Virginia 78th State House District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
2004–2024 · 6 presidential cycles
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Kamala Harris2024
76.4%
39,185 votes · D+55.0 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · 76.0%
Republican
George W. Bush2004
41.0%
15,143 votes · D+17.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Mitt Romney, 2012 · 30.3%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
39,328votes
76.0% of the vote · D+54.3 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 39,185 votes
Republican
George W. Bush2004
15,143votes
41.0% of the vote · D+17.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Mitt Romney, 2012 · 14,042 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Kamala Harris2024
+56.5pts D vs U.S.
Place D+55.0 · U.S. R+1.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · +49.9 pts
Republican
George W. Bush2004
−19.5pts R vs U.S.
Place D+17.1 · U.S. R+2.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · John McCain, 2008 · −32.0 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
DBetsy CarrState House · 78
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 3 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2024
D
83.6%33,710
16.4%6,635
40,345
2020
D
87.2%23,798
12.8%3,495
27,293
2018
D
84.0%27,942
16.0%5,342
33,284
With a 2024 presidential margin of D+55.0, this district ranks among the most heavily Democratic in the commonwealth, suggesting a dense urban core and a highly consistent voting coalition across election cycles.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 65.2 points in 1912 and a Republican high of 54.1 points in 1956. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 0.7 points toward the Democratic candidate; the 2024 margin was 55.0 points.
A population of 87,487, a 71% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $86,909 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of State House District 74 and State House District 57.
Akashic
Political twins — state-house districts
The state-house districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Virginia 78th State House District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-lower/51078/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Virginia 78th State House District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Virginia 78th State House District voted Democratic by 55.0 points (D+55.0), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 51,317 votes cast, 39,185 went Democratic and 10,965 went Republican.
When did Virginia 78th State House District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Virginia 78th State House District voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Virginia 78th State House District?
Virginia 78th State House District has a population of 87,487 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Virginia 78th State House District?
Median household income in Virginia 78th State House District is $86,909 — above the national median of $80,734. The Virginia state median is $93,170.
What is the political history of Virginia 78th State House District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Virginia 78th State House District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 19 went Democratic and 12 went Republican.