Fresh off a convincing victory in the Democratic primary for the 9th Senate District, Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, turned the page to the next election to fill the seat held by Congresswoman-elect Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, and, likely, another primary to defend it in a new district.
Bagby appeared at state Democratic Party headquarters in Richmond on Monday morning, about 10 hours after he seized the party’s nomination for the Senate seat with 72% of the vote after a lightning campaign against two formidable fellow Democrats.
He faces Republican nominee Steve Imholt in a special election on March 28 and then, if he prevails, another Democratic primary on June 20 in the newly drawn 14th Senate District, centered in Richmond instead of Henrico County.
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“I look forward to it all,” Bagby said.
Henrico, one of four polling locations in the party-run firehouse primary, determined the outcome, giving Bagby a nearly 2,800-vote margin over runner-up Alexsis Rodgers.
But Rodgers ran close in Richmond, where she had finished second in the 2020 campaign for mayor and established herself as a voice for the party’s progressive wing. Bagby edged her by 52 votes there. Del. Dawn Adams, a three-term delegate from Richmond, also had her best showing in the city, while receiving fewer than 500 votes in the primary.
Rodgers, chair of the 4th Congressional District Democratic Committee, congratulated Bagby and thanked her supporters for their work in a four-day campaign that began after Senate Democrats set the special election last week.
“I personally understand what it takes to coordinate this type of election, so I am grateful for those in the party who are committed to our democratic processes,” she said in a statement on Monday.
Adams called Bagby to congratulate him on the win and said on social media that she “was in great company” in campaigning against him and Rodgers.
“It was a tough race, but Virginia was guaranteed a great outcome no matter the result,” she said on Twitter.
Imholt, 70, was the only candidate to file for the Republican nomination on Saturday. Initially, party officials said no one had applied, but state GOP Chairman Rich Anderson said he was notified by the local party on Sunday, making Imholt the nominee without a contest. A resident of North Richmond, Imholt is a retired information technology project manager who still serves an adviser on software development and infrastructure, and works as a sales associate at Walmart.
“Why? Because working in any form is something I found I enjoyed more than being retired,” he said on his LinkedIn social media page.
Imholt ran as an independent against McClellan in the 71st House District in 2015. McClellan won with 88% of the vote. A little more than a year later, she won a special election for the 9th District Senate seat to succeed newly elected Rep. Donald McEachin, D-4th.
McEachin’s unexpected death on Nov. 28, three weeks after winning a fourth congressional term, set in motion a series of special elections and party primaries. McClellan clinched the Democratic congressional nomination in a four-way contest in December and cruised to a nearly 50-point victory over Republican Leon Benjamin on Feb. 21. She will resign her Senate seat by March 7.
State Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker called the turnout for the smaller Senate primary comparable to the nearly 28,000 votes cast in the congressional primary, despite the short notice.
“We’re kind of ... getting used to this,” Swecker said. “Another day, another special election.”
If Bagby wins his race against Imholt, Democrats will have to hold another nominating contest for a candidate to run in the 74th House District, centered in Henrico.
Democrats are intent on retaining McClellan’s seat before the General Assembly reconvenes for its veto session on April 12. Legislators will act on vetoes and amendments from Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican with a conservative legislative agenda that the Democratic-controlled Senate has mostly blocked with a self-proclaimed “brick wall.”
“We’re making sure we replace the brick in the Senate,” Swecker said.
With the next campaign underway, Bagby will focus on his work as chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, the importance of constituent service to residents of the district and pressing public needs such as affordable housing.
“We need to talk about housing,” he said.
Bagby said he will not take the special election for granted, even though the district is heavily Democratic.
“Yesterday was great,” he said, “but it wasn’t the Super Bowl.”
From the Archives: Richmond buildings that are no longer around
This January 1946 image shows Forest Lodge, completed in the early 1880s by Confederate Army scout John Cussons. The six-story resort hotel stood on 1,000 acres in Glen Allen on Mountain Road and boasted more than 100 rooms. It never became the success that Cussons envisioned, and after changing hands and purposes several times, it was razed in 1992. The cupola was saved and can be seen at Mountain Road and Old Washington Highway.
Shown in December 1957, this building at 1600 Chamberlayne Parkway and several others behind it - the former plant of Valentine's Meat-Juice Co. - were slated to be torn down after being sold to the Noland Co. Valentine's Meat-Juice was marketed as a tonic, used for such maladies as cholera and typhoid. It gained attention after Mann S. Valentine Jr. created it in order to cure his wife, Ann Maria Gray Valentine, from wasting away in 1870.
In September 1961, about 25 alumni of Richmond’s old John Marshall High School demonstrated against a plan to demolish the building. After protesting there, the group went to City Hall to discuss the matter with City Council. Despite their efforts, the high school was razed that fall.
In April 1982, preparations for construction of the Richmond Convention Center were underway along East Broad Street downtown. Among businesses that were torn down to accommodate the new facility were Swatty’s Men’s Shop and the Greyhound bus station.
This January 1953 image shows houses on Belvidere Street in Richmond, as seen near Rowe Street, which were to be taken by the city for a proposed war memorial. The row formed the western boundary of a block that city officials were preparing to acquire. The Virginia War Memorial was dedicated in February 1956.
This May 1953 image shows the First Market building, which was razed in 1961. This site now houses the 17th Street Farmers Market, but its history as a public gathering place and market dates to the 1700s. Over time, it hosted Confederate soldiers, Union troops, political speeches, a police station and religious revival meetings in addition to farmers’ wares.
This October 1948 image shows the northeast corner of Third and Franklin streets downtown, where demolition soon made way for the new Times-Dispatch mechanical plant that opened in 1950. In the late 1990s, the site was fully renovated, and The Times-Dispatch building, which had fronted Grace Street, was given its current address of 300 E. Franklin St. 10-1-1948: Building at Third and Franklin to be razed for newspaper mechanical plant. ORG XMIT: RIC1311011539563729
The Azalea Mall in 1970.
03-22-1962 (cutline): These buildings will be razed for construction of modern ones. Latest in downtown improvement plans announced today.
03-26-1959 (cutline): Home of Maj. Myers, 515 W. Franklin St., before it was razed.
09-15-1959 (cutline): These buildings, in the Pearsall block, bounded by Ninth, Clay, 10th and Leigh Streets, are being torn down to make way for the new Richmond Department of Public Safety Building, the first unit of the Civic Center. The M&M Wrecking Co. has contracted with the city to demolish the buildings and remove all combustible materials by December in return for such materials as it can salvage. When the property is cleared, the city will decide on further use of the area pending construction of the new building. One possible use; parking.
Published Caption Richmond News Leader: Down She Goes - With the rest of the church already knocked down, workmen began yesterday demolishing the Gothic tower of the former All Saints Episcopal Church building in the 300 block West Franklin St. An apartment building is planned for the site, where the church stood for 60 years. Published Caption Richmond News Leader 2-21-91: The All Saints Episcopal Church building at 316 W Franklin St was sold for $85,000. The tower was the last part demolished.
In May 1977, this 150-foot smokestack came down. The smokestack stood behind what used to be Broad Street Station in Richmond; the demolition was part of a contract with the state for removal of the stack and several buildings in the area.
This October 1964 image shows a set of buildings at the corner of 13th and Main streets in Richmond that were due to be demolished to make way for a parking lot. The lot, which was scheduled to be completed in February, was designed to handle about 40 cars.
11-29-1963 (cutline): Downtown traffic--Both pedestrian and vehicular--is heavy despite rainy skies. Pace picked up as rain slackened on traditional first day of Christmas shopping. The Atlantic Life and May Co. building were demolished in the early 2000s.
June 21, 1963 (Photograher Carl Lynn) (cutline) "These houses in the 800 block of West Grace St. are to be razed for a high-rise apartment building in Richmond Va.
In October 1961, a crane swung a wrecking ball against the portico of the old John Marshall High School in downtown Richmond as a nostalgic crowd watched. The building was being razed to make way for development of the new Civic Center; the new high school opened in North Side the previous year.
In May 1954, buildings in the 500 block of Marshall Street in Richmond were soon to be razed to make way for additional parking.
In September 1982, a section of the former Pinnell’s boat and bicycle shop on lay in ruins after demolition the day before. The store was razed to make way for a 3-story medical office building - the new $24 million structure was built between Grace and West Broad streets, close to Richmond Metropolitan Hospital. Today the building serves as a Virginia Commonwealth University dormitory.
This 1957 image shows Pratt’s Castle, built as the Richmond private home of William Abbott Pratt in the 1850s. Pratt used all of his fortune to construct his castle, which was modeled after the estates of his Scottish relatives. The castle sat on the southern tip of Fourth Street on Gamble’s Hill, overlooking the James River. It was demolished in the late 1950s to make way for the headquarters of what became Ethyl Corp.
In September 1954, owners of the old Richmond Tobacco Exchange building at 13th and East Cary streets announced that it would be razed the next year to make way for a parking facility. The exchange opened in 1858 -- formerly, officials inspected tobacco at many warehouses all over the city, and the new building aimed to centralize the process.
This August 1972 image shows the Virginia State Penitentiary, then located along Spring Street in Richmond. At the time, the state was considering options to replace the old and cramped pen, with one plan calling in part for a facility in the Green Springs area of Louisa County. Today the site is largely occupied by Afton Chemical Corp., a united of NewMarket Corp.
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