I’ve written before about this year’s elections in Virginia. As one of only two states that holds statewide elections in odd-numbered years (New Jersey is the other), Virginia often serves as either a referendum on the previous year’s national elections or a bellwether for the next year’s national elections. This year, the eyes of the nation are on Virginia. Virginia – historically the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War – was part of the solid Democratic South until the 1980s and a GOP stronghold until the last 15 years of so. No, the Commonwealth is purple (and trending to blue) as the population of the urban hubs in Northern Virginia, the Richmond area, and Hampton Roads has grown to be greater than the population of the rest of the state combined. Because this urban population is more racially diverse, more highly educated, wealthier, and more likely to be connected to recent immigrants, the voters support Democrats at the ballot box. This year, Governor Glenn Youngkin has to stand by and watch the races for the House of Delegates and State Senate. His term doesn’t end until 2025. The House had a Republican majority after the 2021 elections, and the Democrats held only a two-vote majority in the State Senate. If the GOP is able to keep the House and gain control of the Senate, a GOP governing trifecta would continue the party’s efforts to role back environmental laws, voting rights, access to abortion, criminal justice reform, common-sense gun laws, and the like.
The article in today’s Virginia Gazette focuses on the local race for the Senate seat in the 26th Senate District. When the newly established independent redistricting commission redrew the legislative districts after the 2020 census, two GOP incumbents from neighboring districts found themselves in the same district. Senator Tommy Norment, a Republican from James City County, was in his mid-70s and had achieved prominence through his long Senate career. Senator Ryan McDougle, the sitting Senator from Hanover County (near Richmond) was in his 50s. Rather than undergo a bruising primary battle for the GOP nomination in this new district, Senator Norment announced his retirement to make room for Senator McDougle. This district is now very different from the one McDougal has traditionally represented, as the center of the district has moved from Central Virginia to more eastern counties in the state.
His opponent is a political newcomer – Pam Garner, from Gloucester County (across the York River from the Peninsula of Virginia. She is an African-American business owner who just retired from a 30-year military career. With a degree in physics and ten years of teaching high school physics behind her, she is a different kind of candidate than McDougal.
This district trends red – meaning that it will be difficult for any Democrat to win in the district. This challenge is made even more difficult by the fact that it is always hard to defeat an incumbent. But the wild card this year has to be the troubles that the national GOP is facing as TFG was hit with yet another indictment – this time for running a criminal enterprise to subvert the election process in 2020.
I have come to know Pam Garner a bit, and I’m a volunteer for her campaign. She is warm, personable, and smart as a whip. Her political inexperience will be overcome by her determination and by the help that she is getting from more experienced candidates and office-holders in the region.
I know that I frequently say this in whatever forum I’m presented with – Democracy doesn’t sustain itself. If you are concerned about the country, then find a local political organization or candidate that you agree with and then pitch in. Too many of us avoid “getting political” because it sometimes means that we have to defend our values against people who challenge them. But democracy requires us to get political. It’s kinda what the word means.
So true!