Special Election Results For 23rd House District: Margaret Franklin Wins

WOODBRIDGE, VA — Prince William County Supervisor Margaret Angela Franklin (D-Woodbridge) on Tuesday won a special election for a Virginia House of Delegates seat in a special election as the incumbent steps down.

Franklin won the 23rd House District race, defeating Republican Verndell C. Robinson with 77 percent of the votes to 23 percent.

The 23rd district includes parts of Prince William and Stafford counties.

Robinson is a real estate agent and Navy veteran. According to the Prince William GOP, she previously ran for Prince William County Supervisor in 2023. In that campaign, she criticized irresponsible data center development, and supported encouraging affordable housing, including reducing real estate taxes.

The incumbent, Del. Candi Mundon King, stepped down after being appointed by Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger as secretary of the commonwealth.

Franklin was endorsed by Mundon King, as well as fellow Supervisors Andrea Bailey and Victor Angry, along with Rep. Eugene Vindman, Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas and other Democratic officials in the blue-leaning district.

"Since 2019, I've had the honor of serving the Woodridge District on the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, working to strengthen our public schools, expand affordable housing, lower the tax rate, and deliver high-quality services to residents," Franklin said in December. "We've made meaningful progress, and this work has shown me how closely local decisions are tied to what happens in Richmond, and how much more we can accomplish for our families when state and local leaders are aligned.

Franklin, elected in 2019, was one of the first African American women elected to the Prince William Board of County Supervisors. A former congressional staffer for Rep. Al Lawson (D-Florida) Rep. Alma Adams (D-North Carolina) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) she also served as president of the Senate Black Legislative Staff Caucus.

As the Woodbridge District supervisor, Franklin's initiatives have included working to increase affordable housing, creating a sustainability commission, creating an award-winning Child Advocacy Center to help victims of child abuse, and renaming Jefferson Davis Highway to Richmond Highway.

She has served roles including vice chair of the Board of County Supervisors, chair of the Virginia Railway Express Operations Board, chair of Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission/OmniRide, and chair of the Economic & Workforce Development Committee for the Virginia Association of Counties.