OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Two Republicans maintained their seats in the Virginia state legislature by crushing Democrats. More importantly, both seemingly outperformed former President Donald Trump’s showing in their respective districts in 2020.
According to Decision Desk, Republican Tammy Mulchi won the Virginia Ninth State Senate District race with 63.9% of the vote, while Democrat Tina Younger came in second with 36.1%.
According to @InteractivePolls, a credible X poll aggregator, Trump won the district in 2020 by a margin of 16%. While a 16-point triumph is certainly noteworthy, Mulchi outperformed Trump by 11 percentage points, winning her seat with a margin of 27.1%.
Mulchi will represent “Pittsylvania, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Lunenburg, and Charlotte counties, parts of Prince Edward County, and Danville,” as Cardinal News notes. She will replace outgoing state Sen. Frank Ruff (R).
“In Richmond, I am ready to get to work for our rural communities, family farmers, and Southern Virginia,” Mulchi said, per the outlet. “I know I have big shoes to fill with Senator Ruff retiring, but I am ready to get to work.”
Eric Phillips, a Republican candidate, won the 48th District in the House of Delegates, which includes Martinsville County and parts of Pittsylvania and Henry counties.
He secured 70.8% of the votes, defeating Melody Cartwright, who received only 29.2% of the support. According to @InteractivePolls, Phillips had a better performance than Trump in the 2020 elections. Phillips will be replacing Les Adams (R), the outgoing Del.
BREAKING: Republican Tammy Mulchi has won the special election for Virginia’s 9th Senate District. (Trump +16% in 2020) pic.twitter.com/QRVgsqUb0j
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 10, 2024
BREAKING: Republican Eric Phillips has won the special election for Virginia’s 48th State House District. (Trump +24% in 2020) pic.twitter.com/J7PYyILjdZ
— InteractivePolls (@IAPolls2022) January 10, 2024
In the 2020 election, Trump won the district by 24 points. However, in the recent election, Phillips won by 41.6 percent, indicating a 17.6-point swing towards Republicans.
“With Democrats in control of the General Assembly, Republicans need a fighter who will stand up for our way of life and push forward Governor Youngkin’s conservative agenda,” Phillips said, per Cardinal News.
David Richards, the Program Chair of Political Science at the University of Lynchburg, told the outlet that he was uncertain whether anything could be learned from Tuesday’s contents with regards to predicting the outcome of the 2024 general election, citing low turnout.
The Republicans suffered a blow in November when they lost their majority in the House of Delegates and failed to take control of the Senate. However, they managed to win special elections months later.
In 2021, Youngkin’s victory, along with the wins of Lieutenant Gov. Winsome Sears (R-VA) and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R), gave the GOP renewed hope in Virginia.
All three Republicans were successful in winning positions that had previously belonged to Democrats despite the state’s long-standing Democratic lean.
