so that's going to be a very close race," predicts Claville. "It's really about the relationships that those candidates have established over the years with their voters."
Those relationships could be key in races where the candidates don't differ much on the issues, Claville added.
One of those races is the Democratic nomination in the 21st Senate race between Andria McClellan and Angelia Williams Graves.
The district includes most of the city of Norfolk.
"In the primary election, it's not really about policy per-se. It's really about popularity and making sure that you connect with the people," said Claville.
There are also closely watched Republican primaries in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
Another Republican primary features Emily Brewer against former NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler in the 17th Senate District, which includes Suffolk and areas to the west.
Gov. Youngkin has gotten involved in the race and endorsed Brewer.
Sadler has taken to the airwaves with an attack ad, criticizing Brewer for not being conservative enough.
The district could be one that's closely watched in the fall. The winner will face Democrat Clint Jenkins with big issues expected to be top of mind in the fall.
"The very first [issue] I believe is going to be women's rights. Secondly, I believe it's going to be the economy and this is going to be education," said Claville.
