Democrats hold a 55-45 majority heading into yesterday’s election, but Republicans picked up at least two seats in the House of Delegates -- and maybe more.Shenandoah Valley Republican Todd Gilbert, the current minority leader, says his party has flipped six seats. If that turns out to be the case, it would give the GOP a one-seat majority in the chamber, and Republicans were already starting to lay out an agenda for the next session. Gilbert says one item is rolling back some of the expanded public benefits brought on by the pandemic and its resulting economic impact.
Gilbert also said Democrats legalized marijuana in Virginia earlier this year, but failed to put in any sort of regulatory framework – leading to what he calls a black market.
As of early Wednesday morning (Nov. 3), the Washington Post and other outlets had not called several House races, showing a Republican gain of two seats, but the Virginia Public Access Project agrees with Delegate Gilbert, and says the GOP picked up six seats yesterday, giving them that one-seat majority when the General Assembly meets again next year. Democrats retain control of the state Senate, which was not on the ballots this year. In the WMRA region, most House seats remain in Republican hands. The closest race is in the 10th district, covering Frederick and Clarke counties, and currently held by Democrat Wendy Gooditis. The Virginia Department of Elections reports that with 34 of 37 precincts reporting, Gooditis has a narrow lead, with about 51 percent to Republican challenger Nick Clemente's 49 percent.
