UPDATE Nov. 3, 5 a.m.: Glenn Youngkin was declared victor in the Virginia gubernatorial race Tuesday, beating his opponent, ex Gov. Terry McAuliffe, by an estimated 1.7% margin in a race that Democrats had stacked heavily in their favor with new mail-in voting policies.
Republicans also were projected to re-take the state General Assembly, as well as claiming victory for rising star Lt. Gov.-elect Winsome Sears and state Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares, whose race against incumbent Mark Herring had not yet been called.
Condolences to VA on becoming radically racist again according to the media…by electing by electing a black female lieutenant governor and a Cuban-American attorney general, rejecting racial essentialism in schools, and replacing a Dem governor who wore an actual KKK outfit.
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) November 3, 2021
The projection came despite the refusal to concede by McAuliffe, who cited voting problems in Fairfax County. The county has long been plagued by similar issues, including McAuliffe’s narrow 2013 victory over Ken Cuccinelli.
The win was a clear mandate against the overreach of Democrats in both the state and on a national level, where the focus since 2016 has been on running against former President Donald Trump. Youngkin refused to take the bait, making his focus on kitchen-table issues instead.
Nonetheless, the anti-Biden chant “Let’s Go Brandon” reportedly broke out at Youngkin’s election headquarters.
McAuliffe, who had once again secured the services of notorious attorney Marc Elias and had waged pre-emptive challenge to the postal service. But he was dragged for his “insurrectionist” refusal to concede the race despite a loss that all the major networks had called.
That alone signified the changing circumstances that the Trump presidency has had on the political landscape, in which Democrats once began the dirty work of winning elections after the voting was done.
Trump’s use of their own political playbook against them has forced Democrats to disavow such tactics in the harshest of terms.
Both McAuliffe and Herring relied on Elias to procure enough votes in Fairfax to secure their 2013 victories—which, in Herring’s case, reversed the election-night victory of Republican Mark Obenshain. It was unclear whether Elias would attempt any such legal challenges to Tuesday’s race.
The state—once solid red—first lilted blue under McAuliffe, who nonetheless faced a Republican legislature throughout his term.
But with the help of dark-money billionaire donors from outside the state, such as Michael Bloomberg and Tom Steyer, Democrats routed the GOP in the state’s 2019 races and enacted a raft of radical policies that foreboded the 2020 election.
Voters now appear to have repudiated the one-party rule as the Biden administration has been dealt one self-inflicted failure after the next.
Many in the media continued to put the focus of the race on Trump, suggesting that Youngkin’s success was either an anomaly or a GOP repudiation of the former president.
Indeed, the victory likely hinged on crossover voters, such as suburban women and urban minorities who had strongly turned out against Trump.
But it also showed that Democrats can no longer take for granted that it can maintain a lock on voters through traditional tactics that largely ignore the issues.
“Candidates matter,” Youngkin chief strategist Jeff Roe told the Associated Press. “We weren’t defined by Obama, we weren’t defined by Trump, we were defined by Glenn.”
—Ben Sellers, Headline USA
Original story below:
UPDATE: You know a brutal night is unfolding for Democrats in Virginia, when ultra-leftist and CNN commentator Van Jones is scrambling for excuses and rambling about alleged dog whistles with nearly 83 percent of precincts reporting and Youngkin up 52.8/46.4.
Meanwhile, heartening news for Youngkin with several pundits already calling it a big win, according to the Daily Wire:
Multiple election experts projected on Tuesday night that Republican Glenn Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Virginia’s governor’s race in what many critics say is a backlash to far-left Democrat policies.
Count Dave Wasserman among the convinced.
I’ve seen enough: Glenn Youngkin (R) defeats Terry McAuliffe (D) in the Virginia governor’s race. #VAGOV
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 3, 2021
Dems will counter Carey’s addition to the House with Shontel Brown (D)’s special election win in #OH11 (Biden +60).
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 3, 2021
UPDATE – The Liberty Daily calls it: Earthquake, but with a caveat:
With Fairfax County in the middle of their vote-manufacturing plan, it’s possible that they could reverse the will of the people in Virginia just as they did during the 2020 election. But enough news outlets have called Virginia that we’re confident Republicans swept the major elections in the state even if Democrats will try to steal it all overnight.
Virginians showed up in force to give Republicans the win in all three statewide races. Glenn Youngkin will be the next Governor, Winsome Sears will be the next Lt. Governor, and Jason Miyares will be the next Attorney General. Sears’ victory is historic as she becomes the first Black woman to win a statewide election in Virginia as well as the first female Lt. Governor in the state.
Leftist stalwart MSNBC, however, isn’t convinced, reporting it too close to call; with 94 percent of precincts reporting and Youngkin up 51.1/48.1
FoxNews reporting big lead for Youngkin, as of 11:00 p.m., but also holding on a call:
Glenn Youngkin now has a commanding lead in the Virginia gubernatorial race. There is still a significant amount of outstanding vote in highly populated counties.
The Fox News Decision Desk is not yet ready to make a projection.
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Polls close in Virginia at 7:00, but already one prognosticator is calling it a positive referendum on Joe Biden’s popularity.
That partisan seer? Joe Biden, who despite some early exit polling that portend an uneasy and tight night for all sides, is already banking that his coattails can pull the parent-hating Democrat Terry McAuliffe across the finish line.
NBC #VAGOV exit poll:
Trump fav: 41/54
Youngkin fav: 53/44— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 2, 2021
NBC #VAGOV exit poll:
Biden approval:
Approve 43
Disapprove 56— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 2, 2021
That’s not exactly a glowing endorsement for Biden’s soothsaying skills. More importantly, it could mean bad news for McAuliffe, reported HotAir:
An electorate that doesn’t like Trump but does like Glenn Youngkin is an electorate that didn’t buy Democrats’ argument that Youngkin is Trump 2.0. And an electorate that likes Youngkin a lot more than Terry McAuliffe is an electorate that’s primed to make Youngkin governor.
One possible saving grace for Democrats could be a huge turnout at the polls in a blue-heavy state.
Based on local turnout reports, VA is on track to break 3 million votes, which would surpass gubernatorial record of 2.6M set in 2017.
Not clear which side that benefits, but this isn’t a scenario in which turnout in blue areas is falling through the floor. #VAGOV
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 2, 2021
Plenty of time to see how it all breaks; but anybody who thought a rout was in the works for either side, probably has another thought coming.
