Pro-Gun Chafin Wins Puckett Seat to Keep State Senate in GOP Hands

Delegate Ben Chafin (R-Russell County), won a special election Tuesday for former state Sen. Phillip Puckett’s (D-Russell County) Southwest Virginia seat, which means Republicans will maintain control of the State Senate and keep a pro-gun majority in place.  The GOP briefly lost control after the 2013 elections when Democrat Lt. Governor Ralph Northam took over for outgoing Republican Bill Bolling and a Democrat was elected to replace Northam.  While the Senate organization put into place in 2011 was to remain in effect until after the 2015 election, Democrats immediately used their new found power in a 20-20 chamber to change that and took control of the committees in the middle of the 2014 session, souring relations in the chamber.

In a surprise mover earlier this summer, Senator Puckett resigned, throwing control back to the GOP.  A special election was called to fill the seat and Chafin came up the winner.