Tight Race in Virginia: Obenshain and Franklin Battle Again for 41st District Seat

Virginia’s 41st District is heading into another closely watched election cycle. After narrowly winning a seat in the House of Delegates in 2023, Republican Chris Obenshain is preparing for a rematch against Democrat Lily Franklin.

In 2023, Obenshain and Franklin faced off in one of Virginia’s most competitive districts. District 41, which encompasses Montgomery and Roanoke Counties, elected Obenshain as its delegate by a razor-thin margin.

Obenshain, a former prosecutor and current delegate, told The Daily Signal that one of the biggest challenges facing the 41st District is economic competitiveness—particularly creating opportunities for college graduates to stay in the region.

“We’ve done a lot of things to try to bring new businesses here, help businesses grow, reduce regulations at the state level, reduce taxes, try to make sure that our region can be competitive,” Obenshain, who won with a little over 50% of the votes in 2023, said. “I brought funding back to the area to improve I-81 and improve our transportation infrastructure, including bringing passenger rail back to the New River Valley, which is happening now.”

The Virginia delegate, who is a member of the state’s Behavioral Health Commission, emphasized his work on mental health services and said he carried a budget amendment to increase funding for co-response teams. These teams pair law enforcement officers with mental health professionals when responding to crisis situations.

Obenshain also introduced House Bill 2343 to expand protections against different types of threats, such as antisemitism. This bill would make it a Class 6 felony for any person to place a swastika on property with the intent of intimidation.

Obenshain said his constituent’s top concerns are crime and cost of living.

“The first is just keeping our community safe, supporting law enforcement. You know, people want to live in safe communities,” Obenshain said.

He continued:

If they don’t feel safe, they don’t want to live here, and that makes us … less competitive as a region, and people don’t, you know, feel safe here, so supporting our law enforcement agencies, making sure we have the tools to keep our community safe, making sure that we’re enforcing the laws that are on the books, those are all things that I’ve focused on and, you know, are important to me, because I’ve spent most of my career as a prosecutor, you know, for the past 17 years.

Obenshain also highlighted efforts to bring down costs, especially taxes.

“I introduced a bill, a piece of legislation this year, that would have permanently eliminated the car tax and, so, you know, we were trying to do that,” the Virginia delegate said. “We’re trying to get rid of some excessive taxes, excessive costs on people.”

If reelected, Obenshain said the first piece of legislation he would reintroduce will most likely be House Bill 2344. This legislation would expand early intervention services for kids with disabilities.

“Right now, those early intervention services drop off once kids hit age three, and they don’t really start up again until they’re in school, which can be a year and a half or even more,” Obenshain said. “And so there’s a gap, a lot of times, in those services… and I really think that it’s important that we cover that gap in services for kids with disabilities in Virginia.”

Obenshain’s contender, Franklin, said she is “fighting for affordable homes, strong schools, and real economic opportunity,” according to her website.

“This is our home, and I want it to be the best possible place to raise a family, live, and retire,” Franklin said in a press release announcing her candidacy. “I’m running because Southwest Virginians deserve the resources to thrive in all states of life—from a world-class education for our children to well-paying jobs for working families to dignity and security for our seniors. I’m here to fight for our neighbors and make sure that the needs of Southwest Virginia are not overlooked in Richmond.”

The former math teacher and chief of staff to a Virginia House delegate has helped pass bills on microgrants for farmers, housing protections for domestic violence survivors, clean drinking water laws, and a program that would put constituents in charge of the bill writing process.

“Every child, no matter their ZIP code, deserves access to a world-class education system,” Franklin said in a launch video. “Working parents should be able to go to their kids T-ball games on the weekends without having to worry about juggling two and three jobs to make ends meet. Our seniors—they shouldn’t have to choose between paying for their gas or groceries or paying for their electric bill. We don’t just need good new policies, we need new leaders—leaders who show up who see you and who fight for you.”

Franklin has proven to be a strong contender. She received over 49% of the District’s votes in the 2023 election

The Daily Signal contacted the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee but has not received comment as of publication time.

This article is part of a Daily Signal series on the closely contested Virginia races that will determine control of the House of Delegates in 2026.

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