An example network device includes a primary node and a standby node. The primary node engages in a routing session with a peer network device via a connected socket. The standby node includes one or more processors implemented in circuitry and configured to execute a backup replication module to receive, from the primary node, data to be written to a backup socket for the connected socket, and, in response to a switchover, to send a representation of the data to the peer network device via the backup socket.