Virginia’s Speaker of the House, Delegate Don Scott, was all smiles Wednesday morning after he picked up more than a dozen seats in his legislative chamber during Tuesday’s election.
“Trump won last year with about 50% of the vote, maybe? A little less? And he claimed that was a mandate," Scott said. "This is what a mandate looks like.”
Scott now controls the largest Democratic majority in the House since 1987.
“Half my caucus wasn’t born then,” the Portsmouth Democrat quipped.
As for how he’ll wield that mandate?
“We have a coalition that’s restrained, smart, disciplined and is focused on what voters want us to do. They told us what they want, we just have to listen," Scott said. "They’re feeling the pain in their pocketbook but they’re also afraid our democracy is eroding, is under attack, and they want us to stand up.”
Outgoing governor Glenn Youngkin also addressed reporters Wednesday morning. He laid blame on the ongoing, longest ever federal government shutdown for his party’s losses.
“We have 330,000 government workers here that weren’t getting paid," the term-limited Republican said. "That is a real challenge heading into an election.”
Whatever the reason, Tuesday’s results show Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s 15-point win is among the biggest for a Virginia governor in decades.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
