Democrat Cheryl Smith, a retired educator, faces Republican Andrew Rice, a prosecutor in Virginia Beach, in the March 17 special election in the 98th Virginia House District.
The winner would succeed Del. Barry Knight, a Republican who served in the House of Delegates for 17 years before his death last week. The swift process of filling the seat was set into motion only Saturday and major party candidates determined within days.
Early in-person voting begins March 6.
Smith seeks the seat for the second time in a matter of months.
She challenged Knight last year and earned 43.2% of the vote in what the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project calls a strong GOP district. It covers much of southern Virginia Beach, including rural communities.
Smith taught 38 years in Chesapeake and lives in the Ocean Lakes area. Democrats canceled a caucus this week after she was the only candidate to file. She told WHRO she ran in 2025 because nobody had signed up to challenge Knight.
She said she wants to reach voters regardless of party.
“I want to make sure I represent the farmers, the people that live on the beach,” she said. “I want to represent the military and the veterans. And I want to make sure the teachers are getting good pay and the kids are in good schools.”
Priorities include supporting education and teachers.
“My kids all grew up and had great educations here at these schools, and so that’s No. 1,” she said.
Smith also wants to work on making health care more affordable, veterans issues and addressing cost of living issues, such as utility prices. She said she’ll work on environmental and flooding concerns and reach out to farmers, a role long filled by Knight, a farmer.
“I really want to make sure that this land area is protected as much as possible,” Smith said.
On Tuesday, Rice defeated five others in a canvass held at the Royal Courtyard at West Neck. Rice earned 40% of more than 1,500 votes. Former Del. Tim Anderson placed second.
Rice is a deputy commonwealth’s attorney in Virginia Beach and grew up in Pungo, where he still lives. On Tuesday, he called Knight a mentor and said he sought his family’s blessing before deciding to run.
“I love hearing what people want or need fixed,” Rice told reporters. “And I think I’m the guy that can find practical solutions for those problems.”
Rice said the 98th District is diverse, with a range of needs.
“We want to protect our agricultural heritage down there,” he said. “We want to have safe roads going in and out of Sandbridge. We want to protect our green space and make eco-friendly decisions. But, you know, allow us to prosper.”
A main priority will be countering “progressive overreach” in Richmond, he said. He said he would represent “common-sense” conservative values, such as lower taxes, public safety and affordability. Like Smith, he mentioned the cost of utilities.
“Everybody that I’m talking to down here is complaining about their electric bill,” he said.
As of Thursday morning, no independent candidates had filed paperwork to run in the special election, according to the Virginia Beach Voter Registration & Elections Office.
The filing deadline is today.