Election Guide 2025: House District 66
HD 66 includes parts of both Spotsylvania and Caroline counties.
By Martin Davis
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Updated January 9, 2024
Overview | Demographics | Key Dates | Voter Information | Related Election Stories — HD 66
In the event of errors or omissions, please send a note to the editor.
Overview
Bobby Orrock (R) is nothing short of an institution in the Virginia House of Delegates. First elected in 1989, Orrock served on four committees in the 2023-2024 legislative session: Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, House Finance Committee, Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee, and he served as chair of the House Rules Committee.
Nicole Cole will run against Orrock in November in her first attempt to secure a seat in the General Assembly. Cole serves on the Spotsylvania County School Board and was a significant force in that Board’s moving from the hands of a conservative majority to a more-moderate majority.
In 2023, Orrock beat Democratic candidate Mark Lux by 11.5 percentage points (55.6% for Orrock, 44.1% for Lux). Orrock outspent Lux badly in 2023. Lux spent just over $3,000 — Orrock more than $300,000.
How close this election becomes depends upon several factors. Among them:
Can Cole compete with Orrock in fundraising - Democrats have traditionally poured very little money into running against Orrock. In 2021, for example, Orrock outspent Eric Butterworth by approximately $200,000 to $660; in 2019 he outspent Neri Canahui-Ortiz by approximately $278,000 to $87,000; and in 2017 he outspent Al Durante by approximately $287,000 to $18,000.
The Trump effect - Even before his inauguration, Trump has watched his party split over immigration on HB-1 visas, talked of taking Greenland and reclaiming the Panama Canal, and continued to push his campaign promises to levy tariffs and deport millions. Such disruptive agendas could sour voters on Republicans, much as it did following Trump’s first election 2016, when he failed to turn his presidential victory into majorities for Republicans elsewhere.
The Governor’s race - Abigail Spanberger has shown herself a formidable coalition builder and campaigner. If she is able to replicate this feat in her run for the Governor’s Mansion, will this help Democratic candidates like Cole across the state?
How Much Does the District Lean Republican? - Though VPAP rates the district as Leans Republican, voters in HD 66 were evenly split. Trump took 50.4% of the vote in 2024, while Tim Kaine took 50.6% of the vote in his race for the Senate.
Demographics
According to VPAP, HD 66’s racial makeup is 60.7% white. Blacks make up 21.6% of the electorate, and Hispanics 10.1%.
Three-quarters of the voters live in Spotsylvania, and the balance live in Caroline County.
The 66th was redistricted for the November 2023 election. Prior to that, Orrock served in HD 54.
Key Dates
Primary
June 17, 2025
Election Day
November 4, 2025
For more detailed information
Virginia Department of Elections’ How to Run for Virginia House of Delegates
Voter Information
To register to vote, update your current Virginia voter registration, apply to vote absentee by mail, or view your polling place, election district, absentee ballot status, and voting history, visit the Virginia Department of Elections.
Related Election Stories — HD 66
ANALYSIS: A Different Vibe for the Coles - January 4, 2024
2025 Virginia Legislative Preview - January 8, 2024
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
