I still cannot—cannot—believe it. Heading into Tuesday, Republicans held a giant 66-34 margin in Virginia’s House of Delegates, a fortress protected by a fiendishly clever gerrymander. Thanks to the strong energy on our side, it was reasonable to think Democrats might nevertheless make some gains, but taking back power? Inconceivable.
Well, as a man once said, it turns out that that word evidently doesn’t mean what I thought it means.
Democrats wound up putting together their biggest election night in Virginia since 1899, and, as of this moment, they've picked up an astonishing 15 seats in the House. And a huge reason was the role of the Daily Kos community: You gave over $230,000 to the nine Virginia House candidates we endorsed, and amazingly, eight of the nine won. I’ve never been privileged to experience a night like this in the 15 years I’ve been a part of Daily Kos.
Oh, and by the by, thanks to this insane surge, Republicans are clinging to just a 51-49 edge in the chamber. But we’re not done yet—oh no.
Not only are provisional ballots left to be tallied, but five Republican-held seats are currently within 1 percent, meaning they’re all subject to potential recounts. If we can hold the one seat of these five where the Democrats are leading and change the outcome in one of the other four, that would put Democrats into a 50-50 tie and force the GOP into a power-sharing arrangement; flip two and we’d take the House outright.
The Virginia House Democratic Caucus, which masterminded this glorious success, is currently raising funds for all of these recounts. Needless to say, they left everything on the field on Tuesday night, so they're tapped out and badly need our help—recounts are expensive. One seat is all that stands between us and one of the most dramatic electoral turnarounds in living memory, and with it, the chance to stop the GOP from passing more laws that suppress the vote, attack women’s reproductive rights, and enrich the wealthy at the expense of ordinary folks.
So please give $3 right away to help Virginia Democrats win their recounts—and take the House back!