In bad night for Youngkin, Virginia Democrats win full control of Legislature

Democrats held the Virginia state Senate and won back control of the state House, dealing a double blow to Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Old Dominion GOP.

As of Tuesday evening, the Associated Press had called 20 Senate races for Democrats and that party's candidates led in at least one additional race, meaning the party would retain control of the 40-seat chamber. In the lower chamber, the AP had projected 46 seats for the Democrats, whose candidates led in six other races as of press time.

Prior to Tuesday, Republicans controlled the lower chamber while Democrats maintained control of the Senate. Youngkin had invested heavily in flipping the Senate so as to win a governing trifecta and advance more of his legislative agenda. The moderate governor attempted to walk a tight line on the issue of abortion, championing a 15-week abortion ban as a relatively lenient restriction on the procedure.

Amid the election cycle, speculation emerged that Youngkin was contemplating a late entry into the Republican primary, following reports that he had met with NewsCorp founder Rupert Murdoch, who encouraged him to pursue such a campaign.

Youngkin's upset victory in 2021 over former Democratic Gov. Terry MacAuliffe propelled him to instant A-list status among Republicans, though the state has trended increasingly Democratic in recent years and that party maintains control of both Senate seats.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.