2017 Virginia House of Delegates election

Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

Republican to Democratic (15)

• 2nd district
• 10th district
• 12th district
• 13th district
• 21st district
• 31st district
• 32nd district
• 42nd district
• 50th district
• 51st district
• 67th district
• 68th district
• 72nd district
• 73rd district
• 85th district

Frank Bruni, a columnist for The New York Times, said the Republican Party should be "scared" as a result of the Virginia elections.[42] Slate writer Mark Stern blamed gerrymandering as the reason why the Democrats did not win a majority in the House of Delegates.[43] Chicago Tribune editorial board member Clarence Page called the election an "unmistakable anti-Trump backlash."[44]

On November 7, a Twitter account called "MAGA Mike King" was suspended after it tweeted more than a dozen times a graphic purportedly instructing Virginians on how to vote by text.[45] On the same day, Harry Wiggins, the chair of the Prince William County Democratic Committee, told The Intercept that voters in his county were receiving robocalls falsely telling them their polling places had changed.[46]

On November 13, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a lawsuit in the state court alleging that conflicting and misleading instructions from the Stafford County Electoral Board would ultimately prevent provisional ballots from being counted.[47] Their lawsuit was thrown out on November 14 by judge Victoria Willis because it was not clear that the two voters named as plaintiffs had been harmed.[48] On November 20, the Virginia State Board of Elections voted unanimously to delay certification of elections in the 28th and 88th districts after Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortés announced that in April 2016, Fredericksburg registrar Juanita Pitchford erroneously assigned 83 voters from the 28th to the 88th.[49]

On November 22, federal judge T. S. Ellis III rejected the Virginia Democratic Party's bid to halt the Virginia State Board of Elections from certifying the vote totals in the 28th district.[50] After certifying the final results on November 27, Virginia State Board of Elections Chairman James Alcorn acknowledged the possibility of other voters being erroneously assigned to the wrong district.[51] On December 7, the Democrats filed an amended complaint that asked the judge to order the state to decertify the election, block Republican candidate Robert Thomas from being seated as a delegate when the General Assembly convenes in January, and hold a new election for the seat.[52]

On January 2, 2018, it was reported that the Virginia Department of Elections, Speaker Bill Howell, and Fredericksburg's Electoral Board knew there were problems with voters assigned to the wrong House districts in the Fredericksburg area since at least early 2015.[53]

On November 29, Democratic candidates Shelly Simonds and Donte Tanner filed for recounts in the 94th and 40th districts, respectively.[54] On November 30, Republican incumbent Manoli Loupassi, who lost to Democratic candidate Dawn Adams, filed for a recount in the 68th district.[55] On December 3, Democratic candidate Joshua Cole filed a request for a recount in the 28th district.[56] On December 14, Republican incumbent Tim Hugo won the recount in the 40th district, defeating Donte Tanner by 99 votes.[57] On December 20, Adams' victory over Loupassi was confirmed by the recount.[58] On December 21, Republican candidate Robert Thomas defeated Joshua Cole in the recount of the 28th district election.[59]

On December 19, the recount in the 94th district determined that Simonds defeated Republican incumbent David Yancey by one vote, which ended the 18-year Republican majority in the House of Delegates and created an even 50–50 split.[24] It was the first time in almost thirty years that a recount changed an election result in Virginia.[24] However, a three-judge panel declined to certify the results, citing a questionable ballot that had previously not been counted, which they deemed should be counted in favor of the Republican instead.[25] Judge Bryant Sugg said, "The court declares there is no winner in this election."[25] In the event of a tie in a House of Delegates election, state law says the winner is chosen by lot.[25] On December 21, James Alcorn tweeted that a random drawing would occur on December 27.[60]

On December 26, the drawing was postponed after Simonds filed a legal motion challenging the validity of a ballot counted in Yancey's favor.[61] On December 28 on CNN's New Day, Simonds said, "I do have a problem with doing a game of chance now, because I do feel now I did win fair and square during the recount."[62] On December 29, Alcorn tweeted, "The State Board of Elections will convene on Thursday, January 4 at 11:00 am. Unless the court system intervenes, the Board will draw a winner for [the 94th district]."[63] In the legal case, Yancey filed paperwork arguing that Simonds had presented no grounds for a recount court to reconsider its decision.[64] On January 3, 2018, the recount panel rejected Simonds' motion, allowing the random draw to proceed as planned.[65] On January 4, the tie-breaking drawing was held and Yancey was the winner.[40] Simonds conceded on January 10.[26]

If the Republicans retained a majority in the House of Delegates, Kirk Cox was in line to become speaker.[66] On December 8, Kenneth R. Plum, a Democrat and the most senior member of the House of Delegates, voiced the possibility of him becoming speaker while minority leader David Toscano is named the majority leader.[67] In an email disclosed by The Washington Post on December 27, Toscano accused the Republicans of trying "to undermine [Democratic] unity by offering deals to various members in exchange [for] a vote for Speaker." Toscano also warned his fellow Democratic delegates against calling in sick when the legislature convenes or taking an ill-timed bathroom break during the floor session, fearing that in an evenly split chamber, the Republicans might seize any opportunity to call a vote and take control.[68] After the Republicans retained a majority in the House of Delegates, Cox was elected speaker by a vote of 98–0 on January 10, 2018. Cox didn't vote for himself, and one Democratic delegate didn't appear to be in the chamber.[69]