The voters have elected Democrat Nadarius Clark to represent District 84 in the Virginia House of Delegates.

The race was close during the early stages of vote counting, but Clark eventually pulled away to defeat Republican Michael J. Dillender with 52.61% of the vote, according to unofficial totals listed by the Virginia Department of Elections as of 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8. These totals did not include provisional or post-election ballots.

“In this election the voters stood up to fully fund our public schools, to make sure teachers are getting paid what they deserve,” Clark said in response to his victory. “They stood up for gun violence prevention. They stood up for a woman’s right to choose. So this election wasn’t just a win for my campaign, it’s a win for the issues that matter to the voters and the constituents of the 84th District.”

The recent redistricting reformulated Virginia House District 84 to be composed of part of Suffolk and Isle of Wight County, all of the city of Franklin and a small part of the city of Chesapeake. 

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, of the district’s 66,433 registered voters, 51,286 are in the part of Suffolk included, equaling a 77.2% share of the district; 8,907 are in the part of Isle of Wight included, equaling a 13.41% share; 5,919 are in Franklin, which is an 8.91% share; and 321 are in the part of Chesapeake included, equaling a 0.48% share.

Clark enjoyed his most pronounced support in Suffolk, holding a more than 2,700-vote advantage over Dillender there.

Dillender definitively won Isle of Wight, receiving more than 1,500 votes than Clark did in that locality.

The margin of victory was narrower for Clark in Franklin, but he defeated Dillender 1,429-1,089 there, and in Chesapeake, Clark won 88-13.

This is the 28-year-old Clark’s second general election win. He won the Virginia House District 79 seat in 2021 and held that seat until he resigned in March to run for the District 84 seat following redistricting.

In a candidate questionnaire in which he was asked to summarize why he decided to run for the 84th House District, Clark gave the following answer.

“Born and raised in Hampton Roads, I’m running for office because we need an advocate for our community who will fight for everyday working families,” he stated. “I believe I have the energy, vision and experience needed to put people first. I’m not afraid to stand up to the special interests in Richmond and, as a working-class delegate, I understand the economic struggles so many Virginians are going through in a way that uniquely qualifies me to take on the most pressing issues of our commonwealth.”

Some issues of importance to him that he highlighted at an Oct. 18 candidates’ forum in Franklin included ensuring that public schools are fully funded, providing medical debt relief, addressing the escalating price for rent, equipping police officers, attracting great medical professionals to the area and addressing gun violence and the mental health crisis.