Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin suffered a stunning defeat in Tuesday’s General Assembly election as Democrats flipped the House of Representatives and retained the state Senate.
As Republican donors urged Youngkin to make a late entry into the 2024 presidential race, the first-time governor said he first needed to gain control of the General Assembly – and promised to enforce a 15-week abortion ban.
Virginia voters rejected that as Democrats are estimated to gain at least 21 seats in the state Senate, retaining their majority, and 51 seats in the House, taking control from Republicans.
The results in Virginia were part of an overall good night for Democrats, with Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear winning re-election and abortion rights preserved in the red state of Ohio.
Ohio voters, who voted twice last year for former President Donald Trump and Republican Sen. JD Vance, also voted to legalize marijuana.
Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin suffered a stunning defeat in Tuesday’s General Assembly election, with Democrats expected to retain control of the state Senate
Democratic candidate for Mississippi governor Brandon Presley — Elvis Presley’s second cousin — failed to eject Republican Gov. Tate Reeves from the governor’s mansion.
And new polls released by CNN on election night showed troubling numbers for President Joe Biden despite his party’s victories.
The races that should have the greatest national impact were those in Virginia, because if Youngkin had been successful, he might have advanced to the 2024 presidential election.
Some GOP donors encouraged Youngkin to join because of other Trump alternative candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former U.N. Ambassador. Nikki Haley – had not affected the ex-president’s poll numbers.
Youngkin is unlikely to compete now as he has no wins to his name.
In Virginia, all 100 seats in the House of Representatives and the 40 seats in the state Senate were up for election.
Previously, Democrats had a 22-17 majority in the state Senate, while Republicans had a 48-46 majority in the House, with six seats vacant.
Among those elected to the Senate on Tuesday was Danica Roem, a House member who won in a district representing the D.C. suburbs.
Roem, a former journalist, made history in 2017 when she became the first transgender person elected to the Virginia General Assembly.
Additionally, former CIA agent Russet Perry, a Democrat, had success in District 31, defeating Youngkin’s choice, Republican Juan Pablo Segura, who co-founded the D.C.-based District Donut and the app Babyscripts.
After the Senate convened, networks reported that the Democrats had also captured the House of Representatives, with at least 51 seats going in their favor.
In a disappointment for Democrats, so-called “porn Democrat” Susanna Gibson lost her bid for the House of Representatives to Republican businessman David Owen.
Danice Roem (second from left) won her Senate district representing a suburb of Washington, D.C. She was the first trans person to win election to the Virginia General Assembly in 2017
A disappointment for the Democrats was the so-called “porn Democrat” Susanna Gibson, who lost her bid for the House of Representatives to Republican businessman David Owen.
Gibson’s campaign was among the most-watched elections on Tuesday after she became embroiled in a scandal in which she livestreamed sex with her husband to solicit tips.
Owen defeated Gibson by fewer than 1,000 votes, final results showed.
In September, The Washington Post reported that Gibson, a 40-year-old nurse, and her husband, lawyer John David Gibson, were livestreaming sex acts on the website Chaturbate, a synonym for chatting and masturbating.
In a statement, Gibson called the revelation “an illegal invasion of my privacy designed to humiliate me and my family.”
Gibson used her health care background to steer the race over abortion rights, the issue that likely swung the General Assembly to the Democrats’ side.
However, Virginia Republicans sent mailers to precinct voters in the run-up to Election Day reminding them of Gibson’s X-rated scandal and warning them: “Warning: explicit material attached” and “Do not open if you are under the age.” of 18 years are marked “18.”