Virginia Elections: Solid Democratic Gains

It was a good night for Democrats in Virginia. Not an awesome night, but definitely a good one. And it was oh so close to being even better.

Here's the re-cap (or should we say re-Chap):

In the state Senate, Democrats picked up four seats, giving them a two seat majority when the legislature reconvenes. For data on the key races, see our updated post with election results.

The pick-ups were as follows:

John Miller won in the 1st District down in Hampton Roads, and Ralph Northam knocked off the incumbent Republican in the 6th District in the same region. All in all, it was a very good night for Dems in that part of the state.

The two other pick-ups were in Fairfax County, where Chap Peterson (pictured here) knocked off Jeannemaire Devolites Davis (a name we won't have to type anymore), and George Barker kicked out incumbent Jay O'Brien.

Four other Senate races narrowly eluded Democrats, and show the potential for additional gains in regions that are growing bluer every year. In a surprise to us--we weren't following this race--Michael Breiner almost won an open seat in the Roanoke area, losing by a margin of 50.8 to 49.0. In the 27th district out in Loudoun/Fauquier Counties, Karen Schultz missed by a margin of 48.5 to 46.9; in the 28th district, out of Fauquier/Stafford Counties, Al Pollard came even closer, losing by a margin of 50.6 to 49.2.

And then in Fairfax, Jill Oleszak appears to have lost to incumbent Ken Cuccinelli by fewer than 100 votes, subject to a probable recount.

Each of those four races was close enough to go to the Democrat. Rather than moan over those losses, we'll proclaim excitement at how close they were, and look to pick them up in four years.

Winning the state Senate was critical for Democrats this year. Since those elections take place only every four years, the next shot would not have come until 2011, after the 2010 census and the redistricting that will be based upon it. A few changes in some Northern Virginia congressional districts--especially those of Republicans Tom Davis and Frank Wolf--could turn them into reliably Democratic seats.

On the House of Delegates side, Dems continued their pattern of small gains. These are tough seats to pick up because many are completely safe for one party or the other. Still, it appears that Republicans lost 3 seats, while Democrats gained four (one pick up was a seat that had been held by an independent), leaving the GOP with an 8 seat advantage. In Northern Virginia, Margi Vanderhye ran a great campaign and turned part of McLean blue to pick up a seat.

That means Democrats will need to pick up an additional five House seats in the 2009 election to obtain a majority.

All in all, a good night. And good news for Tim Kaine, who can get more done in Richmond--although gridlock will still be the operative word on most major issues--and for Mark Warner in his Senate seat bid.

Now--and we'll expand on this in a later post--what about Virginia in the 2008 Presidential election? Could Virginia go blue this time around? Perhaps--we think the state will be in play.