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GOP reacts to loss of several key seats in Virginia special election
A new political reality is taking shape in Virginia. In the wake of Tuesday’s election of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, both parties are now taking a good, hard look at what went right for Democrats and what went so wrong for Republicans. FOX 5's Tom Fitzgerald reports.
WASHINGTON - A new political reality is taking shape in Virginia.
In the wake of Tuesday’s election of Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, both parties are now taking a good, hard look at what went right for Democrats and what went so wrong for Republicans.
Campaign officials for Spanberger told FOX 5 on Wednesday that the governor-elect spent the day in transitional meetings with her staff and expects to name a transition team soon.
With control of Congress at stake in next year’s congressional elections, Democrats want to replicate their success, while Republicans are desperate to avoid a repeat of Tuesday's results.
What they're saying:
Outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin congratulated Spanberger, pledging to work with her for a smooth transition.
But Youngkin was also blunt about why Republicans lost governor’s races in Virginia and New Jersey, pointing to the government shutdown.
"To have this shutdown extending as the longest shutdown ever has been extraordinary, extraordinary for Virginians," Youngkin said. "People are going without paychecks."
Virginia Democratic Senator Tim Kaine – a former governor himself – told FOX 5 that moving forward, Democrats need to copy Spanberger’s campaign, which heavily focused on the economy and helping Virginians manage the cost of living.
"We tried very hard to win the economic argument, and then we’ll try to deliver good economic results. Too often, Democratic campaigns try to win campaigns on the other stuff," Kaine said.
Big picture view:
Democrats also expanded their majority in the House of Delegates, winning at least 64 seats, with more possible as final ballots are counted.
This not only hands the incoming governor a wide berth to enact her policies, but Democrats also picked up a tie-breaking vote in the state Senate with Lt. Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi.
Voters tell FOX 5 that going forward, the economy is what they’re thinking about the most.
"I think everybody does, and if they don’t they should be," one resident told FOX 5.
"I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils," said another.
One other big trend for the Democrats in Virginia and across the nation was the increased turnout of their voters.
Even in districts where Republican candidate Winsome Earle Sears won, the Democratic turnout exceeded the numbers from 2024, pushing Spanberger to a bigger vote total statewide.
"We sent a message to every corner of the Commonwealth — a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country," Spanberger said in her victory speech on Tuesday.