Meanwhile, Northern Virginia is poised to lose enormous clout in the General Assembly next year because of retirements and redistricting. New legislative maps, created by courts, drew several state senators into districts where they’re largely unknown, inviting challengers in the June 20 primaries. These incumbents are effective lawmakers with deep institutional knowledge and seniority that give them clout in a body where that matters enormously.

Ten of Virginia’s 40 senators opted to retire after redistricting. Meanwhile, 10 remaining Democratic senators face challengers in the primaries, compared with just two Republican incumbents. In all, Democrats have 15 contested Senate primaries, mostly in deep-blue Northern Virginia, compared with seven across the commonwealth on the GOP side.

The Post’s View: Here’s who The Post endorses for commonwealth attorney in Northern Virginia

The candidates in this area are mostly on the same page about their shared priorities, such as reproductive rights, education and gun control. That makes our endorsements in some of these races a close call, but we have leaned toward experience:

36th District: The epicenter of political power in the commonwealth will shift from Northern Virginia toward Hampton Roads if members such as Sen. George L. Barker (D-Fairfax) go down. Mr. Barker, elected in 2007, co-chairs the Finance and Appropriations Committee and could get the gavel if he wins another term. “I have far more knowledge of the intricacies of the budget than anybody else that’s going to be around,” he says. That will help keep Northern Virginia’s economic engine humming.

His primary opponent, Fairfax County School Board member Stella Pekarsky, relishes her role as a progressive fighter on the front lines of the culture wars over school closures, mask requirements and what gets taught in schools. Operatives see her as the favorite to win because she has represented more of the new district, which includes Chantilly and Centreville. “People want vocal representation,” she says. Even Mr. Barker’s friends acknowledge he’s not charismatic, but we prefer his understated, hypercompetent approach to building coalitions and getting the job done.

29th District: Sen. Jeremy S. McPike (D-Prince William) faces a primary challenge from Del. Elizabeth R. Guzman (D-Prince William) in a district that covers parts of Prince William and Stafford counties along Interstate 95. Both work for the city of Alexandria in their day jobs. Party leaders trust Mr. McPike to handle thorny issues as a member of the Education and Health Committee, as well as the Cannabis Oversight Commission. Reflecting his experience as a volunteer firefighter, he has helped push a promising program to embed mental health professionals with first responders.

Ms. Guzman, a Peruvian immigrant, might have run for a fourth term in the House, where she has helped pass legislation to guarantee home health-care workers five days of paid sick leave, lifted the state’s ban on public-sector collective bargaining and raised the age at which juveniles are tried as adults from 14 to 16. She downplays the importance of sitting on money committees and says funds will flow regardless because Prince William is so populous. She points to an amendment she secured to spend $2 million on a study about the feasibility of extending the Blue Line to Quantico. But Mr. McPike will be in line to get on the Finance and Appropriations Committee that could actually make Metro expansion possible.

40th District: Sen. Barbara A. Favola (D-Arlington) chairs the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, which oversees prisons, child welfare and the Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority. The Democratic whip also chairs the Women’s Health Care Caucus. She introduced a bill this session that would have safeguarded menstrual health data, which garnered national attention when blocked by the Youngkin administration. Previously, she spearheaded legislation to fight surprise medical bills that became a national model. Challenger James DeVita says he’s motivated to run by the threat to democracy posed by former president Donald Trump and the insurrection he incited on Jan. 6, 2021, but Mr. DeVita has nothing negative to say about Ms. Favola. Let’s keep her in the fight.

37th District: Sen. Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City), whose new district also includes Falls Church, chairs the Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee and the Finance and Appropriations Committee’s general government subcommittee. The bowtie-wearing iconoclast can sometimes be a thorn in the side of party leaders, and we’ve disagreed with some of his moderate stances on gun control, but he’s thoughtful and smart. He also reflected the concerns of the parents he represents as he fought to reopen K-12 schools at a time when that meant clashing with teachers unions.

Challenger Saddam Azlan Salim immigrated from Bangladesh and experienced eviction and homelessness as a child before studying public finance and becoming a consultant for federal clients. He’s active in local Democratic politics, but he’s not as qualified as Mr. Petersen for the Senate.

35th District: Sen. David W. Marsden (D-Fairfax), running to represent a district that includes Springfield and Annandale, chairs the Transportation Committee and sits on the Finance and Appropriations Committee. He touts his work on medical cannabis, data privacy and prison reform, an issue important to him as the former chief deputy of the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice. He also focuses on incremental gains where he can make them. This year, for example, he’s pushing to create an independent ombudsman office to review complaints by inmates and staff.

Challenger Heidi Drauschak, a former Obama White House staffer, is impressive and has a bright future. Her candidacy is animated by calls for systemic reform of Virginia politics, including contribution limits, a ban on the personal use of campaign cash, more disclosure, stronger enforcement, ranked-choice voting, public financing and adjusting the legislative calendar to empower activists to get more engaged. But Mr. Marsden has earned another term.

33rd District: An open seat in eastern Prince William and Fairfax counties (Woodbridge, Occoquan and Lake Ridge) pits two former Democratic delegates who gave up their seats to run unsuccessfully for statewide office: Jennifer Carroll Foy, who came in second in the 2021 primary for governor, and Hala Ayala, the party’s 2021 nominee for lieutenant governor.

Both promise to protect progress they’re rightly proud of: Ms. Carroll Foy led the charge to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Ms. Ayala carried bills requiring people to report lost or stolen firearms and allowing same-day voter registration. Ms. Carroll Foy, a practicing public defender, wins our support.

32nd District: Sen. John J. Bell (D-Loudoun), retiring after a prostate cancer diagnosis from a district that includes Ashburn and Sterling in eastern Loudoun County, endorsed Del. Suhas Subramanyam (D-Loudoun) to replace him because of a proven ability to work across the aisle to pass legislation, including making it harder for the Dulles Greenway to raise tolls. He also co-founded the Commonwealth Caucus to foster bipartisan dialogue. “We have to actually get things done, and 90 percent of what we work on in Richmond isn’t on party lines,” Mr. Subramanyam says.

The other contender is former delegate Ibraheem S. Samirah, who disrupted a speech by then-President Trump in 2019 and rubbed some of his Democratic colleagues the wrong way before losing a primary for a second term. Mr. Samirah, a dentist, says he was ahead of his time and that Jan. 6 validated his behavior. The son of Palestinian immigrants is campaigning on a Virginian Green New Deal and state-level Medicare-for-all.

31st District: Russet Perry has an ideal profile to win an open seat in Loudoun and Fauquier counties. She worked covertly on counterintelligence for the CIA and spent a decade as a line prosecutor for the Loudoun commonwealth’s attorney. She speaks unapologetically about locking up bad guys for life, says she prosecuted thousands of gun crimes and taught red-flag laws to police officers.

Zach Cummings, an affable Realtor, has earned respect from community leaders as a member of the Leesburg Town Council. He and Ms. Perry hold similar views on the issues. We think she has a better chance of prevailing in a general election against a deep-pocketed opponent by making the race a referendum on abortion rights. This will probably be a tipping point seat and could determine which party controls the Senate.

Virginia is the last Southern state without a post-Roe v. Wade abortion ban. The 2021 elections showed that the commonwealth remains purple, even if it’s a bluish hue. Deeply conservative Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) will be the tiebreaker if there’s a 20-20 split in the Senate — a possibility that Democrats hope to avert. Early voting is underway and runs through June 17.