Virginia Democrats to hold firehouse primary for Richmond senate race — but what does that mean?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Virginia Democrats will be holding a firehouse primary on Sunday to determine who will be representing them in the race to fill the Senate seat vacated by Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi (D) -- but what in the world is a firehouse primary?

In early November, Virginia voters took to the polls and chose then-Senator Hashmi to be their next lieutenant governor. She will be the first Muslim to ever hold statewide office in the Commonwealth.

As she takes on this new role, she leaves her Senate seat empty and District 15 -- which includes parts of Chesterfield County and the city of Richmond -- without a senator.

To fill that gap, a special election will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026.

The Virginia Senate GOP has announced that the Republican candidate for this race is John Thomas, who it described as "a strong conservative voice who will fight for safer communities, better schools and a stronger economy for Virginia families."

However, multiple prospective Democratic candidates have come forward, including Del. Mike Jones (D-Richmond) and Del. Debra Gardner (D-Chesterfield).

Voters will get the chance to choose who they'd like to see challenge Thomas in the special election during a firehouse primary on Sunday, Dec. 7, according to Virginia Democrats.

But what exactly is a firehouse primary? Popularized in the state of Virginia, a firehouse primary is simply a primary election that is facilitated by a local party organization -- in this case, Virginia Democrats -- rather than the state's department of elections.

"Firehouse primaries are used to determine local, county and state candidates for general elections in lieu of standard primaries and party conventions," Political Dictionary explains. "Parties use this primary method to handle nominations without convention floor votes or debates."

Virginia law states that, if a primary election is held outside of the November general election cycle, it must be party-run.

These sorts of primaries are still carried out in compliance with all relevant state election rules -- and no, they don't have to take place in a firehouse. In fact, they often take place in schools and churches.

Those who are interested in voting in this firehouse primary can do so between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sunday at any of the three following locations:

• Thomas Dale High School's West Campus, 3900 W. Hundred Rd.
• Manchester Middle School, 7401 Hull Street Rd.
• Hickory Hill Community Center, 3000 E. Belt Boulevard