Senate of Virginia
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 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 8, 2020 |
| Leadership | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
Clerk | Susan Schaar since January 1990 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
 | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Virginia Constitution |
| Salary | $18,000/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2019 (40 seats) |
Next election | November 7, 2023 (40 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative 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
Historical composition
| 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
| Lieutenant Governor | Justin Fairfax |
| President pro Tempore | Louise Lucas |
| Majority Leader | Dick Saslaw |
| Minority Leader | Tommy Norment |
- ↑ 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.