Supporters of Democratic 7th District congressional candidate Abigail Spanberger celebrate at the Westin Richmond hotel in Henrico County. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
Abigail Spanberger's campaign for Congress did the impossible, she told an exuberant crowd at the Westin Richmond hotel in Henrico County on Tuesday night: Win a district that hasn't been won by a Democrat since 1968.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, Spanberger led 7th District Republican incumbent Dave Brat by 6,574 votes, or 1.88 percentage points. Libertarian Joe Walton garnered 1.2 percent of the votes in the district.
Abigail Spanberger addresses supporters. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
"We won an unwinnable district by doing what every campaign should do," she told emotional supporters just after 11 p.m. "We focused on the needs of the people, the voters. We talked about substantive issues affecting their lives. ... This is what can happen when everyday citizens realize their collective strength in a democracy."
Those issues, she said, include a system of affordable health care, equitable tax policy and sustainable economic growth, safe and well-funded public schools, a Congress committed to serving people rather than special interests, protecting natural resources and "ensuring the rights of all of our neighbors,no matter who they are."
Her opponent had not conceded the race, however. (Update: Brat conceded on Wednesday about 11 a.m., Spanberger's campaign confirmed. Later, he released a statement thanking volunteers and donors. He also said, "In the face of millions and millions of dollars of money from around this country that poured into Virginia to attack my record, I stayed true to my principles and did what I told the voters I would do. I am proud of what we did to get this economy moving again. Virginians have more money in their pockets and more job opportunities at higher wages. I am also proud of my work to stop online human trafficking and to fight back against the opioid epidemic. We are also rebuilding our military, giving them a much needed raise, and have taken care of our veterans by improving their health care system. Despite the fact the media would not report it, this is a record of results, not resistance.")
At the Short Pump Hilton, the Brat's campaign's watch party began in a celebratory mood, but grew tense as results showed Spanberger gaining ground.
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Supporters of Republican Rep. Dave Brat listen to the campaign manager speak at the Hilton Richmond in Short Pump. (Photo by Jay Paul)
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The watch party also included a canine supporter.(Photo by Jay Paul)
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Supporters of Republican Rep. Dave Brat await results at the Hilton Richmond in Short Pump. (Photo by Jay Paul)
Brat supporter Raymond Hagenbuch brought along his lab Rainy, who wore a Dave Brat T-shirt. Hagenbuch said he feels strongly about issues such as federal spending in education and redistricting. "There are too many lawyers in D.C.," Hagenbuch said, explaining why he's a supporter of both Brat and President Trump.
"Trump just needs to tone it down a bit," he said.
At around 10:30 p.m., campaign manager Phil Rapp made a short speech, emphasizing that the crowd should keep on fighting for a victory — even a victory that wouldn't come that night.
"I do know that we will prevail," Rapp said. "Don't stop now."
Then the crowd started to thin out. Just before 11 p.m., David Sylvester was one of the last 30 people in the room. He said he thought Brat had a chance at winning.
"Its going to be a real close one," Sylvester said. He also expressed concern about the political climate surrounding the race. "It's gotten a whole lot more vicious." But he said that while he doesn't necessarily like attack ads, sometimes candidates have no choice. "If you say nothing at all, you're almost validating the attacks being made."
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Tired after a long day, Spanberger's youngest daughter plopped herself at her mother's feet during her victory speech. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
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Abigail Spanberger's youngest daughter gets a lift on Election Night. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
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Without missing a beat, Spanberger scooped her daughter up and held her while continuing to speak. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
Voters turned out in droves for Tuesday’s midterm election, and Virginia was of particular interest on the national stage, in no small part because of the hotly contested 7th District race.
In Richmond and Chesterfield County, lines were out the doors of some polling places from open to close — which was supposed to be at 7 p.m., but the hours for two Chesterfield precincts were extended by court order until 9 p.m. because of long lines, according to Virginia Department of Elections officials.
But some Chesterfield voters said they believed the extension was granted after precincts ran out of ballots. Elections officials could not immediately confirm the reason for the court-mandated delay when asked at an 8 p.m. news conference.
Before noon on Tuesday, the Southside Baptist Church in Chesterfield was one of the busiest polling places in the area, having already registered 1,350 ballots, according to elections officials.
At a 4 p.m. news conference, Department of Elections officials noted “longer lines than usual” across Virginia, specifically in Northern Virginia, Chesterfield and the Richmond metro areas. The officials could not cite specific figures, but said based off anecdotal evidence from registrars around the state — noting “you’ll see the [live] results as soon as we do” — turnout was expected to dwarf the last election cycles in recent memory.
As of Monday morning, elections officials said 314,000 of the 373,000 absentee ballots issued to voters had been cast — an 85 percent return rate. They said they had “no doubt” the number of cast ballots had increased by Tuesday, and would continue to climb throughout the day. In the 2014 midterm, 131,000 absentee ballots were cast and the 2016 election accounted for roughly 500,000 absentee ballots in Virginia.
“I can promise you this,” an election official said of Tuesday’s turnout in Virginia, “we’re seeing increased activity over 2014, for sure.”
Otherwise, officials noted a few hiccups at polling places such as machines jamming, or reported power outages “here and there,” for which there were battery backups. In York County, a polling place stopped activity for roughly 10 minutes while authorities investigated a bomb threat in the parking lot.
At the Spanberger watch party event at the Westin, parking was almost non-existent. Both lots of the hotel, and some of the surrounding developments, were packed with vehicles owned by elected officials, staff and supporters by 7 p.m. when the event kicked off.
Spanberger supporters spanning various ages and ethnicities swarmed the bottom floors of the hotel as anticipation ramped up and returns rolled in. As the hours passed, they anxiously awaited details, some refreshing election results in one hand and holding drinks in the other. The candidate — often referred to as "Abby" — huddled with top campaign staff in a "war room" to devise a strategy for next steps as they confronted the possibility of a recount. For more than an hour, the race between her and Brat hovered within a 1-percentage-point margin — with the deciding precincts located in Chesterfield County. A second ballroom had to be opened as more supporters streamed in while the race dwindled to the final dozen precincts.
Fourth District Rep. Donald McEachin and his wife, Colette, greet the crowd at the Westin after he won re-election in a race against Republican Ryan McAdams. (Photo by Erin Edgerton)
Fourth Congressional District Rep. Donald McEachin — who represents the majority of the Richmond metro area not included in the 7th District — arrived at the event after defeating Republican challenger and first-time candidate Ryan McAdams. First District Republican incumbent Rob Wittman also retained his seat, as did U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine. Democrats picked up congressional seats in Virginia's 2nd District, where Elaine Luria defeated Scott Taylor, and 10th district, where Barbara Comstock lost to Jennifer Wexton.
In local races, Cheryl Burke kept her seat on the Richmond School Board, receiving more than twice as many votes as either Bryce Robertson or Gary Broderick. Republican Dan Schmitt won election to the Brookland District seat on the Henrico County Board of Supervisors, receiving 53.6 percent of the vote, compared to 45.8 for Democrat Danny Plaugher. In Chesterfield County's commonwealth's attorney's race, Democrat Scott Miles won 50.8 percent of the vote, with 49.1 percent going to John Childrey.
When McEachin strolled into the hotel shortly after 8 p.m., he was greeted by thunderous cheers. Onstage in the main ballroom, the noticeably thinner congressman thanked Colette, his wife of 30 years, staff, supporters and the hundreds of people standing before him, for helping him keep his seat as he faced an illness that kept him from being as visible as other candidates, McAdams included, on the campaign trail.
“Thank you for rehiring me for two more years,” McEachin said to the crowd. “And I believe this with every fiber of my being: The American people are about to hand us the House of Representatives back,” he added, to uproarious applause.
When the noise quelled slightly, McEachin said he was going back up to his hotel room to rest before the remaining precincts reported.
“But when I come back down, I’ve got a feeling I’m gonna be talking to a new neighbor in a new neighborhood,” he said in reference to the 7th District abutting against the 4th. “You’re about to give me a new neighbor and her name is Abigail Spanberger. Enjoy yourselves, you’ve earned this and we’re gonna be back.”
