Democrats in Virginia have regained a majority in both houses of the Virginia General Assembly, a major loss for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s efforts to wrest control of a Democratic-leaning state, The Associated Press reported.
Democrats were projected to win a majority of at least 50 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and 20 seats in the Virginia Senate, according to the Associated Press. The result means that the Youngkin administration will not be easily able to enact major policy proposals such as “school choice,” which has been demanded by conservative education groups since Youngkin’s election in 2021. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: GOP Groups Launch Massive 7-Figure Ad Blitz Targeting Vulnerable Dems In Virginia)
“I’m going to get everybody out to vote. I don’t want to leave a single vote on the sidelines,” Youngkin said in an appearance on NewsNation in October. Youngkin and affiliated groups, such as his Spirit of Virginia PAC, had worked to encourage Republican voters to vote early.
Governor @GlennYoungkin makes his final pitch to Virginia voters on Election Day:
“As a Republican, I ask you please send me a team in Richmond that will work with me, not against me.”
Vote Republican! pic.twitter.com/1LSzmbCivC
— Team Youngkin – Spirit of Virginia (@TeamYoungkin) November 7, 2023
The Republican campaign platform had largely, focused on completing all of Youngkin’s policy priorities from his 2021 election campaign, which were not accomplished with the Virginia Senate in Democratic hands. “We have got to finish the job,” Youngkin said on Monday, according to CNN.
Democrats, meanwhile, argued that they needed majorities to stop Republicans from enacting restrictions on abortion.
“Elect a Republican team to back me up and I promise, we’ll deliver,” Youngkin said according to the U.S. News and World Report. Youngkin’s platform included reducing the cost of living, increasing public safety and expanding parental rights in education, according to his website.
The result is a win for Democrats in the state, which after Youngkin’s election in 2021 had lost unified control of the state’s government.
Democratic control of the Senate means that Louis Lucas, the current president pro tempore who runs a cannabis store in Portsmouth, will remain in office. Don Scott, a convicted felon and leader of Virginia’s House Democrats, meanwhile, is likely to become speaker of the House.
“Even with tens of millions spent and after every attempt to suppress the vote, there was no way for Republicans to sell Virginians on giving them control to take away our rights, our freedoms, and put the middle class at risk,” wrote Susan Swecker, the chair of the Virginia Democratic Party, in a statement. “Voters across Virginia voted for leadership that will protect their abortion rights, keep guns out of the wrong hands, and lower costs for Virginia’s families.”
In a statement on Twitter, David Rexrode, the head of Spirit of Virginia, wrote that “[a]s the numbers showed last night since 2021 Virginia has moved back into a battleground toss-up state.” He added that “[Republican] candidates were running in Democrat districts and were significantly outspent – the results reflect the political and financial reality that we understood and acknowledged.”
“I look forward to working with the House and the Senate going forward just like we have, and finding these most important areas of making sure we’re reining in the cost of living, that we are providing some tax relief, that we continue to stand up for excellence in education,” said Youngkin in comments shared by his office with the DCNF. “I will look forward to meeting with [General Assembly Democratic leaders] and working together to deliver for Virginians.”
Editor’s note: This article has been updated.
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