| Election Name: | 1987 Virginia Senate elections |
| Country: | Virginia |
| Type: | legislative |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1983 Virginia Senate election |
| Previous Year: | 1983 |
| Election Date: | November 3, 1987 |
| Next Election: | 1991 Virginia Senate election |
| Next Year: | 1991 |
| Seats For Election: | All 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia |
| Majority Seats: | 21 |
| Turnout: | 59.1%[1] 8.5 pp |
| Leader1: | Hunter Andrews |
| Leader Since1: | January 9, 1980 |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leaders Seat1: | 1st |
| Last Election1: | 32 seats, 64.0% |
| Seats Before1: | 31 |
| Seats1: | 30 |
| Seat Change1: | 1 |
| Popular Vote1: | 805,030 |
| Percentage1: | 63.2% |
| Swing1: | 0.8 pp |
| Majority leader | |
| Before Election: | Hunter Andrews |
| Before Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Hunter Andrews |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Leader2: | William A. Truban |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Leader Since2: | January 14, 1976 |
| Leaders Seat2: | 27th |
| Last Election2: | 8 seats, 33.5% |
| Seats Before2: | 9 |
| Seats2: | 10 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 425,706 |
| Percentage2: | 33.4% |
| Swing2: | 0.1 pp |
| Map Size: | 300px |
All 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia were up for election on November 3, 1987, alongside the Virginia House of Delegates election.
| 30 | 10 | |
| Democratic | Republican |
| Parties | Seats | Popular Vote | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| align=center | 1983 | align=center | 1987 | align=center | +/- | align=center | Strength | align=center | Vote | align=center | % | align=center | Change | |||
| Democratic | align=right | 32 | align=right | 30 | align=right | 2 | align=right | 75.00% | align=right | 805,030 | align=right | 63.16% | align=right | 0.82% | ||
| Republican | align=right | 8 | align=right | 10 | align=right | 2 | align=right | 25.00% | align=right | 425,706 | align=right | 33.40% | align=right | 0.11% | ||
| Independent | align=right | 0 | align=right | 0 | align=right | align=right | 0.00% | align=right | align=right | align=right | ||||||
| - | Write-ins | align=right | 0 | align=right | 0 | align=right | align=right | 0.00% | align=right | align=right | align=right | |||||
| align=center colspan="2" | Total | align=center | 40 | align=center | 40 | align=center | 0 | align=center | 100.00% | align=center | 1,274,583 | align=center | 100.00% | align=center | - |
| District | Incumbent | Party | First elected | Result | Candidates | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hunter Andrews | Democratic | 1963 | Re-elected | Hunter Andrews (D) 66.32% Eleanor L. Rice (R) 33.68% | ||
| 2 | Robert C. Scott | Democratic | 1982 | Re-elected | Robert C. Scott (D) 57.34 Teddy R. Marks (R) 42.65% | ||
| 3 | William E. Fears | Democratic | 1967 | Re-elected | William E. Fears (D) unopposed | ||
| 4 | Elmo G. Cross Jr. | Democratic | 1975 | Re-elected | Elmo G. Cross Jr. (D) unopposed | ||
| 5 | Peter K. Babalas | Democratic | 1967 | Retired Democratic hold | Yvonne B. Miller (D) 52.09% Julian F. Hirst (I) 33.45% R. Wayne Nunnally (R) 14.45% | ||
| 6 | Stanley C. Walker | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Stanley C. Walker (D) unopposed | ||
| 7 | Clarence A. Holland | Democratic | 1983 | Re-elected | Clarence A. Holland (D) 77.23% Rae H. Le Sesne (I) 22.69% | ||
| 8 | A. Joe Canada Jr. | Republican | 1971 | Lost re-election Democratic gain | Moody E. Stallings Jr. (D) 48.41% A. Joe Canada Jr. (R) 46.85% Louis Miles Pace (I) 4.69% | ||
| 9 | Benjamin Lambert | Democratic | 1985 | Re-elected | Benjamin Lambert (D) unopposed | ||
| 10 | Joseph B. Benedetti | Republican | 1986 | Re-elected | Joseph B. Benedetti (R) 84.39 Roger L. Coffey (I) 15.56% | ||
| 11 | Robert E. Russell Sr. | Republican | 1983 | Re-elected | Robert E. Russell Sr. (R) 55.08% Joan C. Girone (I) 44.82% | ||
| 12 | William F. Parkerson Jr. | Democratic | 1963 | Loss re-election Republican gain | Edwina P. Dalton (R) 50.91% William F. Parkerson Jr. (D) 49.06% | ||
| 13 | Johnny Joannou | Democratic | 1983 | Re-elected | Johnny Joannou (D) unopposed | ||
| 14 | William T. Parker | Democratic | 1979 | Loss re-election Republican gain | Mark Earley (R) 51.39% William T. Parker (D) 48.60% | ||
| 15 | Richard J. Holland | Democratic | 1979 | Re-elected | Richard J. Holland (D) unopposed | ||
| 16 | Elmon T. Gray | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Elmon T. Gray (D) unopposed | ||
| 17 | Edd Houck | Democratic | 1983 | Re-elected | Edd Houck (D) 54.43% William J. Vakos Jr. (R) 45.52% | ||
| 18 | Howard P. Anderson | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Howard P. Anderson (D) unopposed | ||
| 19 | William Onico Barker | Republican | 1979 | Re-elected | William Onico Barker (R) 70.68% Elosie F. Nenon (D) 29.31% | ||
| 20 | Virgil Goode | Democratic | 1973 | Re-elected | Virgil Goode (D) unopposed | ||
| 21 | J. Granger Macfarlane | Democratic | 1983 | Re-elected | J. Granger Macfarlane (D) 63.34% William H. Flanagan (R) 36.65% | ||
| 22 | Dudley J. Emick | Democratic | 1975 | Re-elected | Dudley J. Emick (D) 64.86% Lee B. Eddy (R) 35.13% | ||
| 23 | Elliot S. Schewel | Democratic | 1975 | Re-elected | Elliot S. Schewel (D) 77.28% Jeffery D. Somers (I) 22.71% | ||
| 24 | Frank W. Nolen | Democratic | 1974 | Re-elected | Frank W. Nolen (D) 66.90% Bertram C. Hopeman (R) 33.09% | ||
| 25 | Thomas J. Michie Jr. | Democratic | 1980 | Re-elected | Thomas J. Michie Jr. (D) unopposed | ||
| 26 | Kevin G. Miller | Republican | 1983 | Re-elected | Kevin G. Miller (R) 58.69% William C. Chase Jr. (D) 41.30% | ||
| 27 | William A. Truban | Republican | 1971 | Re-elected | William A. Truban (R) unopposed | ||
| 28 | John Chichester | Republican | 1978 | Re-elected | John Chichester (R) 68.33% Ann Riley Smith (D) 31.66% | ||
| 29 | Charles Colgan | Democratic | 1975 | Re-elected | Charles Colgan (D) unopposed | ||
| 30 | Wiley F. Mitchell | Republican | 1975 | Re-elected | Wiley F. Mitchell (R) unopposed | ||
| 31 | Edward M. Holland | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Edward M. Holland (D) 59.69% Joseph V. Vasapoli (R) 40.30% | ||
| 32 | Clive L. DuVal | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Clive L. DuVal (D) 53.68% Bobbie Kilberg (R) 46.30% | ||
| 33 | Charles L. Waddell | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Charles L. Waddell (D) unopposed | ||
| 34 | John W. Russell | Republican | 1983 | Loss re-election Democratic gain | Emilie F. Miller (D) 50.25% John W. Russell (R) 49.75% | ||
| 35 | Richard L. Saslaw | Democratic | 1979 | Re-elected | Richard L. Saslaw (D) unopposed | ||
| 36 | Joseph V. Gartlan Jr. | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | Joseph V. Gartlan Jr. (D) 58.28% Ronald C. Smith (R) 41.71% | ||
| 37 | Madison E. Marye | Democratic | 1973 | Re-elected | Madison E. Marye (D) unopposed | ||
| 38 | Daniel W. Bird Jr. | Democratic | 1975 | Re-elected | Daniel W. Bird Jr. (D) 76.14% Benjamin S. Barringer (R) 23.85% | ||
| 39 | James P. Jones | Democratic | 1983 | Retired Republican gain | William C. Wampler Jr. (R) 50.04% John S. Bundy (D) 49.96% | ||
| 40 | John Chalkley Buchanan | Democratic | 1971 | Re-elected | John Chalkley Buchanan (D) unopposed |