Virginia Senate
Virginia Senate | |
|---|---|
| 164th Virginia General Assembly | |
 Coat of arms of the Virginia Senate | |
 Seal of the Virginia Senate | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 14, 2026 |
| Leadership | |
President pro tempore | L. Louise Lucas (D) since January 8, 2020 |
Majority Leader | Scott Surovell (D) since January 10, 2024 |
Minority Leader | Ryan McDougle (R) since January 10, 2024 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 40 |
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Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Virginia Constitution |
| Salary | $18,000/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 7, 2023 (40 seats) |
Next election | November 2, 2027 (40 seats) |
| Redistricting | Commission |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Senate Chamber Virginia State Capitol Richmond, Virginia | |
| Website | |
| Virginia General Assembly | |
The Virginia Senate 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.[1]
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 Ghazala Hashmi, holding position since January 2026. There is a second position called the Pro tempore if the president is absent or unavailable.[2]
Composition
Historical composition
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | |
| 1900–1904 | 38 | 2 |
| 1904–1916 | 35 | 5 |
| 1916–1920 | 36 | 4 |
| 1920–1924 | 34 | 6 |
| 1924–1928 | 39 | 1 |
| 1928–1944 | 38 | 2 |
| 1944–1948 | 37 | 3 |
| 1948–1952 | 38 | 2 |
| 1952–1960 | 37 | 3 |
| 1960–1964 | 38 | 2 |
| 1964–1968 | 37 | 3 |
| 1968–1970 | 34 | 6 |
| 1970–1974 | 33 | 7 |
| 1974–1976 | 34 | 6 |
| 1976–1978 | 35 | 5 |
| 1978–1980 | 34 | 6 |
| 1980–1984 | 31 | 9 |
| 1984–1988 | 32 | 8 |
| 1988–1992 | 30 | 10 |
| 1992–1996 | 22 | 18 |
| 1996–2000 | 20 | 20 |
| 2000–2004 | 19 | 21 |
| 2004–2008 | 17 | 23 |
| 2008–2012 | 22 | 18 |
| 2012–2016 | 20 | 20 |
| 2016–2020 | 19 | 21 |
| 2020–2024 | 22 | 18 |
| 2024–2028 | 21 | 19 |
Leadership
| Lieutenant Governor | Ghazala Hashmi |
| President pro tempore | L. Louise Lucas |
| Majority Leader | Scott Surovell |
| Majority Whip | Barbara Favola |
| Minority Leader | Ryan McDougle |
| Minority Whip | Bill Stanley (politician) |
References
- ↑ "Constitution of Virginia - Article IV. Legislature". law.lis.virginia.gov. Retrieved 2026-04-04.
- ↑ "Constitution of Virginia, 1776" (PDF). vagovernmentmatters.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2026-04-04.