Republican Andrew Rice defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith in the March 17, 2026, special election for Virginia House of Delegates District 98, winning 62.5%–37.5%. The seat opened after the death of longtime Republican Delegate Barry Knight.
Rice, a Virginia Beach Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and political newcomer, delivered a 25-point landslide that outperformed recent GOP margins in the district. Virginia Republicans hailed the result as strong conservative momentum and voter rejection of Democratic control in Richmond, especially ahead of the April 21 redistricting amendment vote.
Noting the major upset, a political analyst said, “Congratulations, Andrew Rice! Do not let anyone in the media convince you that this wasn’t a seismic result. Andrew outran Trump by a significant margin. Voters are FIRED UP and ready to vote against Democrats. Great sign for the VOTE NO campaign.”
Another post to social media noted, “HOLY CRAP! Republicans just scored a +14 point OVER PERFORMANCE in the Virginia House of Delegates District 98 Special Election. Andrew Rice (R) defeats Cheryl Smith (D) by 28+ points, in the Trump+14 district,” joking, “Apply liberals’ logic, this means a RED TSUNAMI is coming 😅🔥.”
Breaking down the data, one post read, “ELECTION ALERT🚨: BIG GOP WIN: Republicans just flipped momentum in Virginia HD-98 special election! Andrew Rice (R) crushes it with ~+25-29 point lead/margin in a district that leaned Sears +7 in November’s election. That’s a massive ~22+ point swing toward the Republicans! 🔥🟥”
Explaining the possible motivations, a post asserted, “This isn’t just a win—it’s a resounding rejection of the radical left’s agenda in Richmond. I predict there will be **major backlash** against the policies of Governor of Virginia—the people are furious. High taxes, out-of-control spending, soft-on-crime nonsense, and woke overreach have finally hit a breaking point.”
The same source declared, “Virginians are waking up and saying ENOUGH. This district in Virginia Beach—once competitive—has flipped hard red because voters are sick of Democrat failures. America First policies work.”
"*" indicates required fields
“Lower taxes, secure borders, law and order, protecting our kids—the GOP is delivering, and voters are rewarding it. Big warning shot to the left: Your time is up. The red wave is building, and 2026/2028 is going to be brutal for you,” the user concluded.
Reacting to the major win, the Virginia GOP stated, “Congratulations to Andrew Rice on winning the special election for the 98th House of Delegates district! Andrew is a common-sense conservative leader who will push back against Democrat extremism and fight for policies that benefit working families.”
Replying to the state GOP, one comment noted, “Resounding victory. Voters are not down with gerrymandering or higher taxes or the loss of 2A rights that the Dems pushed thru.” Another added, “Four months in, and Dems have already overplayed their hand in VA. Thank God Virginians have noticed.”
One conservative woman said, “Make sure that you tell Virginians in the midterms EVERYTHING that Spanberger & democRATS are doing to the residents, from taxes to gun right violations to deviants in women’s bathrooms & ask them if that’s what they want done to them by the Federal government too!”
Watch anti-ICE student chaos in Virginia here: