Breccan F. Thies is an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. He previously covered education and culture issues at Breitbart News. A Virginia native, Thies graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where he earned a degree in foreign affairs and minored in history. You can follow him on X: @BreccanFThies.
The 2023 elections may not have the fireworks of 2024, but there is still plenty up for grabs. In this"off-year," most of which takes place on Nov. 7, Virginia will be keenly watched, particularly by followers of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and whether he can springboard Republican success into national aspirations. Meanwhile, the governor's mansion is up for grabs in Kentucky and Mississippi.
Republican candidate Mike Dillender, a retired Navy captain, told the Washington Examiner his opponent, former Democratic Del. Nadarius Clark, who calls himself a working-class community activist, was forced to leave his seat and move into another district after having been drawn out."Instead of representing home communities, redistricting causes many of these politicians to relocate so they can climb the next rung of their political ladder," Dillender said.
Here are the races that will decide the political future of Virginia, taking new legislative lines into account:Control of the House will be decided primarily by 10 close races, where districts won by Biden in 2020 were either lost or nearly lost by former Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe in his 2021 faceoff with Youngkin. Any race and every vote can matter in these races, as Republicans barely maintained a House majority in 2017 House races after the winner's name was drawn from a bowl.
While Stirrup, a former Prince William County supervisor, is focusing his campaign on crime and improving public safety, retired Marine Thomas is banking his campaign on abortion. Lovejoy, a former Manassas councilman and unsuccessful candidate for the House in 2019, told the Washington Examiner his campaign's message is"responsible governance through lowering the cost of living, ensuring we are fully supporting law enforcement to keep our communities safe, and stopping out-of-control data center development in our communities is resonating with voters."
While Republicans are fighting to maintain the House and grow their majority, they face an uphill battle for statewide control that goes through the Senate. Two out of six close contests have incumbents running, one Republican and one Democrat. Every close district was won by Biden by nearly 6 points or more. The Democratic-controlled Senate has stood as a bulwark against some of Youngkin's more ambitious policy goals, such as killing a 15-week abortion restriction earlier this year.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
November to Remember: Virginia elections could launch Youngkin national runSarah Bedford is a political and investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. She is also a Tony Blankley fellow at the Steamboat Institute. Previously, she was a White House reporter for CNN. She was a Robert Novak journalism fellow at the Fund for American Studies and is a graduate of the National Journalism Center fellowship program.
Read more »
November to Remember: Youngkin bets 15-week abortion cap will deliver 2023 GOP takeoverBreccan F. Thies is an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. He previously covered education and culture issues at Breitbart News. A Virginia native, Thies graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where he earned a degree in foreign affairs and minored in history. You can follow him on X: BreccanFThies.
Read more »
Biden administration asks children about gender identity in tobacco youth surveyBreccan F. Thies is an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. He previously covered education and culture issues at Breitbart News. A Virginia native, Thies graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where he earned a degree in foreign affairs and minored in history. You can follow him on X: BreccanFThies.
Read more »
Georgia Supreme Court allows 6-week abortion restriction to stay in placeBreccan F. Thies is an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. He previously covered education and culture issues at Breitbart News. A Virginia native, Thies graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where he earned a degree in foreign affairs and minored in history. You can follow him on X: BreccanFThies.
Read more »
Abortions increase after Supreme Court decision, driven by 100K spike in permissive statesBreccan F. Thies is an investigative reporter for the Washington Examiner. He previously covered education and culture issues at Breitbart News. A Virginia native, Thies graduated from the University of Virginia in 2019, where he earned a degree in foreign affairs and minored in history. You can follow him on X: BreccanFThies.
Read more »