Virginia Dems: Blue Wall in Both Houses

One Republican Supervisor-elect, zero Republican-endorsed school board member-elects

The morning after the Nov. 7 general election in Virginia, the Republican Party of Virginia had yet to update the tagline on its website. It read: “It’s a new day in Virginia.” The statement is accurate — not how the GOP probably meant it, but for most voters who cast their ballots yesterday.

Virginia Democrats emerged victorious in Tuesday's elections, marking a significant shift in the state political landscape just two years after the Commonwealth took a right turn in the 2021 general election. In 2021, Republican Glenn Youngkin secured the 


Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria): “Let's send a message to the nation that Democrats will stand up for the environment, protect reproductive freedom, and defend democracy and equality for all.”

 

governorship and the House of Delegates, propelling his conservative vision for Virginia. Because Democrats still controlled the Senate, much of Youngkin’s agenda hit a roadblock. 



Now Democrats maintained control of the Senate and took a majority of seats in the House of Delegates. They will have even greater power over Youngkin’s policy agenda, but will have to work with him to advance their own.


Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, said the issue of abortion rights was key to the most competitive races that the Democrats won, and delivered partisan majorities in both houses.

“The Republicans were hoping that issues such as crime and safety and the economy, where the GOP has advantages, would be foremost in the minds of voters. But ultimately, abortion rights drove the Democratic turnout and helped swing voters to elect Democrats,” Rozell said. “The issue was paramount for many voters in this election cycle.”

While the governor tried to stake a middle ground on the issue with his 15-week ban proposal, according to Rozell, the problem was that voters likely believed that Republican majorities in both houses would pass either an outright ban or a more severe restriction than the governor's proposal. “And, given that Virginia is the only southern state in the post-Dobbs environment not to have enacted an abortion restriction or banned abortion, this is the issue for this election. It powered Democratic turnout and benefited the Democrats with swing voters.” Rozell said.


Before the polls opened yesterday morning, Youngkin reposted @GovernorVA, “Democracy is not a spectator sport.” By late evening, most registered voters cast their ballots for the Democratic candidates running for Virginia's General Assembly seats.


Mark J. Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University




“Governor Youngkin and Virginia Republicans did everything they could to take total control of state government, but the people of the Commonwealth rejected them,” said Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia. “Even with tens of millions spent and after every attempt to suppress the vote … the blue brick wall in Virginia stands.”


The Virginia House unofficially turned from red to blue very late on Election Day, when Democrats took the House majority with Michael Feggans’ win for District 97, flipping the House to 51 Democrats to 45 Republicans, with four seats undecided. 

In the Senate, Democrats won by a narrow margin, 21 Democrats to 18 Republicans, with one undecided. The double setback denied Youngkin the critical advantage he sought to attain.

Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) said last night that despite breaking spending records, “Governor Youngkin was just served the biggest political rejection by voters of any Virginia governor in over three decades. Virginians sent Youngkin a message loud and clearly: Virginians don’t want the government banning books and interfering with their personal freedoms – whether it’s their reproductive rights, the right to breathe clean air, the safety of our communities from gun violence, or the sanctity of our democracy.”

Youngkin’s stand on those issues mattered to many, as Ebbbin said, as did respect for trans students in public schools, and Virginia remaining in the  Regional Greenhouse Initiative (RGGI). 

In December 2022, with Youngkin’s nod, the State Air Pollution Control Board voted to begin withdrawing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative "despite overwhelming support for the program from Virginian voters. The public comment period leading up to the vote resulted in over 90 percent of comments vehemently opposing a repeal of RGGI,” according to the Virginia Conservation Network


Board of Supervisors and School Board

The Board of Supervisors will get two new members. Voters in the Dranesville District elected Jimmy Bierman to replace retiring John Foust. Mason District voters elected Andres F. Jimenez to replace retiring Penny Gross.

The party makeup remains the same, with Pat Herrity (Springfield) the sole Republican on the Board. “To all those who came together and supported our campaign, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, thank you for making this election about results, not politics,” Herrity said. “The Springfield District was only 38 percent Republican in 2021 when Glenn Youngkin took the governorship, but we ran on our long list of accomplishments and service to our residents, and we ran on bringing balance and common sense to the Board, which is what the residents wanted. We have a lot of challenges in front of us, starting with why more residents have been leaving our county than coming to our county and why our residents are getting reduced services when taxes have increased 50 percent in the last ten years.” 


As for the 12-member Fairfax County School Board, it will remain entirely Democratic following last night's election.

“These results show people are fed up with the political attacks targeting our world-class public schools and teachers,” said Vice Chair Karl Frisch at the Fairfax County Democrats election night party in Tysons. Frisch won by more than 30 points. With his re-election secured, Frisch will become School Board Chair on January 1, 2024.

“Fairfax County residents have made it clear: they want safe and inclusive schools with exceptional educators and equitable access to the opportunities every student needs to succeed. I am grateful to have earned voters’ trust for another term and eager to advance these priorities with my new colleagues,” Frisch said.

Voters re-elected four members: Frisch in Providence, Rachna Sizemore Heizer in Braddock, Melanie Meren in Hunter Mill, and Ricardy Anderson in Mason. Two former school board members return as at-large members, Ryan McElveen and Ilryong Moon. Six others, Robyn Lady in Dranesville, Marcia St. John-Cunning in Franconia, Mateo Dunne in Mount Vernon, Sandy Anderson in Springfield, Seema Dixit in Sully, and Kyle McDaniel at-large, are new to the School Board.

The new board remains diverse, like the community it serves, with one Black member, one Hispanic member, two Indian American members, one Korean American member, three LGBTQ+ members, and three immigrant members. Additionally, women are the board’s majority, with seven members.

In 2019, Frisch became the first openly LGBTQ+ person elected to local office in Fairfax County. He is currently one of only three such school board members in Virginia. With their victories today, Lady will be Fairfax County’s first openly lesbian elected official, and McDaniel will be the first LGBTQ+ person elected countywide.

Unofficial Election Results

Virginia House of Delegates

Democrats Take the Majority with 51 of 100 Seats. 

Unofficial Results Reported by Virginia Public Access Project

https://www.vpap.org/electionresults/20231107/house/

Connection Newspapers Coverage Area

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Patrick Hope* (D)

23,584

95.46%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Adele McClure (D)

16,542

95.24%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Alfonso Lopez* (D)

16,837

81.45%

Mike Webb (I)

3,582

17.33%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Charniele Herring* (D)

10,368

93.09%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Elizabeth Bennett-Parker* (D)

21,622

91.27%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Rip Sullivan* (D)

18,951

61.27%

Kristin Hoffman (R)

11,904

38.49%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Karen Keys-Gamarra (D)

21,549

72.85%

Luellan Maskeny (R)

7,945

26.86%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Irene Shin* (D)

14,059

67.12%

Max Fisher (R)

6,814

32.53%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Karrie Delaney* (D)

13,547

60.51%

Nhan Huynh (R)

8,782

39.23%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Dan Helmer* (D)

14,790

58.87%

James Thomas (R)

10,262

40.84%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

David Bulova* (D)

14,993

69.99%

Almira Mohammed (R)

6,361

29.69%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Holly Seibold* (D)

17,441

92.18%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Marcus Simon* (D)

15,985

78.19%

Dave Crance (L)

4,199

20.54%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Vivian Watts* (D)

13,147

68.90%

Curtis Wells (R)

5,881

30.82%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Laura Jane Cohen (D)

18,430

61.24%

Marcus Evans (R)

11,589

38.51%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Paul Krizek* (D)

16,225

90.45%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Mark Sickles* (D)

16,873

91.99%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Kathy Tran* (D)

15,105

64.85%

Ed McGovern (R)

8,104

34.79%


SENATE

Unofficial Election Results Nov. 7, 2023

Virginia Senate

Democrats Hold the Majority with 21 of 40 Seats. 


Unofficial Results Reported by Virginia Public Access Project https://www.vpap.org/electionresults/20231107/senate/


Connection Newspapers Coverage Area


Candidate

Votes

Percent

Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)

33,551

62.35%

Mike Van Meter (R)

20,097

37.35%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Scott Surovell* (D)

36,072

69.28%

Mark Springman (R)

15,853

30.45%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Dave Marsden* (D)

37,339

67.06%

Mark Vafiades (R)

18,159

32.61%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Stella Pekarsky (D)

34,964

60.27%

Julie Perry (R)

22,843

39.38%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Saddam Azlan Salim (D)

38,728

68.14%

Ken Reid (R)

17,879

31.46%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Jennifer Boysko* (D)

44,978

67.92%

Matthew Lang (R)

21,059

31.80%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Adam Ebbin* (D)

39,139

78.35%

Sophia Moshasha (R)

10,816

21.65%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Barbara Favola* (D)

46,127

80.68%

David Henshaw (R)

10,872

19.02%


* Incumbent


Unofficial Local Election Results for Fairfax County


Unofficial Results Reported by Virginia Public Access Project

https://www.vpap.org/electionresults/20231107/local/fairfax-county-va/



Candidate

Votes

Percent

Jeffrey C. McKay

195,903

67.05%

Arthur G. Purves

94,703

32.42%

Write-In

1,550

0.53%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Christopher J. Falcon

185,341

62.37%

Gerarda Marie Culipher

110,330

37.13%

Write-In

1,478

0.50%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Steve T. Descano

217,927

77.05%

Write-In

64,922

22.95%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Ryan L. McElveen

160,516

19.72%

Ilryong Moon

158,211

19.43%

Robert K. "Kyle" McDaniel

155,690

19.12%

Saundra T. Davis

94,909

11.66%

Maureen T. Brody

87,522

10.75%

Cassandra R. Aucoin

85,935

10.56%

Linda A. Pellegrino

25,986

3.19%

Ahmed Mahdi Hussein

22,442

2.76%

Peter C. Gabor

20,027

2.46%

Write-In

2,889

0.35%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

James R. Walkinshaw

24,441

76.94%

Carey Chet Campbell

6,339

19.96%

Write-In

986

3.10%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Stacey Ann Kincaid

217,596

76.66%

Jerry L. McMillian

31,343

11.04%

Christopher F. DeCarlo

29,222

10.29%

Write-In

5,690

2.00%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

James N. "Jimmy" Bierman, Jr.

22,231

60.62%

Puneet Ahluwalia

14,275

38.92%

Write-In

169

0.46%



Candidate

Votes

Percent

Rodney L. Lusk

17,264

62.65%

Paul F. Beran

6,902

25.05%

Mark T. Welch

3,214

11.66%

Write-In

176

0.64%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Walter L. Alcorn

28,181

70.04%

Indira S. Massey

11,910

29.60%

Write-In

142

0.35%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Andres F. Jimenez

16,457

72.02%

Terry W. Modglin

5,902

25.83%

Write-In

492

2.15%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Daniel G. "Dan" Storck

18,905

61.58%

Richard T. Hayden

8,174

26.62%

Christopher T. Morgan

3,443

11.21%

Write-In

180

0.59%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Dalia A. Palchik

19,488

68.27%

Brian R. Murphy

8,891

31.15%

Write-In

166

0.58%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Patrick S. "Pat" Herrity

21,787

54.43%

Albert Vega

16,934

42.31%

Corazon Sandoval Foley

1,194

2.98%

Write-In

111

0.28%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Kathy L. Smith

20,238

59.47%

Keith S. Elliott

13,643

40.09%

Write-In

152

0.45%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Rachna Sizemore Heizer

20,580

59.97%

Priscilla M. DeStefano

13,562

39.52%

Write-In

173

0.50%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Robyn A. Lady

22,554

61.65%

Paul M. Bartkowski

13,899

38.00%

Write-In

128

0.35%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Marcia C. St. John-Cunning

16,938

61.33%

Kevin R. Pinkney

9,220

33.38%

Write-In

1,460

5.29%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Melanie K. Meren

28,809

72.03%

Harry R. Jackson

10,963

27.41%

Write-In

223

0.56%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Ricardy J. Anderson

15,184

63.36%

Kristin F. Ball

8,624

35.99%

Write-In

156

0.65%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Mateo Dunne

18,150

59.99%

Stori M. Zimmerman

11,890

39.30%

Write-In

215

0.71%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Karl V. Frisch

18,905

66.42%

Anthony A. "Tony" Sabio

9,387

32.98%

Write-In

172

0.60%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Sandy B. Anderson

20,477

52.51%

Debra A. Tisler

16,226

41.61%

Peter J. Bixby-Eberhardt

2,129

5.46%

Write-In

161

0.41%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Seema Dixit

18,451

54.54%

Cynthia L. Walsh

15,230

45.02%

Write-In

150

0.44%

Candidate

Votes

Percent

Chris E. Koerner

160,209

21.09%

Rhonda J. Bitterli

155,507

20.47%

Dana H. Barakat

153,175

20.16%

Debra O. Maddrell

93,499

12.31%

Mary Ellen "Mell" Flynn

88,442

11.64%

Mary E. Strayhorne

82,439

10.85%

Edward W. Monroe, Jr.

23,704

3.12%

Write-In

2,801

0.37%