Nadarius Clark resigns from seat
Former Portsmouth delegate will run again in new district
Del. Nadarius Clark, D-Portsmouth, has resigned from the General Assembly after moving out of his district but will run for election to represent a different district.
“At the end of last week, I completed my move and resigned from the House of Delegates in compliance with the constitution,” he wrote in a Monday email. “Hampton Roads is my home and it’s been the honor of my life to serve the 79th district.”
Clark’s former district included portions of Portsmouth, Chesapeake and Norfolk. He has not indicated what prompted the move.
But if Clark had not relocated, he would have faced off in this summer’s primaries against another incumbent, House Minority Leader Don Scott of Portsmouth, due to recent redistricting.
The delegate said he started the process of moving to the Harborview area in Suffolk after the legislative session ended last month. He plans to run for election in his new district.
“I hope I will be able to serve the 84th district in the General Assembly after this year’s election when we take back the majority this November,” he wrote.
The 84th District, as it was recently redrawn, includes parts of Suffolk, Franklin, Chesapeake and Isle of Wight County.
In a news release last week Michele Joyce — a Democratic candidate in the 84th District — referenced an article in The Smithfield Times that mentioned Clark’s remarks last year about his plans to move. She called on the delegate to step down.
On Thursday, she issued another statement commending Clark on his “difficult but correct decision” to resign.
“Ultimately we share the same goal, that Democrats take the House majority in 2024,” she wrote. “I am excited for a clean but spirited primary.”
As for Clark’s replacement, Virginia law states the governor shall issue a writ of election to fill vacancies that occur during the recess of the General Assembly when a member dies, resigns or becomes legally incapacitated to hold office.
No election to fill a vacancy shall be ordered or held if the general or special election at which it is to be called is scheduled within 75 days of the end of the term of the office to be filled.
Neither a spokesperson for the governor nor the Virginia Board of Elections returned calls seeking comment Tuesday about the timing for an election to fill Clark’s seat.
Clark served on the House Committees for Public Safety and Communication, Technology and Innovation. He was first elected in 2021 at the age of 26.
As a freshman lawmaker, the progressive Democrat pushed to improve maternal health care for Black women. More recently, he advocated to create a state commission to study the impact of social media in regard to spreading misinformation and violent content.