There were three special elections held today in Virginia, with polls now closed. The elections were in SD 9 (Democrat Jennifer McClellan will win EASILY in this overwhelmingly Democratic district in Henrico County and Richmond City, formerly held by now-Congressman Donald McEachin); SD 22 (Democrat Ryant Washington is running against two Republicans in this strongly “red” district, formerly held by now-Congressman Tom Garrett, so I’d say he has an outside shot if Democrats can get their “base” voters out and the two Republicans split their “base” vote); and HD 85 (Democrat Cheryl Turpin running in a Republican-leaning district in Virginia Beach, formerly held by now-Congressman Scott Taylor, so again it depends on turnout). I’ll live blog the results here (numbers from the State Board of Elections website); feel free to report whatever you are seeing/hearing in the comments section. Thanks.
UPDATE 6:30 am: Apparently, the Lynchburg precincts in SD-22 are more Democratic than Lynchburg as a whole, and Ryant Washington won them by about 200 votes. Still, unfortunately, he lost to Mark Peake by 13 points (53%-40%) overall, meaning that Republicans hold on to their slim control of the Virginia State Senate.
UPDATE 8:11 pm – Final results in HD-85 are Holcomb 53%-Turpin 47%. Blech.
UPDATE 8:04 pm – With 17 of 18 precincts reporting in HD-85, it’s Holcomb 52.6%-Turpin 47.3%. We had a shot there, but…nope. 🙁
UPDATE 8:00 pm – Senate Dem Caucus Chair Sen. Mamie Locke says, “”Del. McClellan’s commitment to promoting opportunity for working Virginians is second to none. Her robust legislative agenda is only one piece of why we are excited to have her join us in the Senate. She has demonstrated time and time again her commitment to serving her community and her Commonwealth. The Caucus is excited and eager to work with Senator-elect McClellan as we continue to move Virginia forward.”
UPDATE 7:48 pm — With 14 of 18 precincts reporting in HD-85, it’s Holcomb 52%-Turpin 48%. Not looking good for the “blue team” here (to put it mildly). And just for the record, with 66 of 85 precincts reporting in SD-22, it’s Peake 55%-Washington 37%-Hines 8%.
UPDATE 7:41 pm — With 63 of 85 precincts reporting, it’s Peake 54.7%-Washington 37.1%-Hines 8.1%. Oh well.
UPDATE 7:39 pm — Virginia House Dems congratulate Jennifer McClellan on her election to the State Senate.
“Jenn has been a tireless advocate for the working families of Virginia’s 71st House District, and she will be sorely missed by our caucus,” said Virginia House Democratic Leader David J. Toscano. “She has been a strong voice for both women and people of color, and she has given countless hours to community organizations. Both Richmond and Virginia are better for her service. We wish Jenn and her family the best as she transitions to her new role as Senator for Virginia’s 9th District.”
“Jenn embodies everything a public servant should aspire to, and it has been a great honor to count her among my colleagues,” said Delegate Charniele Herring, House Democratic Caucus Chair. “She has a strong command of complex policies and makes every decision with the interests of working people in mind. Her constituents and the Senate will both be well-served by her expertise and relentless energy. I look forward to our continued work together as she advances to the Senate.”
UPDATE 7:34 pm — With 50 of 85 precincts reporting in SD-22, it’s now Peake 51.7%-Washington 38.6%-Hines 9.6%. With 11 of 18 precincts reporting in HD-85, it’s now Holcomb 1,879 (51.1%)-Turpin 1,798 (48.9%). The problem for Turpin is that the remaining precincts went for Trump in November…
UPDATE 7:30 pm — With 47 of 85 precincts reporting in SD-22, it’s now Peake 51.5%-Washington 38.5%-Hines 9.9%. With 8 of 18 precincts reporting in HD-85, it’s now Holcomb 1,446-Turpin 1,289. Looking at the outstanding precincts, this is going to be REALLY tough for Turpin to pull out…
UPDATE 7:19 pm — With 40 of 85 precincts reporting, it’s Peake 50.4%-Washington 37.7%-Hines 11.9%. Yeah, this is over. Bummer.
UPDATE 7:19 pm — With 29 of 75 precincts reporting, Jennifer McClellan is still winning by an enormous margin (91%-8%). Congratulations to Senator-elect McClellan! In SD-22, with 28 of 85 precincts now reporting, it’s Peake 3,118-Washington 2,271-Hines 1,050. Looks like Peake is going to win this one, sad to say. And with 1 of 18 precincts reporting from HD-85, it’s Turpin 147-Holcomb 101. The problem is, that precinct is a strongly Democratic one, so let’s see what happens when some Republican ones report.
UPDATE 7:14 pm — As predicted, Jennifer McClellan is crushing her Libertarian opponent (92%-8% with 9 of 75 precincts reporting). This one is over. As for SD-22, with 18 of 85 precincts reporting, it’s now Peake 1,811-Washington 1,164-Hines 723. Not looking great for Washington, with nothing in yet from strongly Republican Lynchburg. Nothing from HD-85 yet.
UPDATE 7:10 pm — With 9 of 85 precincts reporting in SD-22, it’s now Washington 607-Peake 546-Hines 380. Innnnnteresting…let’s see if Peake and Hines keep splitting the “R” vote as the numbers continue to come in.
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