“Mr. Morrissey’s election tonight does not change the fact that his actions fall grievously short of the standards of a public servant in the House of Delegates,” William J. Howell, the Republican speaker of the House, said in a prepared statement Tuesday night. On Wednesday, he added, “It is said quite often, public service is a privilege. None of us are entitled to the seats we hold in this body.”

Democrats were no more captivated by their former party mate’s return. “We will be exploring every avenue in regard to his status as a member of the House of Delegates,” the House minority leader, David J. Toscano, and the party’s caucus chairman, Scott A. Surovell, said in a joint statement.

Mr. Morrissey, 57, pleaded guilty last month to a misdemeanor count of contributing to the delinquency of a minor to avoid related felony charges after law enforcement officials accused him of having sex with the 17-year-old receptionist at his law firm and carrying nude pictures of her on his cellphone.

The lawmaker — whose record has included being involved in a courthouse brawl and bringing an unloaded AK-47 assault rifle to the floor of the House of Delegates to make a point about gun control — denied the charges and said that the receptionist’s phone had been hacked by a spurned female suitor.

As part of his plea, Mr. Morrissey was sentenced to 12 months in jail with six months suspended and a work-release arrangement that allowed him to practice law and to run for office. With his curfew, though, he learned of his victory from the confines of Henrico County Jail East. He did not respond to an email on Wednesday.