The GOP truly swept Virginia. The Republicans candidates elected for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, with Attorney General-Elect Jason Miyares defeating incumbent Mark Herring. They also have taken control of the House of Delegates, which had been at a 55-45 Democratic majority. As of Wednesday evening, the makeup is now 52-48, with Republicans in control.
The Republican State Leadership Conference (RSLC) is declaring victory in what it is calling a "stunning upset." A press release from the group on Wednesday emphasized that the RSLC, along with "its affiliated groups led this historic effort by investing more in Virginia House races than any other Republican organization."
The press release also highlighted that the RSLC was involved particularly early in getting Republican members elected through a TV ad campaign launched in August. The efforts received coverage from Gregory S. Schneider with The Washington Post, who noted at the time that the TV spots came "unusually early in the district election cycle."
Particularly concerning for Democrats is that keeping control of the House of Delegates was a top priority for them, and one where they failed. As the press release from the RSLC noted:
Tonight’s results are a devastating blow to Virginia Democrats and the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC). The DLCC said holding their Democrat majority in the Virginia was its “number one priority this year” and that they would “do whatever it takes to keep it blue.” Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn even told the Associated Press less than a week before the election, “the majority is safe” and WRIC-Richmond “it won’t be as close as people think on Election Day.”
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The RSLC released a memo as well, to highlight the winning strategy, despite Republican members being outspent 2 to 1. "We supported the right candidates, developed the right messages, and executed the right strategies to maximize the advantages of the political environment and overcome a significant spending advantage that was driven by national liberals," the memo shared.
One Democratic incumbent who lost is Chris Hurst. The soon-to-be-former delegate has had a rough few days. It was revealed on Monday night that he was cited for driving with a suspended license after a sheriff's deputy observed a female passenger get out of a card that Hurst was driving to vandalize signs, including for his opponent, Delegate-Elect Jason Ballard.
BREAKING: #VA12 City of Radford PD issued a citation to @ChrisHurstVA for Driving on a Suspended License after a Radford Sheriff's Deputy observed a passenger getting out of a vehicle destroying @JasonBallardVA signs. The Driver was Delegate Hurst.
— Matt Colt Hall???? (@MattColtHall) November 2, 2021
The Radford City Police Department addressed the vandalism on their Facebook page.
Sheriff Mark Armentrout confirmed to WFXR News that Hurst and his girlfriend, Emily Frentress, were the ones pulled over by authorities.
The local news outlet also included a statement from Hurst:
"This has been a real drag out race, it’s been very competitive, and, in some degree, it’s been sometimes nasty. You know, election eve, you’ve run a really hard race, run a very long campaign, and you just do a prank to be a goof and, you know, it just happens to be done by somebody who is very apologetic for what they’ve done and realizes that, you know, I have people looking up to me and I have a real responsibility that I need to live up to, and I think in my actions, legislatively and what we’ve been able to accomplish for this district, I continue to show that we get results for the New River Valley, but again I apologize to people for disappointing them and it’s something I’m just looking to move forward from."
That Ballard emerged victorious is particularly noteworthy, as he was outspent nearly 2 to 1 and the 12th District, which is in the southwest region of the commonwealth, was one President Joe Biden won.
This was a race RSLC was active in, through the use of television ads in August.
"As a veteran, Jason Ballard knows how important it is to support the brave men and women who put their lives on the line each day to protect their communities," said RSLC President Dee Duncan. "His victory tonight was a direct rebuke of Chris Hurst’s continued efforts in Richmond to weaken law enforcement, and will make the New River Valley safe again. Congratulations to Jason and his entire team on running an outstanding race and focusing on the issues that matter to his community."
Another flipped seat involved the 85th District, which includes Virginia Beach and was held by soon-to-be-former Del. Alex Askew, a Democrat. On Wednesday morning, his opponent, Karen Greenhalgh, was declared the winner. As I covered last month, abortion became a personal issue in the race, with Askew attacking Greenhalgh over her volunteer work at crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs). Greenhalgh went on to reveal that she had been raped at a young age.
In a statement for Townhall, the now delegate-elect had said she chose to volunteer with CPCs to help women in similar situations. "As a victim of rape at an early age, I chose to work with women in crisis to provide assistance that I never received myself," her statement read in part.
On Wednesday morning, Greenhalgh said in a statement that "I am truly grateful for the trust placed in me by the voters of the 85th District, and I look forward to serving my community as their representative in Richmond."
Another upset involved the 28th District, which includes Stafford and Fredericksburg, where Delegate-Elect Tara Durant unseated incumbent Joshua Cole, despite being outspent nearly 2 to 1 and the district having voted for President Biden by double digits.
This was another race that the RSLC was involved in with TV ads from August.
The race was also the subject of my reporting from August, to do with the role Critical Race Theory (CRT) played in the race. Such coverage made it into the above mentioned memo from the RSLC.
"Tara Durant ran a fantastic race, appealing to a broad coalition of voters united in their opposition to the radical policies coming out of Richmond," said Duncan. "In the face of misleading attacks from her opponent, Tara focused on addressing the pressing issues of her community. The RSLC was proud to stand with a leader like Tara who will prioritize improving Virginia’s education system, fostering safe communities, and lowering the cost of living."
Durant was also part of the RSLC's "Right Leaders Network," a recently announced initiative that I reported on last month which is focused on efforts to support more women and minority candidates in the GOP.
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