Virginia 23rd State Senate District, Virginia: Populist district. In 2024, voted D+37%. Democratic peak: D+71 in 1912.
Key facts
- 2024 presidential margin
- D+37MIT Election Lab
- Political archetype
- PopulistAkashic typology
- Population
- 195,5572024 5-year
- Median household income
- $69,6252024 5-year
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 38.0%2024 5-year
- Black
- 46.9%2024 5-year
- Hispanic / Latino
- 8.1%2024 5-year
- Peak Democratic margin
- D+71 in 1912MIT Election Lab
- Peak Republican margin
- R+35 in 1972MIT Election Lab
Constituent county margins for State Senate District 23, VAOne cell per constituent county, colored by 2024 presidential margin from deep red (Republican) through neutral to deep blue (Democratic), ordered bluest first.
R+60D+60
One cell per constituent county. Ordered by 2024 D-vs-R margin (bluest first). Hover for county-level numbers.
38 presidential elections
| Year | Won | Margin | Democratic | Republican | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | 58,519 | 26,691 | 86,720 | ||
| D | 62,935 | 26,735 | 91,465 | ||
| D | 55,671 | 25,921 | 86,088 | ||
| D | 63,050 | 27,214 | 91,499 | ||
| D | 63,276 | 29,502 | 93,535 | ||
| D | 43,133 | 33,540 | 77,133 | ||
| D | 36,863 | 28,064 | 66,091 | ||
| D | 33,206 | 23,861 | 61,598 | ||
| D | 31,498 | 27,651 | 69,110 | ||
| R | 25,846 | 34,289 | 60,943 | ||
| R | 25,054 | 36,120 | 61,603 | ||
| D | 25,463 | 24,083 | 52,556 | ||
| D | 26,461 | 21,606 | 50,055 | ||
| R | 5,557 | 11,774 | 17,681 | ||
| D | 15,517 | 14,553 | 44,275 | ||
| D | 5,538 | 4,033 | 9,577 | ||
| R | 9,865 | 10,802 | 20,744 | ||
| R | 7,147 | 10,155 | 17,937 | ||
| R | 7,105 | 7,418 | 14,563 | ||
| D | 5,122 | 2,765 | 8,669 | ||
| D | 5,408 | 2,069 | 7,501 | ||
| D | 4,878 | 1,235 | 6,137 | ||
| D | 4,436 | 1,139 | 5,603 | ||
| D | 3,052 | 1,547 | 4,682 | ||
| R | 2,130 | 2,795 | 4,925 | ||
| D | 1,741 | 748 | 2,697 | ||
| D | 1,860 | 1,082 | 3,008 | ||
| D | 1,087 | 351 | 1,479 | ||
| D | 1,034 | 93 | 1,331 | ||
| D | 953 | 426 | 1,404 | ||
| D | 868 | 339 | 1,234 | ||
| D | 1,790 | 1,152 | 2,969 | ||
| R | 860 | 1,357 | 2,265 | ||
| D | 2,614 | 1,999 | 4,726 | ||
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Demographics
Race, ethnicity, and ancestry
Click any group to see the ancestries typically reported within it.
English
8.2%
German
6.8%
Irish
5.8%
American
4.8%
Italian
2.9%
Scottish
1.2%
Polish
1.2%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release. Hispanic/Latino is an ethnicity that overlaps the race categories, so these shares can total more than 100%. Ancestry is a self-reported, multiple-response item; ancestry percentages do not sum to the parent race percentage.
Age distribution by sex
Median age: 36.1 in this county, 39.1 nationally
Male
Age
Female
85+
75–84
65–74
55–64
45–54
35–44
25–34
18–24
5–17
<5
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Median household income
2024 inflation-adjusted dollars
$69,625
State Senate District 23 ranks near the middle of US counties.
State Senate District 23$69,625
Virginia$93,170
United States$80,734
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Poverty rate
All persons below federal poverty line
13.2%
Children face moderate poverty.
Children under 1819.9%
Working age (18–64)11.3%
Seniors (65+)11.4%
Source · American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2024 release.
Language at home
Population aged 5 and older
91.0%
speak English only
Spanish4.4%
Asian & Pacific Islander1.8%
Other Indo-European1.7%
Other languages1.1%
Source · ACS 5-year estimates, 2024.
Religious adherents
Adherents per capita by tradition
Source · 2020 US Religion Census. Remaining 50.1% of residents not counted as adherents by any reporting body.
With a 2024 presidential margin of R+45.1, this district ranks among the most partisan in Virginia's upper chamber, drawing its electorate from rural and small-town communities where Republican candidates face little competitive pressure.
The Democratic margin in Virginia 23rd State Senate District peaked at seventy-one points in 1912. By 1992 the district had flipped, voting Republican for the first time in many years. The 2024 margin was thirty-seven points, the most Democratic-leaning result in the district's modern history.
The economic context is the key. The median household income of $69,625 sits well below state and national norms, and 13% of residents live below the federal poverty line. The shift here is part of a broader realignment of working-class places across the country.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
State Senate District 23, Virginia. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/51023/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
License: CC BY 4.0
Frequently asked questions
How did State Senate District 23, Virginia vote in 2024?
In 2024, State Senate District 23, Virginia voted Democratic by 36.7 points (D+37), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 86,720 votes cast, 58,519 went Democratic and 26,691 went Republican.
What is State Senate District 23, Virginia's political archetype?
Akashic classifies State Senate District 23, Virginia as a "Populist" district based on its long-arc presidential voting pattern. Across 38 elections in the dataset, the district has voted Democratic 26 times, Republican 8 times, and other 0 times.
When did State Senate District 23, Virginia last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which State Senate District 23, Virginia voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in State Senate District 23, Virginia?
State Senate District 23, Virginia has a population of 195,557 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in State Senate District 23, Virginia?
Median household income in State Senate District 23, Virginia is $69,625 — below the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of State Senate District 23, Virginia?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in State Senate District 23, Virginia from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 26 went Democratic and 8 went Republican. The district's archetype — "Populist" — captures the overall trajectory of that voting record.