Democrats flip two western Henrico supervisors seats, take 4-1 control of board

In an election that seemed to solidify Henrico's continuing political shift to the left, two Democrats flipped seats on the Henrico Board of Supervisors that had been held by Republicans for decades, giving Democrats a 4-1 majority on the board. Three of the five supervisors will be new to the board when it meets for the first time next year.

Misty Whitehead stunned two-term incumbent Republican Tommy Branin to claim the Three Chopt District seat, winning by 261 votes among the 22,860 cast. Before Branin's tenure, Republican supervisor Dave Kaechele had held the seat for 36 years.

And in the Tuckahoe District, Democrat Jody Rogish won a similarly tight race against Republican Greg Baka, who had been endorsed by outgoing 28-year Republican supervisor Pat O'Bannon. Rogish won by 598 votes among the nearly 27,000 cast in the race.

Both Whitehead and Rogish overcame significant financial disadvantages to win; Branin outraised Whitehead by a margin of more than 7 to 1 this year, but it wasn't enough to save his seat. Baka outraised Rogish by nearly 2 to 1.

The two Democrats will join a third newcomer, Fairfield's Roscoe Cooper, III (who earned about 68% of the vote and easily defeated independents Delta Bowers and Bo Middleton to earn the seat held for the past 28 years by Democrat Frank Thornton) and incumbent Democrat Tyrone Nelson of the Varina District to give the board a rare Democratic majority.

Incumbent Republican Dan Schmitt of the Brookland District, who easily defeated Democratic challenger Stephen Rast,61% to 38%, will be the only member of his party on the board next year.

Supervisors' terms are four years, beginning in January.

Turnout was noticeably higher than in most so-called off-off-year elections in Henrico. Overall, 61% of eligible county voters cast ballots -- a jump of about 12% from the percentage that voted in the 2019 elections.

In the race for Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney, incumbent Democrat Shannon Taylor won her fourth term in office, earning 60% of the vote to defeat her Republican challenger, Shannon L. Dillon, who received 40%.

Incumbent Democratic Sheriff Alisa Gregory defeated her independent challenger, Harold Ford,, with about 64% of the vote.

And Heidi Barshinger narrowly retained her spot as Henrico Circuit Court clerk, defeating Democratic challenger Graham "Gray" Montrose with 51% of the vote.

The top three candidates who gained the most votes for Henricopolis Soil and Water Board were Claiborne Ewing Yarbrough with 31%, Brittany Rose with 30%, and Becky Lakin with 26%. Clover Dosier finished fourth and was the only candidate not to earn a spot on the board.

General Assembly races

In newly drawn Senate District 16, Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg unseated incumbent Republican Siobhan Dunnavant with about 54% of the vote, in a win that helped Democrats retain their Senate majority.

Democrats also took control of the House of Delegates, flipping enough seats to erase the Republicans' 52-48 majority.

In notable Henrico races, Republican David Owen narrowly claimed the 57th District race by less than 1,000 votes over Democrat  Susanna Gibson, while incumbent Democrat Rodney Willett claimed a third term, winning the 58th District seat by defeating Republican challenger Riley Shaia with 54% of the vote.

In the 59th District, which includes portions of Hanover, Henrico and Louisa, incumbent Republican Buddy Fowler defeated Democratic challenger Rachel Levy, 59% to 40%.

House District 80 saw Democrat Destiny L. Levere Bolling run uncontested and claim the seat, while incumbent Democrat Delores McQuinn did the same in the 81st District.

Democrats also claimed the other two Senate districts that include Henrico: the 13th, in which Lashrecse Aird defeated Republican Eric Ditri 59% to 40%, and the 14th, in which incumbent Lamont Bagby ran unopposed.

-Mado Long contributed to this article.