Republicans Take Back Control of Virginia House in Statewide Upset

Virginia Republicans wrestled away control of the Virginia House of Delegates to take away the Democrats’ 55-45 majority held since 2019.

In Tuesday’s close election that saw Republicans sweep all three statewide races, Republicans also won back at least six seats in the Commonwealth’s lower chamber, resulting in a one-person majority for Republicans, according to data from the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).

As Breitbart News reported Monday, there were upward of 20 close House races available for Republicans to take advantage of, many of which were showcased as favorable opportunities.

On a long election night, with the call from VPAP coming just before 1:30 a.m. Eastern, Republicans far outperformed Democrats across the Commonwealth, including in deep blue Northern Virginia, the suburbs of Richmond, and Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads.

Loudoun County, this year’s political hotbed in the Commonwealth — featuring parents taking a stand against Critical Race Theory, mask mandates, and gender theory entering their schools — moved ten points in favor of Republicans.

As Breitbart News pointed out, while “Virginia has been trending blue for the past several election cycles, culminating in a massive sweep of the Virginia House of Delegates in 2019 and a ten-point victory for Biden in 2020,” there were many factors that indicated a GOP upset in the House.

Indeed, while Democrats had a more than two-to-one fundraising advantage over Republicans overall in House races, many of the most expensive races — million-dollar for several Democrats — were lost to Republicans who had neither the monetary parity, nor the benefit of incumbency.

Even House District 66, which had been held by a Republican for over 30 years but was redistricted in a 32-point leftward swing, was retained by the new Republican candidate.

With President Joe Biden’s approval rating in the Commonwealth plummeting and contentious education issues serving as the undercurrent for Republican enthusiasm, the control of the Old Dominion’s lower chamber — as well as the governor’s mansion, lieutenant governor’s office, and attorney general — shifted hands to Republicans.