A handful of Mecklenburg precincts get tacked on to the tally, and they shrink the Bishop lead incrementally. But, with just ten precincts left to count (five in Bladen, five in Mecklenburg), it’s all over but the shouting. The AP has made a call, and it is in favor of GOP state legislator Dan Bishop.
A frustratingly narrow defeat for the blue team, albeit on turf that is, of recent vintage, very amenable to the GOP. I’m sure the Democrats running statewide in 2020 would love to lose the turf encased in the 9th district by (at present) roughly 2%, because that would mean a solid statewide win. Statistical analysis like that, however, has to be cold comfort to Dan McCready, who has worked his ass off for the better part of three years.
The next Election Night for us, alas, will be in two months. It should be a truly exciting off-year election, with uncharacteristically tight races for Governor, as well as the all-important battle for Democrats seeking to reclaim the Virginia state legislature. Of course, DKE doesn’t sleep, and we will be back tomorrow to keep you appraised of all the 2019 and 2020 electoral happenings. Have a good night, all!