GOP delegates throw in hats for House speaker

Updated 8:30 p.m. Nov. 3

A few key delegates’ races have not yet been called, but with Republicans poised to regain majority control of the state House of Delegates, Southwest Virginia lawmaker Terry Kilgore has announced he will run for speaker if his party holds its seven-seat lead. Del. Todd Gilbert, the current House minority leader, confirmed Wednesday night he is running as well.

The House GOP caucus is expected to make its decision on the speakership on Nov. 14.

In a tweet just before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Kilgore wrote, “I am announcing my intention to run for speaker. It is time for fresh leadership and leadership that will keep and grow our new majority. Let’s get to work!”

The House Republican campaign chair for this year’s races, Kilgore represents the state’s 1st District near Cumberland Gap, a position he’s held since 1994. He is the twin brother of Jerry Kilgore, the state’s former attorney general and 2005 Republican nominee for governor, a race he lost to Democrat Tim Kaine.

Terry Kilgore unsuccessfully sought the minority leader position in 2019 after his party lost control of the House in a blue wave election, a leadership race won by Gilbert. The previous Republican speaker was former Del. Kirk Cox, who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP’s gubernatorial nomination this spring.

The presumptive speaker — if the GOP takes control of the House — would be Gilbert, an attorney and representative from Shenandoah County. Gilbert said in a text message Wednesday that he is running for speaker.

Gilbert declared that the Republican Party had reclaimed the House in the early hours of Wednesday, flipping the needed six seats to snare a 51 to 49 majority, but at least four seats remained competitive and were not yet declared by The Associated Press as of late Wednesday afternoon.

Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, a Fairfax County Democrat who made history in 2020 as Virginia’s first female and Jewish speaker, said in a statement Wednesday that some races are still up in the air. “While the results across the commonwealth were not what we were hoping for last night, we have several races that will determine the majority that are still within the margins with votes still to be counted until Friday. We are going to make sure every Virginian’s voice is heard and every vote is counted.”

Absentee ballots can be accepted until noon on Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. As of 1:30 p.m., the Virginia Public Access Project reported that with current margins, Democrats had held on to 48 delegate seats, losing seven to Republicans, who won 52 seats.

Democrats held a 55 to 45 majority in the House of Delegates the last two years, gains made over the past two election cycles since 2017, and with a Democratic-held Senate and Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam in office, the party was able to pass some of the state’s most progressive legislation in its history, including ending the death penalty, increasing the minimum wage, enacting a comprehensive voting rights policy and legalizing marijuana and casinos.

However, it remains to be seen how a prospective Republican majority in the House will impact some legislation that will require votes in 2022 and beyond, including allowing a commercial marijuana market and reaching a $15-per-hour minimum wage. The Virginia State Senate still has a 21-19 Democratic majority, with its next elections in 2023, but now Republican Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears will hold the powerful Senate president seat, casting tiebreaking votes when necessary. It’s likely that the more moderate Democrats in the Senate could be convinced to support some Republican-backed measures, particularly with regard to jobs, education and economic development, so Sears could potentially decide numerous bills in the upcoming General Assembly session.

Another wrinkle: Virginia’s legislative districts will be redrawn by the Virginia Supreme Court after the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission failed to come to an agreement earlier this fall. It’s possible that once new districts are drawn based on 2020 U.S. Census data, new elections for delegates’ seats will be held next year to reflect the new map. That matter is up to three federal judges, and depending on the outcomes, Virginia could see yet more changes in legislative power in another 12 months.