OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
In a hotly contested special election contest, Republicans defeated Democrats and secured a seat in a predominantly Hispanic state House district.
Hispanic Republican John Lujan has defeated Democrat opponent Frank Ramirez, flipping San Antonio’s State House seat red.
The seat was held by Democrats for years.
“Thank you to the people of HD 118! I am honored and excited to be your State Representative-Elect. We made history last night,” Lujan told his followers on social media.
Joe Biden won the district by over 14 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election.
Lujan won the special election by 51.2 percent of the vote, giving Republicans a massive victory.
The State Representative-elect spoke with Texas Tribune shortly after his win, saying “I’m a blessed man to win this for the second time, and to be the only Republican ever to win this seat, I think, is really important for us down here.”
Lujan’s victory brings the total number of Republicans in the Texas House up to 83 now.
Thank you to the people of HD 118! I am honored and excited to be your State Representative-Elect. We made history last night. Freda and I are beyond grateful to every person who volunteered, voted, and supported our campaign in any way. #txelects #txlege pic.twitter.com/HAWCqSZFYh
— John Lujan (@LujanForTX) November 3, 2021
Republican John Lujan won the special election in House District 118, a heavily Hispanic district that voted historically Democrat and Biden carried by 14 points in 2020. (9/14)
— Texas GOP (@TexasGOP) November 3, 2021
Republicans won big time across several states on Tuesday night.
Republican Mike Carey, a coal lobbyist endorsed by Donald Trump, defeated Democrat Allison Russo in a special election for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District on Tuesday night.
The U.S. House seat was held for a decade by Republican Steve Stivers, who resigned after voting earlier in the year to impeach Trump over the incident on January 6 at the Capitol.
“The results of Tuesday’s elections will leave Democrats with a 221-213 advantage over Republicans in Congress, with Brown and Carey each retaining a seat for their respective party. A third open congressional seat in Florida, where primaries were being held Tuesday, also is very likely to remain status quo and in Democratic hands,” PBS reported.
“I wanted to be somebody that could go and make a difference in Washington,” he told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night in Lancaster. “Believe me, we have too many career politicians in Washington. That’s the last thing that I will ever be.”
Carey released a statement following his win.
“Tonight the people of Ohio’s Fifteenth Congressional District have placed their trust in me and I could not me more humbled to represent them. Republican, Democrat, or Independent, I promise to fight for every person in this district because the problems facing our nation are beyond partisanship and have real consequences for working families,” he said.
NEW: Republican Mike Carey wins special election for House seat in Ohio’s 15th Congressional District, @NBCNews Decision Desk projects. https://t.co/ZRTUOl164x pic.twitter.com/djxLS4HlUE
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) November 3, 2021
Carey said he spoke with Trump Tuesday night, adding that the former president was “very happy with the votes.”
“Congratulations to Mike Carey on a fantastic victory in Ohio,” Trump said in an emailed statement. “I am very proud to have endorsed him early and strongly. He will be a great congressman!”
Joe Biden endorsed Russo, who raised more money in the district than any Democrat in history.
“There’s a real need for these investments in communities, for critical infrastructure, making sure that we’re addressing the health care needs of people throughout the district, and opportunity,” Russo said before polls closed. “At the end of the day, this is really why I ran for Congress is because people just want access to opportunity.”
The other highly anticipated election on Tuesday night was the gubernatorial election in Virginia between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe.
Youngkin — a Republican endorsed by Donald Trump — has been declared the winner.
I've seen enough: Glenn Youngkin (R) defeats Terry McAuliffe (D) in the Virginia governor's race. #VAGOV
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 3, 2021
Newsmax, Decision Desk HQ project Republican Glenn Youngkin will win the Virginia gubernatorial race. https://t.co/MnIsL8Z0qK
— Newsmax (@newsmax) November 3, 2021
HUGE VICTORY IN VIRGINIA!
A few months ago, no one thought it was possible, but Virginians have sent a message across America.
Congratulations to @GlennYoungkin, @WinsomeSears, and @JasonMiyaresVA!
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) November 3, 2021
Polling was leaning towards Youngkin all week.
Democrat candidate Terry McAuliffe, the former governor of the state, is behind significantly in a brand new Fox News poll.
No Republican had won a statewide race in Virginia since 2009 and Joe Biden won the state in the 2020 presidential election.
Despite Biden campaigning for McAuliffe, Republican candidate Youngkin burst ahead in a recent poll just days before the election.