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DEMOCRAT UNDECIDED
VOL. 67, NO. 7 NOVEMBER 8, 2023
100
House of Delegates
DEMOCRATS FLIP HOUSE, KEEP SENATE; RICHMONDERS REJECT CASINO REPUBLICAN DEMOCRAT
40
UNDECIDED
State Senate Infographic by Solimar Santoyo.
SELNA SHI News Editor KATIE FARTHING Copy Editor ANDREW KERLEY Audience Editor JACK GLAGOLA Contributing Writer SARAH HAGEN Contributing Writer TARAZHA JENKINS Contributing Writer ELLIOT SKELTON UBLICAN Contributing Writer
State Senate. The Virginia House of Delegates flipped ECIDEDwith 51 Democrats and 46 Republicans, with two districts undecided, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. The State Senate stays under Democratic control with 21 Democrats and 18 Republicans, with one undecided district, according to VPAP. HD 71, HD 82 and SD 24 undecided as of 12:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The Commonwealth Times followed the casino referendum and 13 districts rated “competitive” by VPAP.
residents voted “Yes.” The city previously held a casino referendum in 2021, but lost with 49.05% of the vote, according to VPAP. Richmond W ins, Vote Yes — a referendum committee for the casino — conceded the loss, according to The Virginian-Pilot. “We are grateful to the thousands of Richmonders who voted for good jobs and a stronger city, especially those in Southside who poured their hearts into this project,” the committee stated. Paul Goldman, founder of No Means No Casino, stated Richmond cannot be built on “old resentments.” “For too long, the politics of Richmond has been controlled by politicians and their allies who put their own self interest before the public interest. Today the people of Richmond said clearly ‘those days are over,’” Goldman stated. Mayor Levar Stoney said Richmond was lucky to have companies willing to invest in Southside in a video by CBS6 reporter Tyler Layne. “You know what, if that opportunity comes along again it’s my hope that we will actually be able to move forward and say yes to that,” Stoney said.
Casino Referendum Richmonders rejected the Richmond Grand Casino referendum with 61.62% of the votes, according to VPAP. 38.38% of
House District 21 Democrat Josh Thomas won HD 21, which covers Prince William County, with 51.48% of the vote against Republican John
Virginia Democrats gained control of the
OCRATHouse of Delegates and maintained the
Stirrup, according to VPAP. House District 22 Republican Ian Lovejoy won HD 22, which covers Prince William County, with 52.6% of the vote against Democrat Travis Nembhard, according to VPAP. Lovejoy thanked his team and supporters on his Facebook page. “The hard work is not over- in fact it is just beginning,” Lovejoy stated. “My team will immediately begin working with any current delegates representing portions of HD22 to transition ongoing constituent needs to our office.” House District 57 Republican David Owen won HD 57 against Democrat Susanna Gibson with 51.16% of the votes, according to VPAP. House District 65 Democrat Joshua Cole won HD 65, defeating Republican Lee Peters, with 52.61% of the votes, according to VPAP. “WE DID IT!! I am READY to get back to Richmond to fight for Lottie, Dottie, and EVERYBODY!!” Cole stated on his Facebook page. House District 89 Republican Baxter Ennis won HD 89, beating Democrat Karen Jenkins, with 51.17% of votes, according to VPAP.
House District 97 Democrat Michael Feggans won HD 97 and beat Republican Karen Greenhalgh with 53.90% of votes, according to VPAP. Senate District 16 Democrat Schuyler VanValkenburg won SD 16, covering Henrico County, with 54.30% of the vote against Republican incumbent Siobhan Dunnavant, according to VPAP. “We did it. Thank you, Henrico,” VanValkenburg stated in a tweet. Senate District 27 Republican Tara Durant won SD 27 with 48.33% of the vote against Democrat Joel Griffin, according to VPAP. “Now, the real work begins ~ when the 2024 Session begins in just a few short months, it’ll be time to put pen to paper to deliver permanent tax relief, additional support for law enforcement and school safety measures, and solutions to help our students learn and thrive in school,” Durant stated on Facebook. Senate District 31 Democrat Russet Perry won SD 31 with 52.52% of the vote against Republican Juan Pablo Segura, according to VPAP.