RICHMOND, Va. -- Political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth joined CBS 6 on Election night to provide the following insight into the results of Tuesday night's Virginia races.
What happened in the General Assembly?
What voters see is the Democrats hold on to the majority, they have at least 21 seats, and there is one seat left to be determined.
The Democrats also have a majority in the House right now. So Minority Leader Don Scott was correct in saying yes, at the first vote, and Virginia Beach was finished and if the Democrat took that seat, there would still be two seats left in the house.
So the Democrats could get 52, and potentially 53 seats. And so the Democrats have to think this is an extraordinary evening for them, that by and large defeat that really takes some of the luster off of Governor Youngkin's political star.
Democrats now control both houses
Dr. Bob also noted that what occurred tonight is the Democrats now have control of both houses that Governor Youngkin in Virginia will govern, you might say at the sufferings of the Democrats.
Now Youngkin and the Democrats will have to find ways to find issues in which they can agree.
The hot-button litmus test issues that Youngkin might want to take on the national stage will not be able to be pursued in Virginia, because the Democrats are going to be a brick wall against those kinds of issues.
Surprise Election Night for Virginia Republicans?
Dr. Bob says Election Night was a surprise for the Republicans, as they thought they would have momentum with Governor Youngkin doing so well in 2021.
He was the governor who went out and he went in 150%. Not only with money but with his effort. He was out there campaigning all the time, and he was on television.
And at the end of the day, the Democrats had a clear message. There was no abortion ban.
The Governor said he wanted this 15-week compromise and that this would be something that people could agree upon.
The Democrats said no, and that the situation that voters have now in Virginia is fine. We didn't need to sort of go back and take away people's freedoms. It was a very simple message.
They used it all in all the competitive races. And at the end of the day, it was clearer than the message that the Republicans put forward.
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