Democrats sweep Va. General Assembly

Democrats regained control of the General Assembly in the Nov. 7 elections, likely putting a damper on Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s legislative agenda and potential 2024 presidential aspirations. Democrats won 21 out of 40 seats in the Virginia State Senate and 51 seats out of 100 in the House of Delegates, which has been held by Republicans for the past two years.

This electoral outcome will likely prevent Youngkin from passing most of his agenda, including placing a 15-week limit on abortions, which was a significant issue for many voters, particularly Democrats and women. It may also at least temporarily lessen his national standing, as Youngkin failed to deliver a red wave as he did during his 2021 election, which saw Republicans elected to the state’s top three offices and the GOP take control of the House.

The election also sets up Virginia House Minority Leader Don Scott Jr. of Portsmouth to become the first Black speaker of the House in the Virginia legislature’s 400-plus-year history, replacing GOP Speaker Todd Gilbert, who has presided over the House of Delegates since January 2022.

In a Nov. 8 news conference, Youngkin downplayed his party’s disappointing results and noted the General Assembly’s recent history of changes in party control. “I think what that reflects is that we are a state that is very comfortable working together, working across party lines to get things done.”

Virginia’s blue wave followed a national trend, as Ohio voters approved ballot measures guaranteeing abortion access and legalizing recreational marijuana use. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, voters granted a second term to Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who had campaigned on making Kentucky’s abortion laws less restrictive.

Virginia voters went to the polls Nov. 7 to fill all 140 General Assembly seats. Many candidates were new faces or, at least, less experienced than those who previously filled the legislature, thanks to a December 2021 redistricting that redrew political districts without prioritizing residential addresses of incumbents. That led to an unprecedented wave of retirements and some primary defeats of longtime legislators.

Democrats came up victorious in some of the most hotly contested races.

In Loudoun and Fauquier counties, Democrat Russet Perry, a former CIA officer and prosecutor, won Senate District 31, defeating Republican Juan Pablo Segura, a health care tech entrepreneur who founded a local doughnut chain.

Del. Danica Roem, who was the nation’s first openly transgender state lawmaker, was elected to the state Senate for the 30th District seat in Manassas and part of Prince William County, defeating Republican candidate Bill Woolf, formerly a Fairfax County police detective.

In another key seat, Democratic Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg defeated incumbent Republican state Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant in Senate District 16 in western Henrico County.

However, Republican David Owen won with 51.2% of the vote over Democrat Susanna Gibson in House District 57 in western Henrico and Goochland counties, a race that received national attention following revelations that Gibson had performed sex acts with her husband on a live streaming pornography website while soliciting tips from viewers.

With issues such as parental influence in schools, reproductive rights, cannabis retail sales and corporate tax cuts in the balance, Democratic- and Republican-affiliated PACs sank millions into legislative campaigns this year. According to an Associated Press story, by early November, General Assembly candidates brought in record amounts of cash, with Senate candidates raising $80.8 million, compared with $53.6 million at the same point in 2019, and House candidates raising $77.5 million, compared with $67.5 million in 2019.

Both Republicans and Democrats emphasized the historic nature of the election, which could determine the state’s abortion, clean energy, education and tax policies for decades to come — although the parties differ widely on their overall goals.

Voting in Loudoun, retired Navy Lt. Cmdr. Steven Ritz said although he’s ordinarily a Republican, he voted for Democrat Perry because he felt the GOP has strayed from the party it used to be, which he deemed “fiscally conservative, [but] not rabid.”

And at a western Henrico polling place, Pilates instructor Angie Madison, a self-described independent who votes depending on the issues, said she voted for Democratic candidates in the Nov. 7 elections. “I’m trying to do my part by voting Democratic and trying to vote for abortion rights and all that stuff,” she said. “It feels like we’re going back in time versus forward in time, so I want to go forward in time.”

A longer version of this story ran online on Nov. 7.