VA-HD97: House District 97, anchored in Virginia Beach, could determine party majority in House of Delegates
Just two years after House District 97 flipped from Republican to Democrat, the Virginia Beach district is being closely watched as a key race that could determine if Democrats will maintain their majority in the House, a hold they gained in 2023.
Democratic incumbent Michael Feggens is facing off against Republican former Del. Tim Anderson in the highly competitive contest. Combined, the campaigns have raised over $1 million, with Feggans pulling ahead with over $627,000 as of the end of August, compared to Anderson’s nearly $385,000.
Over half of the district voted for Kamala Harris for president in 2024, 53.1%, a major increase in Democratic votes from the 2016 election where Hillary Clinton narrowly won the district with 46.6%. In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin won the district by 50.6%.
The district has changed since 2021 when redistricting redrew many of its boundaries. In 2023, Republican Karen Greenhalgh ran against Feggans and lost. Anderson, who had represented House District 83, which was effectively eliminated in redistricting, said he did not want to run in a primary against the two other Republicans who ran for the new House District 97 seat. He ran an unsuccessful campaign for the state senate that year.
https://virginiamercury.com/2025/10/09/house-district-97-anchored-in-virginia-beach-could-determine-party-majority-in-house-of-delegates/