Senate of Virginia

upper chamber of Virginia bicameral legislature
(Redirected from Virginia Senate)

The Senate of Virginia is a part of the Virginia General Assembly. The general assembly is the legislature for Virginia. The Senate of Virginia is the upper house, while the Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house. The senate has 40 members called senators. The leader of the senate is called the president and is also the lieutenant governor. The current president is Justin Fairfax. There is a second position called the Pro tempore if the president is absent or unavailable.

Senate of Virginia
Virginia General Assembly
Coat of arms or logo
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 8, 2020
Leadership
Justin Fairfax (D)
since January 13, 2018
Louise Lucas (D)
since January 8, 2020
Majority Leader
Dick Saslaw (D)
since January 8, 2020
Minority Leader
Tommy Norment (R)
since January 8, 2020
Clerk
Susan Schaar
since January 1990
Structure
Seats40
Political groups
Majority
  •   Democratic (21)

Minority

Length of term
4 years
AuthorityArticle IV, Virginia Constitution
Salary$18,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 5, 2019
(40 seats)
Next election
November 7, 2023
(40 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber
Virginia State Capitol
Richmond, Virginia
Website
Virginia General Assembly

The senate holds elections every 4 years. The last election was on November 5, 2019 and the next election is on November 7, 2023.

Composition

change

Historical composition

change
Affiliation Party
(Shading indicates majority party)
Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
1900–1904 38 2 40 0
1904–1916 35 5 40 0
1916–1920 36 4 40 0
1920–1924 34 6 40 0
1924–1928 39 1 40 0
1928–1944 38 2 40 0
1944–1948 37 3 40 0
1948–1952 38 2 40 0
1952–1960 37 3 40 0
1960–1964 38 2 40 0
1964–1968 37 3 40 0
1968–1970 34 6 40 0
1970–1974 33 7 40 0
1974–1976 34 6 40 0
1976–1978 35 5 40 0
1978–1980 34 6 40 0
1980–1984 31 9 40 0
1984–1988 32 8 40 0
1988–1992 30 10 40 0
1992–1996 22 18 40 0
1996–2000 20 20 40 0
2000–2004 19 21 40 0
2004–2008 17 23 40 0
2008–2012 22 18 40 0
2012–2016 20 20 40 0
2016–2020 19 21 40 0
2020–2024 21 19 40 0

Leadership

change
Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax
President pro Tempore Louise Lucas
Majority Leader Dick Saslaw
Minority Leader Tommy Norment
  1. Amanda Chase is an enrolled Republican, and was elected in 2019 on the Republican line. On November 22, 2019, she announced that she would not caucus with the Republicans in the upcoming Senate session, although she still considers herself a Republican.