After it was evident that he’d be losing the Virginia Governor’s race despite leading in the polls for nearly the entirety of the race, Terry McAuliffe then decided to wait another 12 hours before conceding defeat.
He just issued a brief statement; “While last night we came up short, I am proud that we spent this campaign fighting for the values we so deeply believe in.”
Terry McAuliffe issues concession statement: "While last night we came up short, I am proud that we spent this campaign fighting for the values we so deeply believe in."
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) November 3, 2021
As it turns out, attacking parents’ concerns about their children’s education as racist isn’t a winning election strategy.
Despite McAuliffe waiting until today to concede, victor Glenn Youngkin delivered an energetic victory speech last night:
While Virginia voted for Joe Biden by a 10-point margin last year, they went Red in the governor’s race by a 2-point margin. Republicans also won the Lt. Governor race and Attorney General race, the first time Republicans have swept all three offices since 2009. Republican Winsome Sears has defeated Democrat Hala Ayala in the race for Lt. Governor, and Republican Jason Miyares defeated Democrat Mark Herring for Attorney General.
CNN’s Wajahat Ali blamed “whiteness” for the GOP victories last night, while MSNBC’s Joy Reid almost-correctly cited education as the reason things went the way they did… before stating that “education” is actually just code for white racism. One is left to wonder how one white guy defeating another white guy in a governor’s race is an example of racism – or how that makes any sense in light of Sears being the first African American Lt. Governor in Virginia’s history, and Miyares the first Latino Attorney General.
Like Youngkin, Sears delivered an energetic victory speech. “I’m telling you that what you are looking at is the American dream…. When I joined the Marine Corps, I was still a Jamaican. But this country had done so much for me, I was willing, willing, to die for this country,” she said before leading the crowd in a “USA” chant.”
While 20 races still have yet to be called, Republicans are on track to regain control of Virginia’s House of Delegates. Democrats went into election day defending a 55-45 majority.
New Jersey’s race is also a virtual tie as of writing (though unfortunately most votes that still have to be reported are disproportionately from liberal areas). Regardless, that the race is this close is still an incredible feat in a state with roughly one million more Democrats than Republicans, and one where Biden won by over 700,000 votes in 2020.
There was numerous other victories last night too: Minneapolis voters rejected a “defund the police” proposal, Republicans gained four seats on New York City’s City Council (and have a shot at taking a fifth), an AOC-backed socialist lost to a write in candidate that wasn’t on the ballot, pro-Antifa Seattle candidates lost badly in City Council races, and opponents of critical race theory nonsense and school closures won school board seats nationwide.
Matt Palumbo is the author of The Man Behind the Curtain: Inside the Secret Network of George Soros
