By The opinion
08 Nov 2023, 01:50 AM EST
Democrats will gain full control of the Virginia legislature, according to projections by The Associated Press and CNN, ending Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s hopes of governing with Republican majorities and implementing his conservative agenda.
Virginia Democrats will flip the state House and retain their majority in the state Senate, which may prevent Republicans from tightening limits on abortion rights.
The Democrats’ victory in the Virginia legislature is a major setback for Youngkin as he seeks to raise his national profile as a potential Republican presidential contender and continues a national trend that sees Democrats unite around the protection issue. of the right to abortion.
Youngkin hoped to establish a new model for how Republicans could win on the abortion issue everywhere, campaigning on the promise that if voters gave Republicans control of both chambers of the General Assembly, would approve a ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancywith exceptions for rape, incest and risk to the mother’s life.
Before the election, Virginia Democrats had a majority in the state Senate, with one vacancy. Republicans controlled the state House with six vacancies.
Democrats maintained their majority in the Senate when Aaron Rouse was declared the winner over Republican Kevin Adams in Virginia Beach, giving the party 21 seats in the 40-seat chamber.
On the House side, The Associated Press projected that Democrats had won at least 51 seats in the 100-seat chamber, with seven races still unresolved.
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