VIRGINIA, USA — Democrats won majorities in both the state Senate and House of Delegates in Tuesday's elections. It marks the first time since 1993 that Democrats will control the General Assembly and the Governor's mansion.
Democrats needed to flip two seats in the House of Delegates and one seat in the Senate for Virginia to become the only Southern state under Democratic control of the executive and legislative branches.
Pivotal races included Democratic Del. John Bell defeating Republican Geary Higgins in a Senate race in Loudoun, Prince William counties and Democratic challenger Dan Helmer defeated Republican incumbent Del. Tim Hugo in Fairfax, Prince William counties.
In Loudoun County, Democrat Juli Briskman defeated incumbent Suzanne Volpe for a seat on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors. Briskman lost her job in Oct. 2017 after she was photographed flipping off President Trump's motorcade.
Virginia's elections drew national attention, due to the fact that it was the only state in the country with control of the legislature up for grabs, and for what the power change could mean for 2020.
Virginia Democrats sent a blue wave surging across the commonwealth and into Richmond’s Capitol Square two years ago -- a cautionary crescendo for Republicans in the first year of the Trump administration.
“Tonight, the ground has shifted in Virginia government," Gov. Ralph Northam said. "The voters have spoken, and they have elected landmark Democratic majorities in both the Senate and the House of Delegates. I am proud of my fellow Democrats and inspired by our shared victory."
Speaker of the House Kirk Cox, who won his own reelection but will no longer sit in the majority party, issued a statement congratulating all the winner's of Tuesday's election, and citing the accomplishments of his party.
"I am deeply proud of what the House of Delegates has accomplished during the last two decades," Cox said. "We balanced the budget, protected our AAA bond-rating through a major recession, passed four teacher pay raises in six years, froze college tuition, made major reforms to our transportation system, secured our state's pension system for the future, and guided Virginia to the nation's top state for business."