Wikipedia

2017 Virginia House of Delegates election

The 2017 Virginia House of Delegates election was held on Tuesday, November 7. All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates were contested. The Republican Party held a 66–34 majority in the House of Delegates before the election but lost 15 seats to the Democratic Party, resulting in the Republicans holding a 50–49 advantage.

2017 Virginia House of Delegates election
← 2015 November 7, 2017 2019 →
All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates
51 seats needed for a majority
Turnout47.6% Increase 18.5[1]
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Bill Howell
(retired) 		David Toscano
Party Republican Democratic
Leader since January 8, 2003 November 19, 2011
Leader's seat 28th 57th
Seats before 66 34
Seats won 51 49
Seat change Decrease 15 Increase 15
Popular vote 1,076,081 1,304,241
Percentage 43.8% 53.1%
Swing Decrease 15.8% Increase 17.4%
Results:
     Democratic hold      Democratic gain
     Republican hold
Speaker before election

Bill Howell
Republican

Elected Speaker

Kirk Cox
Republican

The election was notable for having a perfectly tied vote in the 94th district, which left control of the legislature undecided. The winner of the race was determined by a random drawing on January 4, 2018, which resulted in the Republicans holding a 51–49 majority.

Background

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The election took place during the first term of President Donald Trump, a Republican who won the 2016 presidential election. Democrats fielded a larger number of candidates than usual in hopes of defying Trump.[2] While there were 17 Republican delegates in districts that had voted Clinton, there were no Democrats from districts that had backed Trump. For this reason, Democrats focused more on picking up seats than on defending seats.[3] Early on, it was expected that Republicans would hold the majority,[4] but Democrats became more optimistic following the unexpectedly close result in Kansas's 4th congressional district special election.[5][6][7] Likewise, after Jacqueline Smith won the election for Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court, Republicans expressed concern that Democratic momentum and Republican internal bickering could cause them to lose five to ten seats in the House of Delegates.[8] Democratic state senator Jeremy McPike argued that Smith's victory boded well for Democratic turnout in the state election.[9]

The filing deadline for Republicans and Democrats to participate in the June 13 primary was March 30.[10] There were seven open House seats, as Republicans Dave Albo, Mark Dudenhefer, Peter Farrell, Bill Howell, Jimmie Massie, and Rick Morris, and Democrat Daun Hester all declined to run again.[11] A total of 55 House of Delegates races were contested.[12] 77 Democrats lined up to challenge 49 Republican incumbents.[13] 35 races were uncontested in the general election, with 13 having only a Republican candidate and 22 having only a Democrat.

In the 2017 election, Democrats reported 153,442 donations of $100 or less, whereas Republicans reported 7,332 such donations.[14]

Delegates not running for re-election

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Delegate Seat First elected Party Date announced Ref.
Dave Albo 42nd district 1993 Republican April 5, 2017 [15]
Mark Dudenhefer 2nd district 2015 Republican January 6, 2017 [16]
Peter Farrell 56th district 2013 Republican March 10, 2017 [17]
Daun Hester 89th district 2012 Democratic December 30, 2016 [18]
William J. Howell 28th district 1987 Republican February 20, 2017 [19]
Jimmie Massie 72nd district 2007 Republican March 18, 2017 [20]
Rick Morris 64th district 2011 Republican March 1, 2017 [21]

Results

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By November 8, the Associated Press called the elections in 96 districts, giving the Democrats a 49–47 advantage but not yet the majority of seats.[22] Upon certification of the election results on November 27, the Republicans held a 51–49 majority.[23] A recount in the 94th district resulted in the Democrats gaining one more seat, causing a 50–50 split.[24] But a three-judge panel declined to certify the result and counted another vote that tied the election, which led to the panel declaring that there was no winner.[25] So the balance of the House of Delegates was at 50–49 in the Republicans' favor until the race was resolved through drawing lots, as per state law.[25] On January 4, 2018, the drawing was held and Republican David Yancey was declared the winner. His opponent, Shelly Simonds, conceded on January 10.[26]

There were several notable candidates who won elections. Democratic candidate Chris Hurst, whose girlfriend was murdered on live television in 2015, defeated Republican incumbent and National Rifle Association-supported[27] Joseph Yost in the 12th district.[28] In the 13th district, Democratic candidate Danica Roem defeated Republican incumbent Bob Marshall to become the first openly transgender candidate to be elected and serve in a state legislative body in the United States.[29] In the 21st and 42nd districts, respectively, Democratic candidates Kelly Fowler and Kathy Tran became the first Asian American women elected to the House of Delegates after defeating Republican incumbent Ron Villanueva and candidate Lolita Mancheno-Smoak.[30] Democratic candidates Elizabeth Guzmán and Hala Ayala defeated Republican incumbents Scott Lingamfelter and Richard Anderson in the 31st and 51st districts, respectively, to also become the first two Hispanic women elected to the House of Delegates.[31][32] In the 50th district, Lee Carter, the Democratic candidate and a self-described democratic socialist, defeated Republican incumbent and House Majority Whip Jackson Miller.[33] Democratic candidate Dawn M. Adams became the first openly lesbian candidate to be elected to the House of Delegates after defeating Republican incumbent G. Manoli Loupassi in the 68th district.[34][35]

In the 2017 election, 25 women were elected to the House of Delegates, breaking the previous record of 19 that was set in 2013.[36]

Close races

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Seats where the margin of victory was under 10%:

  1. HD District 94 Tie
  2. HD District 40, 0.4%
  3. HD District 28, 0.4%
  4. HD District 27, 0.5%
  5. HD District 68 0.9% (gain)
  6. HD District 85 1.6% (gain)
  7. HD District 73, 3.1% (gain)
  8. HD District 62, 3.5%
  9. HD District 84, 3.6%
  10. HD District 10, 3.9% (gain)
  11. HD District 100 4.4%
  12. HD District 21, 5.2% (gain)
  13. HD District 72, 5.6% (gain)
  14. HD District 51, 6.2% (gain)
  15. HD District 13, 7.8% (gain)
  16. HD District 50, 8.8% (gain)
  17. HD District 12, 8.9% (gain)
  18. HD District 26, 9.2%
  19. HD District 33, 9.7%
  20. HD District 31, 9.8% (gain)

Overall

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  Republican (51)
  Democratic (49)
Party Leader Delegates Votes
Of total ± Of total ±
Republican Party William J. Howell 51 51.00%
51 / 100
  15 1,076,081 43.81%
 15.79
Democratic Party David Toscano 49 49.00%
49 / 100
  15 1,304,241 53.10%
 17.35
Other parties
Write-in N/A 0 0.00%
0 / 100
   36,640 1.49%
Independent N/A 0 0.00%
0 / 100
   26,603 1.08%
Green Party N/A 0 0.00%
0 / 100
   6,409 0.26%
 0.08
Libertarian Party N/A 0 0%
0 / 100
   6,295 0.25%
 0.13

By House of Delegates district

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District Incumbent This race
Number Representative Party First
elected 		Winner[37] Candidates[38]
1 Terry Kilgore Republican 1993 Terry Kilgore (R) Terry Kilgore (R) 76.0%
Alicia Kallen (D) 23.8%
2 Mark Dudenhefer Republican 2015
(2012–2014) 		Jennifer Carroll Foy (D)
Democratic gain. 		Jennifer Carroll Foy (D) 63.0%
Mike Makee (R) 36.8%
3 Will Morefield Republican 2009 Will Morefield (R) Will Morefield (R) 78.1%
Bill Bunch (D) 21.6%
4 Todd Pillion Republican 2014 Todd Pillion (R) Todd Pillion (R) unopposed
5 Israel O'Quinn Republican 2011 Israel O'Quinn (R) Israel O'Quinn (R) unopposed
6 Jeff Campbell Republican 2013 Jeff Campbell (R) Jeff Campbell (R) 81.3%
Kenneth Browning (I) 17.9%
7 Nick Rush Republican 2011 Nick Rush (R) Nick Rush (R) 66.3%
Flourette Ketner (D) 33.5%
8 Greg Habeeb Republican 2011 Greg Habeeb (R) Greg Habeeb (R) 63.9%
Steve McBride (D) 35.9%
9 Charles Poindexter Republican 2007 Charles Poindexter (R) Charles Poindexter (R) 70.3%
Stephanie Cook (D) 29.6%
10 Randy Minchew Republican 2011 Wendy Gooditis (D)
Democratic gain. 		Wendy Gooditis (D) 51.9%
Randy Minchew (R) 48.0%
11 Sam Rasoul Democratic 2014 Sam Rasoul (D) Sam Rasoul (D) unopposed
12 Joseph R. Yost Republican 2011 Chris Hurst (D)
Democratic gain. 		Chris Hurst (D) 54.4%
Joseph R. Yost (R) 45.5%
13 Bob Marshall Republican 1991 Danica Roem (D)
Democratic gain. 		Danica Roem (D) 53.7%
Bob Marshall (R) 45.9%
14 Danny Marshall Republican 2001 Danny Marshall (R) Danny Marshall (R) unopposed
15 Todd Gilbert Republican 2005 Todd Gilbert (R) Todd Gilbert (R) unopposed
16 Les Adams Republican 2013 Les Adams (R) Les Adams (R) unopposed
17 Chris Head Republican 2011 Chris Head (R) Chris Head (R) 60.6%
Djuna Osborne (D) 39.3%
18 Michael Webert Republican 2011 Michael Webert (R) Michael Webert (R) 60.4%
Tristan Shields (D) 34.3%
Will King (G) 5.2%
19 Terry Austin Republican 2013 Terry Austin (R) Terry Austin (R) unopposed
20 Richard Bell Republican 2009 Richard Bell (R) Richard Bell (R) 54.5%
Michele Edwards (D) 42.6%
Will Hammer (L) 2.8%
21 Ron Villanueva Republican 2009 Kelly Fowler (D)
Democratic gain. 		Kelly Fowler (D) 52.5%
Ron Villanueva (R) 47.3%
22 Kathy Byron Republican 1997 Kathy Byron (R) Kathy Byron (R) unopposed
23 Scott Garrett Republican 2009 Scott Garrett (R) Scott Garrett (R) 65.7%
Natalie Short (D) 34.2%
24 Benjamin L. Cline Republican 2002 Benjamin L. Cline (R) Benjamin L. Cline (R) 71.9%
John C. Winfrey (I) 27.7%
25 Steve Landes Republican 1995 Steve Landes (R) Steve Landes (R) 58.0%
Angela Lynn (D) 41.9%
26 Tony Wilt Republican 2010 Tony Wilt (R) Tony Wilt (R) 54.5%
Brent Finnegan (D) 45.3%
27 Roxann Robinson Republican 2010 Roxann Robinson (R) Roxann Robinson (R) 50.2%
Larry V. Barnett (D) 49.7%
28 Bill Howell Republican 1987 Bob Thomas (R)
Republican hold. 		Bob Thomas (R) 50.1%
Joshua G. Cole (D) 49.7%
29 Chris Collins Republican 2015 Chris Collins (R) Chris Collins (R) 64.2%
Casey Turben (D) 35.6%
30 Nicholas Freitas Republican 2015 Nicholas Freitas (R) Nicholas Freitas (R) 62.1%
Ben Hixon (D) 37.8%
31 Scott Lingamfelter Republican 2001 Elizabeth Guzman (D)
Democratic gain. 		Elizabeth Guzman (D) 54.0%
Scott Lingamfelter (R) 44.2%
Nathan Larson (I) 1.7%
32 Tag Greason Republican 2009 David Reid (D)
Democratic gain. 		David Reid (D)[39] 58.5%
Tag Greason (R) 41.4%
33 Dave LaRock Republican 2013 Dave LaRock (R) Dave LaRock (R) 54.8%
Tia Walbridge (D) 45.1%
34 Kathleen Murphy Democratic 2015 Kathleen Murphy (D) Kathleen Murphy (D) 60.9%
Cheryl A. Buford (R) 39.0%
35 Mark Keam Democratic 2009 Mark Keam (D) Mark Keam (D) unopposed
36 Ken Plum Democratic 1981
(1978–1980) 		Ken Plum (D) Ken Plum (D) unopposed
37 David Bulova Democratic 2005 David Bulova (D) David Bulova (D) unopposed
38 Kaye Kory Democratic 2009 Kaye Kory (D) Kaye Kory (D) 73.5%
Paul Haring (R) 26.3%
39 Vivian Watts Democratic 1995 Vivian Watts (D) Vivian Watts (D) unopposed
40 Tim Hugo Republican 2002 Tim Hugo (R)[40] Tim Hugo (R) 50.1%
Donte Tanner (D) 49.7%
41 Eileen Filler-Corn Democratic 2010 Eileen Filler-Corn (D) Eileen Filler-Corn (D) unopposed
42 Dave Albo Republican 1993 Kathy Tran (D)
Democratic gain. 		Kathy Tran (D) 61.0%
Lolita Mancheno-Smoak (R) 38.9%
43 Mark Sickles Democratic 2003 Mark Sickles (D) Mark Sickles (D) unopposed
44 Paul Krizek Democratic 2015 Paul Krizek (D) Paul Krizek (D) unopposed
45 Mark Levine Democratic 2015 Mark Levine (D) Mark Levine (D) unopposed
46 Charniele Herring Democratic 2009 Charniele Herring (D) Charniele Herring (D) unopposed
47 Patrick Hope Democratic 2009 Patrick Hope (D) Patrick Hope (D) unopposed
48 Rip Sullivan Democratic 2014 Rip Sullivan (D) Rip Sullivan (D) unopposed
49 Alfonso Lopez Democratic 2011 Alfonso Lopez (D) Alfonso Lopez (D) 81.3%
Adam Roosevelt (R) 18.5%
50 Jackson Miller Republican 2006 Lee Carter (D)
Democratic gain. 		Lee Carter (D) 54.3%
Jackson Miller (R) 45.5%
51 Rich Anderson Republican 2009 Hala Ayala (D)
Democratic gain. 		Hala Ayala (D) 53.0%
Rich Anderson (R) 46.8%
52 Luke Torian Democratic 2009 Luke Torian (D) Luke Torian (D) unopposed
53 Marcus Simon Democratic 2013 Marcus Simon (D) Marcus Simon (D) 74.3%
Mike Casey (I) 24.6%
54 Bobby Orrock Republican 1989 Bobby Orrock (R) Bobby Orrock (R) 57.9%
Al Durante (D) 41.9%
55 Buddy Fowler Republican 2013 Buddy Fowler (R) Buddy Fowler (R) 59.9%
Morgan Goodman (D) 39.9%
56 Peter Farrell Republican 2011 John McGuire III (R)
Republican hold. 		John McGuire III (R) 59.5%
Melissa M. Dart (D) 40.4%
57 David Toscano Democratic 2005 David Toscano (D) David Toscano (D) unopposed
58 Rob Bell Republican 2001 Rob Bell (R) Rob Bell (R) 61.2%
Kellen Squire (D) 38.7%
59 Matt Fariss Republican 2011 Matt Fariss (R) Matt Fariss (R) 61.2%
Tracy Carver (D) 34.1%
David Ball (I) 3.4%
Marcus T. Sutphin (G) 1.2%
60 James E. Edmunds Republican 2009 James E. Edmunds (R) James E. Edmunds (R) 61.9%
Jamaal Johnston (D) 38.0%
61 Tommy Wright Republican 2000 Tommy Wright (R) Tommy Wright (R) unopposed
62 Riley Ingram Republican 1991 Riley Ingram (R) Riley Ingram (R) 51.7%
Sheila Bynum-Coleman (D) 48.2%
63 Lashrecse Aird Democratic 2015 Lashrecse Aird (D) Lashrecse Aird (D) unopposed
64 Rick Morris Republican 2011 Emily Brewer (R)
Republican hold. 		Emily Brewer (R) 62.4%
Rebecca S. Colaw (D) 37.5%
65 Lee Ware Republican 1998 Lee Ware (R) Lee Ware (R) 64.0%
Francis Stevens (D) 35.8%
66 Kirk Cox Republican 1989 Kirk Cox (R) Kirk Cox (R) 63.5%
Katie Ann Sponsler (D) 36.4%
67 James LeMunyon Republican 2009 Karrie Delaney (D)
Democratic gain. 		Karrie Delaney (D) 57.9%
James LeMunyon (R) 42.0%
68 Manoli Loupassi Republican 2007 Dawn M. Adams (D)
Democratic gain. 		Dawn M. Adams (D) 50.4%
Manoli Loupassi (R) 49.5%
69 Betsy B. Carr Democratic 2009 Betsy B. Carr (D) Betsy B. Carr (D) 86.6%
Jake Crocker (L) 8.5%
Montigue Magruder (G) 4.7%
70 Delores McQuinn Democratic 2008 Delores McQuinn (D) Delores McQuinn (D) unopposed
71 Jeff Bourne Democratic 2017 Jeff Bourne (D) Jeff Bourne (D) unopposed
72 Jimmie Massie Republican 2007 Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D)
Democratic gain. 		Schuyler T. VanValkenburg (D) 52.7%
Eddie Whitlock (R) 47.1%
73 John O'Bannon Republican 2000 Debra H. Rodman (D)
Democratic gain. 		Debra H. Rodman (D) 51.5%
John O'Bannon (R) 48.4%
74 Lamont Bagby Democratic 2015 Lamont Bagby (D) Lamont Bagby (D) 76.0%
Preston Brown (I) 23.3%
75 Roslyn Tyler Democratic 2005 Roslyn Tyler (D) Roslyn Tyler (D) unopposed
76 Chris Jones Republican 1997 Chris Jones (R) Chris Jones (R) unopposed
77 Cliff Hayes, Jr. Democratic 2016 Cliff Hayes, Jr. (D) Cliff Hayes, Jr. (D) 82.6%
Jeff Staples (G) 16.9%
78 Jay Leftwich Republican 2013 Jay Leftwich (R) Jay Leftwich (R) unopposed
79 Steve Heretick Democratic 2015 Steve Heretick (D) Steve Heretick (D) unopposed
80 Matthew James Democratic 2009 Matthew James (D) Matthew James (D) unopposed
81 Barry Knight Republican 2008 Barry Knight (R) Barry Knight (R) 59.0%
Kimberly Anne Tucker (D) 40.9%
82 Jason Miyares Republican 2015 Jason Miyares (R) Jason Miyares (R) 58.9%
Leigh Anne Bowling (D) 41.0%
83 Chris Stolle Republican 2009 Chris Stolle (R) Chris Stolle (R) 56.6%
David Rose-Carmack (D) 43.3%
84 Glenn Davis Republican 2013 Glenn Davis (R) Glenn Davis (R) 51.7%
Veronica Coleman (D) 48.1%
85 Rocky Holcomb Republican 2017 Cheryl Turpin (D)
Democratic gain. 		Cheryl Turpin (D) 50.7%
Rocky Holcomb (R) 49.1%
86 Jennifer Boysko Democratic 2015 Jennifer Boysko (D) Jennifer Boysko (D) 68.5%
Linda C. Schulz (R) 31.3%
87 John Bell Democratic 2015 John Bell (D) John Bell (D) 61.7%
Subba R. Kolla (R) 38.0%
88 Mark Cole Republican 2001 Mark Cole (R) Mark Cole (R) 52.7%
Steve Aycock (D) 37.3%
Amanda Blalock (I) 8.9%
Gerald Anderson (G) 1.0%
89 Daun Hester Democratic 2012 Jay Jones (D)
Democratic hold. 		Jay Jones (D) 84.5%
Terry Hurst (L) 15.0%
90 Joe Lindsey Democratic 2014 Joe Lindsey (D) Joe Lindsey (D) unopposed
91 Gordon Helsel Republican 2011 Gordon Helsel (R) Gordon Helsel (R) 56.2%
Michael Wade (D) 43.6%
92 Jeion Ward Democratic 2003 Jeion Ward (D) Jeion Ward (D) unopposed
93 Michael Mullin Democratic 2016 Michael Mullin (D) Michael Mullin (D) 60.0%
Heather Cordasco (R) 39.9%
94 David Yancey Republican 2011 David Yancey (R)
Republican hold after tiebreaker.[41] 		David Yancey (R) 48.638%
Shelly Simonds (D) 48.638%
Michael Bartley (L) 2.8%
95 Marcia Price Democratic 2015 Marcia Price (D) Marcia Price (D) unopposed
96 Brenda Pogge Republican 2007 Brenda Pogge (R) Brenda Pogge (R) 56.9%
Kelly DeLucia (D) 42.9%
97 Chris Peace Republican 2006[42] Chris Peace (R) Chris Peace (R) 72.2%
Cori Johnson (D) 27.6%
98 Keith Hodges Republican 2011 Keith Hodges (R) Keith Hodges (R) 65.1%
Sheila Crowley (D) 34.9%
99 Margaret Ransone Republican 2011 Margaret Ransone (R) Margaret Ransone (R) 62.2%
Francis N. Edwards (D) 37.7%
100 Robert Bloxom Jr. Republican 2014 Robert Bloxom Jr. (R) Robert Bloxom Jr. (R) 52.1%
Willie Randall (D) 47.7%

Seats that changed hands

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Republican to Democratic (15)

Aftermath

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Reaction

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Frank Bruni, a columnist for The New York Times, said the Republican Party should be "scared" as a result of the Virginia elections.[43] Slate writer Mark Stern blamed gerrymandering as the reason why the Democrats did not win a majority in the House of Delegates.[44] Chicago Tribune editorial board member Clarence Page called the election an "unmistakable anti-Trump backlash."[45]

Misinformation

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On November 7, a Twitter account called "MAGA Mike King" was suspended after it tweeted more than a dozen times a graphic purportedly instructing Virginians on how to vote by text.[46] On the same day, Harry Wiggins, the chair of the Prince William County Democratic Committee, told The Intercept that voters in his county were receiving robocalls falsely telling them their polling places had changed.[47]

Irregularities

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On November 13, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund filed a lawsuit in the state court alleging that conflicting and misleading instructions from the Stafford County Electoral Board would ultimately prevent provisional ballots from being counted.[48] Their lawsuit was thrown out on November 14 by judge Victoria Willis because it was not clear that the two voters named as plaintiffs had been harmed.[49] On November 20, the Virginia State Board of Elections voted unanimously to delay certification of elections in the 28th and 88th districts after Elections Commissioner Edgardo Cortés announced that in April 2016, Fredericksburg registrar Juanita Pitchford erroneously assigned 83 voters from the 28th to the 88th.[50]

On November 22, federal judge T. S. Ellis III rejected the Virginia Democratic Party's bid to halt the Virginia State Board of Elections from certifying the vote totals in the 28th district.[51] After certifying the final results on November 27, Virginia State Board of Elections Chairman James Alcorn acknowledged the possibility of other voters being erroneously assigned to the wrong district.[52] On December 7, the Democrats filed an amended complaint that asked the judge to order the state to decertify the election, block Republican candidate Robert Thomas from being seated as a delegate when the General Assembly convenes in January, and hold a new election for the seat.[53]

On January 2, 2018, it was reported that the Virginia Department of Elections, Speaker Bill Howell, and Fredericksburg's Electoral Board knew there were problems with voters assigned to the wrong House districts in the Fredericksburg area since at least early 2015.[54]

Recounts

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On November 29, Democratic candidates Shelly Simonds and Donte Tanner filed for recounts in the 94th and 40th districts, respectively.[55] On November 30, Republican incumbent Manoli Loupassi, who lost to Democratic candidate Dawn Adams, filed for a recount in the 68th district.[56] On December 3, Democratic candidate Joshua Cole filed a request for a recount in the 28th district.[57] On December 14, Republican incumbent Tim Hugo won the recount in the 40th district, defeating Donte Tanner by 99 votes.[58] On December 20, Adams' victory over Loupassi was confirmed by the recount.[59] On December 21, Republican candidate Robert Thomas defeated Joshua Cole in the recount of the 28th district election.[60]

On December 19, the recount in the 94th district determined that Simonds defeated Republican incumbent David Yancey by one vote, which ended the 18-year Republican majority in the House of Delegates and created an even 50–50 split.[24] It was the first time in almost thirty years that a recount changed an election result in Virginia.[24] However, a three-judge panel declined to certify the results, citing a questionable ballot that had previously not been counted, which they deemed should be counted in favor of the Republican instead.[25] Judge Bryant Sugg said, "The court declares there is no winner in this election."[25] In the event of a tie in a House of Delegates election, state law says the winner is chosen by lot.[25] On December 21, James Alcorn tweeted that a random drawing would occur on December 27.[61]

On December 26, the drawing was postponed after Simonds filed a legal motion challenging the validity of a ballot counted in Yancey's favor.[62] On December 28 on CNN's New Day, Simonds said, "I do have a problem with doing a game of chance now, because I do feel now I did win fair and square during the recount."[63] On December 29, Alcorn tweeted, "The State Board of Elections will convene on Thursday, January 4 at 11:00 am. Unless the court system intervenes, the Board will draw a winner for [the 94th district]."[64] In the legal case, Yancey filed paperwork arguing that Simonds had presented no grounds for a recount court to reconsider its decision.[65] On January 3, 2018, the recount panel rejected Simonds' motion, allowing the random draw to proceed as planned.[66] On January 4, the tie-breaking drawing was held and Yancey was the winner.[41] Simonds conceded on January 10.[26]

Speakership

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If the Republicans retained a majority in the House of Delegates, Kirk Cox was in line to become speaker.[67] On December 8, Kenneth R. Plum, a Democrat and the most senior member of the House of Delegates, voiced the possibility of him becoming speaker while minority leader David Toscano is named the majority leader.[68] In an email disclosed by The Washington Post on December 27, Toscano accused the Republicans of trying "to undermine [Democratic] unity by offering deals to various members in exchange [for] a vote for Speaker." Toscano also warned his fellow Democratic delegates against calling in sick when the legislature convenes or taking an ill-timed bathroom break during the floor session, fearing that in an evenly split chamber, the Republicans might seize any opportunity to call a vote and take control.[69] After the Republicans retained a majority in the House of Delegates, Cox was elected speaker by a vote of 98–0 on January 10, 2018. Cox didn't vote for himself, and one Democratic delegate didn't appear to be in the chamber.[70]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Registration/Turnout Statistics". Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on October 18, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  2. ^ GRAHAM MOOMAW (March 11, 2017). "Amid Trump resistance, Virginia Democrats see surge of candidates for House of Delegates | Virginia". Richmond.com. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  3. ^ Singer, Jeff (January 23, 2017). "Virginia's House is the most important legislature up this year, and Clinton won a majority of seats". Dailykos.com. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  4. ^ "All 100 House of Delegates Seats Are Up This Year, and They're Getting More Attention Than Usual". WVTF. March 7, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  5. ^ "What Could Happen If There Were a KS04-Style Swing Towards Dems in Virginia This Year? – Blue Virginia". Bluevirginia.us. April 12, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  6. ^ Thomas Bowman (April 12, 2017). "Virginia Dems Should be Over the Moon about Kansas Vote | CCFund". Bluevirginia.us. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  7. ^ "Editorial: What do Kansas results mean for Virginia? | Opinion". Roanoke.com. April 14, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  8. ^ Brian Schoeneman (April 19, 2017). "Prince William Clerk of Court Race Loss is Warning for November". Bearing Drift. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  9. ^ "Democrats emboldened by win; Jackie Smith 'ready to get to work' | Headlines". Insidenova.com. April 20, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  10. ^ "Candidacy Requirements for the November 7, 2017 General Election" (PDF). Elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 18, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  11. ^ "Eight House of Delegates Members Won't Seek Re-Election; Seven Republicans and One Democrat". WVTF. March 16, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  12. ^ "Field set for June primaries, November House lineup | News". Heraldcourier.com. April 1, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  13. ^ "Del. Ken Plum: A Sense of Impending Changes in the Legislature". Reston Now. April 13, 2017. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  14. ^ "The Impact of Small Donations in House Elections". Virginia Public Access Project. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2017.
  15. ^ Moomaw, Graham (April 5, 2017). "Del. Dave Albo, head of House courts, won't seek re-election". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  16. ^ "Exclusive: Mark Dudenhefer won't seek reelection to House of Delegates". Stafford: Stafford Local. January 6, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  17. ^ Wilson, Patrick (March 10, 2017). "Del. Peter Farrell of Henrico won't seek re-election". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  18. ^ Hartley, Eric (December 30, 2016). "Del. Daun Hester to run for Norfolk treasurer". The Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  19. ^ Vozzella, Laura; Schneider, Gregory S. (February 20, 2017). "Va. House Speaker William Howell, a pragmatic Republican, will not run again". The Washington Post. Richmond. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  20. ^ Moomaw, Graham (March 18, 2017). "Republican Del. Jimmie Massie won't seek re-election in western Henrico district". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  21. ^ Pascale, Jordan (March 1, 2017). "Del. Rick Morris, who faces felony abuse charges, won't seek re-election to dedicate more time to family". The Virginian-Pilot. Richmond. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  22. ^ Barakat, Matthew (November 7, 2017). "Virginia House up for grabs after Democrats' historic gains". The Seattle Times. Fairfax: Associated Press. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  23. ^ Moomaw, Graham (November 27, 2017). "State Board of Elections certifies disputed Fredericksburg-area results despite 147 people voting in the wrong House race". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  24. ^ a b c Pascale, Jordan (December 19, 2017). "Democrat Shelly Simonds wins Virginia House seat by 1 vote, ending GOP's 18-year majority". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
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