Earlier this month, the state of Virginia held their race for Governor. The Republicans gained a majority in the state House of Representatives and Republican, Glenn Youngkin, won Governor by approximately 64,000 votes. An exciting slate of cabinet members follow, with Winsome Sears, becoming the first black woman to win a statewide Virginia office, as Lieutenant Governor and Jason Miyares as Attorney General.  

In an election that most Democrats were sure to pull off a win, the Republicans came through with a victory. It came as a shock to the nation, as Republicans have not had a statewide majority like this in Virginia since 2009. In fact, just past November in the 2020 Presidential election, Joe Biden won all 13 electoral votes for the state with 54.1% of the vote. Is this fast turnaround a future trend for other Democratic states as well? 

It is no secret with the upcoming midterm elections approaching next year, Republicans are hoping to secure more majorities like Virginia in some 36 other states. Seeing how Virginia went from a Democratic-led election to a Republican one in a little over a year, it is quite possible. This win in Virginia keeps Republicans enthusiastic of their chances in making these victories a reality. 

According to an article by The Hill, pollsters are indeed predicting that Republicans will be able to flip the House of Representatives in 2022. “An ABC News/Washington Post poll published Sunday found if midterm elections were held now, 51 percent of all registered voters say they would vote for a Republican in their congressional district, as opposed to 41 percent who said they would go with a Democrat”. The article states that this is the largest lead the GOP has held in the poll since 1981. There are a variety of factors going into this, with the main reason being the overall unpopularity of Biden’s presidency. The poll goes on to report a 41% rating of Biden’s performance. The election in Virginia is definitely representative of these views and is hopefully a foreshadow of the midterm elections to happen next year. After the loss Republicans faced in the Presidential election last year, this latest Virginia election will keep them hopeful for results leaning in their favor.

Ivey Y

CABINET