By Brian Trompeter
With sometimes bloody nominating contests now out of the way, both major political parties in Virginia will be attempting to paint the other as out of step with the mood of the public in the months leading up to the Nov. 7 general election.
House Democratic Caucus leaders, in a June 21 post-mortem of the previous day’s primary, gave little doubt of what their theme will be. In the course of the 19-minute online press briefing, panelists mentioned variations of “MAGA” and “extremism” at least 18 times.
“The stakes in Virginia are at an all-time high, especially when we’re talking about protecting the rights and freedoms of all Virginians,” said moderator Morgan Hopkins, communications director for the caucus.
The June 20 primary resulted in a diverse slate of candidates who are “ready to fight back against the harmful policies embraced by the Republican majority,” she said.
Democrats have a winning formula and message headed into the fall election, said House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott, who represents the Portsmouth area.
“Last night was a great night for Democrats,” Scott said. “Our candidates are giving people not just something to vote against, but instead we’re giving folks something to vote for.”
Republicans, not surprisingly, have a different take on the political landscape.
“The Republican Party comes out of the primary season united and working toward a common goal,” said Dave Rexrode, Gov. Youngkin’s senior adviser and chairman of the Spirit of Virginia political-action committee.
Based on the Democratic primary results, “it is clear the radical progressive left is now in complete control of the Democratic Caucus in Virginia,” Rexrode said. “Gone are the reasonable Democrats who would put Virginia first. They have been replaced with new nominees who would find like-minded comrades in the most liberal legislatures in the country.”
Not so, said Del. Charniele Herring (D-Alexandria), who chairs the House Democratic Caucus. She said this fall’s Democratic slate – which includes educators, health-care workers, veterans, faith leaders and parents – is a “true representation of the diversity and the culture of our commonwealth.”
“The stakes are high and even higher than they’ve been before when it comes to abortion, guns and protecting democracy from MAGA extremism,” Herring said. “The Republicans of Virginia will not be satisfied until those who refuse to subscribe to their MAGA extremist views do not have a voice in our commonwealth.”
The state Senate and House of Delegates currently are closely divided – a 22-18 Democratic majority in the upper house and a 52-48 Republican margin in the lower. Both parties are saying they expect to have control of both houses when the votes are tallied in November.
Del. Karrie Delaney (D-Centreville), the House Democratic Caucus whip, a Republican takeover of the General Assembly while the party also holds all three statewide offices would be detrimental.
“A GOP majority will simply take Virginia backwards, and Democrats must take back the majority in November,” she said, while the Republican Party of Virginia countered with a tweet that “Democrats want to bring Joe Biden’s failures to Virginia.”
Panelists at the Democratic forum said the energy and money expended on primary battles have not harmed Democrats’ prospects this fall. Vigorous debates are to be expected in primaries, Scott said.
“Just because people are raising their hand and they have a different view, at the end of the day we’re all Democrats,” he said. “We’re all going to be united. We’re all going to move forward as a team.”
Unity also was Virginia Republicans’ theme following 10 contested primaries on June 20. State Sen. Thomas Norment (R-Williamsburg), the Republican leader in the Senate, reported being “especially gratified that – in stark contrast to our Democrat colleagues – every member of the Virginia Senate Republican caucus seeking re-election this year has been renominated.”
(One caveat to that remark: State Sen. Amanda Chase, a hard-right conservative who sometimes caucuses with Republicans but often is at war with the GOP leadership in that body, was ousted in the 12th Senate District Republican primary by Glen Sturtevant.)
Gov. Youngkin and Republican leaders in the House of Delegates and state Senate are “all on the same page” headed toward November, Rexrode said. “We’re working together to run a coordinated and unified campaign.”
