Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Heading into Tuesday’s state election, Republicans held control over the governor’s mansion and attorney general’s office, and were looking to make up ground in the House of Delegates, which flipped to a one-seat Democrat majority two years ago. That was before a blue wave made landfall in the Chesapeake Bay. Democrats swept the governor’s, lieutenant governor’s and attorney general’s races, picked up at least 13 seats in the chamber to earn a supermajority, and can look ahead to 2026 with a government trifecta. Democrats went into Election Day holding 51 House of Delegates seats. They emerged with at least 64, according to unofficial results. Four of those flips occurred in Hampton Roads districts. As results poured in Tuesday night, Virginia House Speaker Don Scott, who won an uncontested reelection bid, celebrated his party’s victory with supporters in Richmond and said the results were a rejection of Republican policies. “Democrats, we’re baaaaaack,” Scott sang onstage at the Richmond Convention Center. “We sent a message of love and hope over fear and cruelty.” Even in red counties, every single locality shifted toward Democrats in the governor’s race compared to 2021. Gov. Glenn Youngkin was not as festive during a Wednesday morning news conference. Youngkin held firm that Virginians support his administration and the direction he’s led the commonwealth in his four years leading it. “I firmly believe that, particularly the government shutdown, was a very big challenge as we ran into this election,” Youngkin said, pointing to the state’s roughly 330,000 furloughed federal workers. “That is a real challenge heading into an election.” Among the Republican incumbents ousted from their seats were Amanda Batten of James City County; A.C. Cordoza of Hampton; and Chad Green of York County. In House District 71, Democrat Jessica Anderson raised nearly $3 million in her victorious rematch against Batten. Anderson lost her first race against Batten in 2023 by less than 700 votes, and cited meeting voters where they’re at in terms of addressing cost of living and health care accessibility as key factors in her victory. This time, unofficial results put Anderson ahead by more than 2,000 votes with 52.8% of the total, according to unofficial results. House District 86 on the Peninsula saw newcomer Virgil Thornton Sr. unseat Cordoza after a contentious race where Thornton aired an ad attacking Cordoza’s character. Cordoza was elected in 2021 and held the redistricted seat in 2023 and was the only Black Republican House member. Following his victory, Thornton championed being a servant to his new constituents. Cordoza, on the other hand, called Thornton’s campaign strategy defamatory, and said his team is currently pursuing legal action against the delegate-elect. “We’re going to make sure that every legal avenue is pursued, because what he did was wrong and it was illegal,” Cordoza said. “If that’s what he had to do to win, there are legal consequences for using that method.” Another race on the Peninsula that Democrats flipped is House District 69. The Associated Press called the race for Democrat Mark Downey on Wednesday. He had 49.7% of the vote and led incumbent Republican Chad Green by roughly 1,100 votes, who had 46.8%. A third independent candidate, Valerie Beverley had 3.5%. Downey, who has previously run unsuccessful campaigns for a House seat, said he plans on uplifting members of his community who have been overlooked. “We’re here to be the voice of the people who don’t have a voice,” he said. “That’s what I plan to do come January 14th.” Chesapeake’s House District 89 had two new candidates competing for the seat left open as Republican Baxter Ennis opted not to run for reelection. Democrat Karen “Kacey” Carnegie defeated Republican Mike Lamonea, earning 54% of the vote. Carnegie said her victory was a win-win for everyone — not just her supporters — and added flipping the seat was another step in countering the Trump administration. “It looks like Virginia is showing the rest of the country that we’re going to fight back against what’s happening, and we’re here to protect our citizens and not let what’s happening on the federal level affect our Virginians,” Carnegie said. That fight back struck a blow to House Republicans, according to Chesapeake GOP Chair Nicholas Proffitt. He told party members Tuesday night the results marked a “really bad year” for state Republicans, while congratulating candidates who punched above their weight. “Sometimes, some of these things are just outside of our control, and we can’t always win everything,” Proffitt said. One Virginia Beach Republican who retained her seat echoed those sentiments. Anne Ferrell Tata in House District 99 fended off Democrat challenger Cat Porterfield, but said Democrats’ massive majority of the House will severely limit Republicans’ input over the next two years. “I have always said best governance is when you have a balance,” she said. “I am concerned that we’re not going to have any checks and balances.” Kyle Kondik, political analyst with the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, said even with a slim majority in the state Senate, a massive House majority and a Democratic attorney general leaves little standing in the way of the Democratic party’s agenda. “They’re going to need party unity in the Senate to pass things,” Kondik said. “But they don’t need party unity in the House now to pass things.” Scott, the House Speaker, reiterated Democrats’ commitment to focusing on issues voters care about with the party’s newfound power, such as affordability and protecting Virginians’ rights, during a Wednesday morning news conference. “We have to be wise in how we move forward, so it’s going to be important for us to have a coalition that’s restrained, that’s smart, that’s disciplined and focused on what voters want,” Scott said. “They told us what they want. All we have to do is listen.” Kondik likened Tuesday’s election to 2017’s blue wave against the first Trump administration, but said in that case, Democrats picked up seats to reduce their minority in the House and achieve parity. This time, they started from near parity and continued gaining ground on the GOP. Democrats’ momentum has potential to carry into next year’s congressional midterms as well as the 2027 state Senate races. He added if Democrats seize power on the national level in the coming years, there will inevitably be another red wave to swing things back the other direction. But Kondik said Virginia’s waters are turning bluer, and any future red wave may not be strong enough to reach its shores. “Over time, the state is getting meaningfully bluer. Republicans had a lot of things go right for them in 2021 when they won the governorship, but it was very close,” Kondik said. “So, you wonder if the next time it’s a Republican wave environment, if the barricade for the Democrats is just too high now.” Devlin Epding, 757-510-4037, devlin.epding@virginiamedia.com Staff Writers Kate Seltzer, Natalie Anderson and Stacy Parker contributed to this report.
