Congratulations are in order for the success of the voting process throughout Virginia – regardless of political party or candidate preference. The election process was very straightforward – peaceful, well organized, and offered convenient opportunities to vote. Safeguards were in place and working to ensure that only qualified individuals voted – and only once! Scanning the social meeting and news, I couldn’t find a single mention of a problem with the voting process. Our democracy continues to work well here.
Of course, everyone didn’t have all of their favorite candidates win. We saw enormous movement toward the Democratic Party. Virginia’s Senate continues to have a two seat Democrat majority (this election did not contest Senate seats) while the House of Delegates moved from a one seat Democrat majority to perhaps a 28-seat majority. Of course, the Democrats won the elections for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General, providing them clear primacy over state government activities. However, the Republican minority retains the ability to influence government, particularly through active involvement in the legislative process, and through the involvement of their constituencies. Working democracies provide for minority parties to have a voice in government, and we should all expect that to continue here in the Commonwealth.
For those disappointed with the election results, please keep in mind that our elected officials are elected to serve everyone – not just those who voted for them. I heard no talk by Virginia elected officials of those in the opposition being enemies or hated people – but instead only having different opinions about how best to govern. That is refreshing and hopeful.
It is an interesting time, with a considerable reversal of position amongst the parties on the proper role of the government. Often, Republicans pride themselves on trying to limit government, yet on some key issues today (e.g. women’s reproductive rights, who individuals may marry) they support government officials limiting personal liberty. Similarly, Republicans have traditionally been strong advocates for state rights constraining federal involvement, yet today the Republican led federal government is actively overriding state and local wishes to control local law enforcement. Regardless of where you stand on these issues, it should be thought provoking to think about how these roles so strongly differ from traditional values.
Of course, the big change locally is the election of Lily Franklin (Democrat) who defeated Chris Obenshain (Republican) in District 41. It was a closely contested election, reversing the result of 2024 when Mr. Obenshain was victorious by 183 votes. Clearly our area is very closely divided politically. In his concession to Ms. Franklin, Mr. Obenshain remarks eloquently that “Our society is better off when we have a healthy two-party system that engages in debate.” We saw that system in action during this election, and the continued use of that process is something that everyone should celebrate.
