LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. β Democrat Russet Perry has defeated Republican Juan Pablo Segura in the hotly contested race for Virginia State Senate's 31st District, according to the Associated Press.
As of 11 p.m., 97% of precincts have reported and Perry has secured 52.6% of the votes to Segura's 47.4%.
Perry, a former CIA officer and Loudoun County prosecutor, arrived to cheers from the crowd at the Stone Tower Winery in Leesburg on election night Tuesday.
βIt was incredible to have this kind of support to have people out here on a school night to to to be excited to watch to wait to see what Virginia 31 was gonna decide,β Perry said.
Now, many are wondering what Perry's first move will be when she take's office.
"If we hold the Senate majority to the blue brick wall, Iβm going to try to amend the constitution in Virginia and put forward a bill to ensure the right to choose here in Virginia,β she said.
Abortion was a hot topic during the race to election day. The procedure is currently legal in Virginia until about 26 weeks, with some guidelines and third-trimester restrictions, and itβs widely considered the only state in the south without an abortion ban after the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year.
Perry says protecting access to abortion is high up on her to-do list.
"I will be here to fight for [women] every day i have the priceless to serve in office," she said.
Just over 12 miles away at the Belmont Country Club, Republican candidate Juan Pablo Segura held his own campaign event, which he left without issuing any remarks as the race was called in favor of his opponent.
Data from the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project shows that Segura raised over 5 million dollars in this state Senate Race, and spent nearly $2.9 million in political ads.
In a statement, Segura said the race was an honor before congratulating Perry on a hard-fought race:
βIt was the honor of my lifetime to run in this race β the community came together in a special way and Iβm proud of this campaign and everything weβve achieved together. We were outspent but not outworked. We knocked on more than 100,000 doors and talked to many, many thousands of voters about their hopes, dreams, and concerns. The support of so many members of our minority communities was a particular bright spot for this campaign β when I went to events full of Hispanics and Pakistanis and Indians and people with roots all over the world who just want a better life here in America for their families, I was so appreciative and proud. I want to thank my wife, Cecilia, my son, Luca, my mother and father, and my siblings for standing with me 110 percent through this campaign and through my life. I could not feel more loved, and I canβt express how much that means to me. I also want to congratulate Russet Perry on a hard-fought race and I wish her the best of luck in representing this special place. Lessons are learned in losses, but I heard very clearly the deep desire from so many in this district for better representation from their government. This place is too important to stop fighting for, and Iβll be a servant in whatever capacity Godβs plan holds for me next. Last, Iβd like to thank all the voters in Loudoun and Fauquier County who put their faith in me β that faith means the world to me and Iβll do everything in my power to repay it.β