Sen. (D) won his second term in the 34th Senate District seat with a victory over (R) in Tuesday's election.
Petersen took 59.72 percent of the vote versus Culipher's 40.24 percent. Voter turnout in the 34th District came in at 29.82 percent.
Petersen, of Fairfax City, has served in the state Senate for one term, but previously represented the area as a delegate for two terms.
"It's been a tough year for Democrats. I'm humble," Petersen said. "My hat's off to my opponent. She ran a spirited campaign."
Culipher, of Oakton, congratulated her opponent and thanked her volunteers for their help.
"I'm very proud of our volunteers put a lot of time, their family time, their personal time to come and help me and get our message out to the voters," Culipher said.
She said she would consider running for public office again in the future because she's dedicated to changing the face and direction of politics, but did not want to predict whether she'd seek a spot on the same ballot in four years.
Senate District 34
Gerarda M. Culipher 14,353 41.01% Precincts Reporting:
49 of 49 (100%)
Voter Turnout:
34,992 of 109,102 active voters (32.13%)
34,992 of 117,942 total voters (29.82%)
J. C. "Chap" Petersen 20,630 58.95%
Write In 9 0.02%
