For the first time in 26 years, Virginia is riding the high blue tide with Democrats claiming majorities in both houses of the state’s legislature. Former GOP Rep Joe Scarborough calls this “watching all of the red bleed out of Virginia.”
Once a swing state, Virginia is now fully controlled by Democrats. This could be proof that the Impeachment inquiry isn’t firing up the Republican voters like the Trump campaign has been hoping.
There are other factors at play in Virginia. Gun control was especially important to voters in the state after the shooting on Virginia Beach in May. Abortion rights and an increase in the minimum wage was also at the forefront. So, the election results may mark a shift away from Republicans who have long blocked or reversed action in these areas.
Scarborough is quick to point out that the GOP defeat came after a “Trump plea to vote for Republicans.” The President himself pointed out that a Democrat victory would be a “long slide down.”
Virginia, with all of the massive amount of defense and other work I brought to you, and with everything planned, go out and vote Republican today. I know the Dems are saying that they have your vote locked up, but that would mean a long slide down. VOTE REPUBLICAN TODAY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 5, 2019
The success at turning the state blue was due to an “unusually high turnout, especially in Virginia’s suburbs.” Morning Joe discusses the “sweeping victory” in Virginia:
“Yesterday marked the third election in a row in which Democrats made significant gains since President Trump was elected. Before Trump was elected, Republicans held a 66-44 majority in Virginia state legislature.”
He added that in the suburbs, “Republicans are bleeding support because of Trump.”
One of those winners is John J. Bell (D) who beat Geary M. Higgins (R) to represent the key Washington DC suburbs of Loudoun and Prince William counties.
All five openly LGBTQ Virginia state legislators also won reelection, including Danica Roem and Dawn Adams, who both held seats considered critical to Democratic efforts to retake the state House. Other openly LGBTQ delegates including Mark Levine and Mark Sickles were also victorious.
The state’s openly LGBTQ Senator Adam Ebbin also won reelection.
Another election winner in Virginia is a hero to a lot of people — the woman who was fired for flipping off Trump’s motorcade.
Capturing 52.4% of the vote for a seat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors, Juli Briskman beat the incumbent Republican in her district. Briskman’s campaign helped her stand against Trump’s policies. She campaigned for higher school funding and for green space expansion amidst a rising climate crisis.
“It’s not like I can run against him,” she told the Washington Post in July. “But I can run.”
She ran, she won.