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This is the 1997 race. The latest: 2025 →

1997Flipped from DemocraticFinal resultsIncumbent defeated

1997 election for Virginia House District 96

Virginia House of Delegates · Virginia

Joann S. Davis (R) won with 48.8% of the vote, defeating Shirley F. Cooper (D) by 1.7 points, flipping a seat Democrats held.

Joann S. DavisRepublican · winner
48.8%10,020
Shirley F. CooperDemocrat · incumbent
47.1%9,667
R. A. Russell IIIndependent
4.1%850
20,537 votes

Source: Harvard Dataverse / Carl KlarnerUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:29 AM ET

The seat over time

D − R margin in this seat's races around 1997

Races before and after

EvenD+32.81993D+15.71995R+1.71997R+42.31999R+8.02001

Source: Past results: 99chambers results archive (MEDSL, Klarner, state election offices)

The candidates

Joann S. Davis (R)Shirley F. Cooper (D)

Also on the ballot: R. A. Russell II (Independent), 4.1%