Democrats sweep Virginia legislature in blow to Gov. Glenn Youngkin
Democrats in Virginia on Tuesday night retained their majority in the state Senate — a blow to Republicans who were hoping to achieve total control of the state legislature and boost Gov. Glenn Youngkin in his final two years in office.
The GOP also lost control of Virginia’s House of Delegates, with Democrats set to win at least 51 seats in the 100-member lower chamber.
Tuesday night represented the first good news for Democrats in the commonwealth since Youngkin upset former Gov. Terry McAuliffe in 2021, making gains in districts that had voted for President Biden 12 months earlier by running on issues such as public safety and greater parental roles in education.
The results also demonstrated the limits of Republican messaging on key issues ahead of next year’s presidential and congressional elections.
“We’ve empowered parents and provided tutoring to combat learning loss; made historic investments in law enforcement and mental health services; signed $5 billion in tax relief and added 230,000 new jobs,” Youngkin declared in a Nov. 1 video announcement touting his administration’s successes.
“Elect a Republican team to back me up, and I promise we’ll deliver,” he said.
Youngkin and Virginia Republicans had specifically pledged, if given both houses in the General Assembly, to pass a 15-week abortion ban with exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.
Those hopes were dashed Tuesday night, as GOP state Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant lost her 16th District seat, while Juan Pablo Segura missed out on taking the open 31st District in another key state Senate matchup.
On the House side, Dels. Joshua Cole and Karen Greenhalgh lost their seats in the 65th and 91st districts, respectively, while John Stirrup narrowly missed out on a Republican pickup in the 21st District.
In one of the most closely watched races of this election, Republican David Owen narrowly led his race for delegate over Democrat Susanna Gibson early Wednesday.
Gibson appeared favored to defeat Owen in the 57th District before online sexual performances she livestreamed with her husband surfaced in September.
Democrats had touted Virginia as the only Southern state to uphold its laws protecting abortion, while accusing GOP candidates statewide of harboring extreme positions on that issue, along with gun control and voting rights.
“What we have found out over the last two years is that vest-wearing, affable, basketball-playing Dad is really a MAGA extremist,” Virginia Democratic Party Chair Susan Swecker told CNN, comparing Youngkin’s agenda with that of former President Donald Trump.
“I am confident from going around the commonwealth, campaigning for our candidates, and out talking to voters, that there’s a lot of buyer’s remorse.”
The Democrats’ campaign effort included fundraisers and events headlined by high-profile Democrats like House Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, as well as radio ads narrated by former first lady Michelle Obama.
Biden, 80, also threw his weight into the race via a fundraising email from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, saying “the stakes have never been higher.”
“Gov. Glenn Youngkin and extreme Republicans have made it clear that they’re trying to take our country back on issues like choice,” Biden said.
Democrats also had a fundraising edge in Virginia, scoring a whopping $62 million for state Senate candidates and $48 million for House candidates this cycle, according to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.
Virginia Republicans raised roughly $41 million and $37 million for Senate and House of Delegates candidates, respectively.
