Are you still pumped about Raphael Warnock’s thunderous runoff win in Georgia? I sure am! And you better believe I’m not tired of winning. In fact, I’m ready to win some more. And there’s a golden opportunity just around the corner.
Unfortunately, abortion rights in Virginia are hanging by a thread—but we can drive a stake into the GOP's plan to restrict abortion in just a month's time. That's why Daily Kos is proud to endorse Virginia Beach City Councilman Aaron Rouse in the Jan. 10 special election for the vacant 7th District in the state Senate.
It may seem hard to believe that reproductive freedoms could be at risk in Virginia, which has trended sharply to the left in recent years. But the very same day the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced that he'd seek to ban the procedure after 15 weeks. Youngkin's fellow Republicans hold a majority in the state House, so the only thing standing in their way is the Democratic-controlled Senate. But, well, there's a huge "but."
Democrats have just a narrow 21-19 edge in the upper chamber, and that includes state Sen. Joe Morrissey, a notorious scumbag who's had his law license revoked not once but twice, was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old receptionist at his law firm, and even left the party to wage a comeback bid for the legislature as an independent—while in the midst of serving his jail sentence.
Send $10 or $5 to Aaron Rouse now to help him lock down the Virginia state Senate and protect abortions!
Morrissey later became a Democrat again, but he's as unreliable as they come. He describes himself as "pro-life," says he supports a 20-week abortion ban, and even co-sponsored one such effort earlier this year. He also hasn't ruled out aiding Senate Republicans with the procedural wrangling needed to advance a ban despite the opposition of the rest of his caucus.
Fortunately, we have a terrific opportunity to render Joe Morrissey completely irrelevant. A Republican-held district in the Virginia Beach area just became vacant because state Sen. Jen Kiggans won her bid for Congress last month, and Rouse is running to flip the seat. If he's successful, Democrats would increase their advantage in the Senate to 22-18, meaning that Morrissey would be powerless to help Republicans pass an abortion ban.
Rouse, a Virginia Tech football standout and former NFL player, has pledged to oppose any effort to roll back reproductive rights and will fight to make health care more accessible and more affordable. He's passionate about investing in public education, raising pay for teachers, and expanding opportunities for job training. In the Senate, he'll be a progressive stalwart.
His Republican opponent, however, would gladly undermine abortion rights. Kevin Adams supports Youngkin's 15-week ban, taught classes at a "crisis pregnancy center," and even praised a bonkers anti-abortion poem by Roy Moore, the former Alabama judge and Senate candidate who was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women when they were minors.
The entire Senate will be up for election in November, and Virginia Republicans are eager to take full control of state government to enact their extreme agenda. If they win this special election, they'll only need to flip one more seat to do so. And this district has been very swingy: In 2019, Kiggans won it by less than one point, while Joe Biden carried it by 10 points the following year, only to see Youngkin prevail by 4 points in 2021.
If Rouse emerges victorious, we'll not only stop the GOP's abortion ban dead in its tracks, but we'll also make it much more difficult for them to take over the Senate next year. However, he'll need our help to make it happen, and we don't have much time.
Please donate $5 or $10 to help Aaron Rouse flip a key seat in the Virginia Senate and crush Republican plans for an abortion ban!