#va sd07

[tomorrowusa]

There was a special election in a swingy Virginia State Senate district on Tuesday. It did not go well for the GOP. 

Republicans just lost another competitive race — thanks, in part, to the issue of abortion.

“Republicans in Richmond are trying to pass a new ban on abortion in Virginia. And Kevin Adams, he wants to join them to take away women’s freedom to make our own personal medical decisions,” went one TV ad from Democrat Aaron Rouse, who flipped a GOP-held state Senate seat in Virginia from red to blue.

At issue is a push by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and GOP legislators to ban abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Virginia has a GOP governor, Glenn Youngkin Trumpkin, who has national ambitions. The GOP holds a small majority in the lower house of the Virginia legislature (the House of Delegates) while Dems narrowly control the upper house. Youngkin Trumpkin had been wanting to enact major restrictions on abortion like ones which exist in trifecta red states. Tuesday’s special election where Democrat Aaron Rouse flipped a Republican seat has for now thwarted Youngkin Trumpkin‘s extremist anti-abortion agenda in the state.

Axios has this analysis...

Why it matters: Youngkin's efforts to build a robust governing record ahead of a possible 2024 presidential campaign — including closely watched plans for a stricter abortion ban — are at risk.

Driving the news: Democrat Aaron Rouse declared victory over Republican Kevin Adams in the Virginia Beach-based seat vacated by former GOP state State Sen Kiggans, who was elected to Congress in November.

 • The contest was held in a textbook swing district: It backed Kiggans in 2019, President Biden in 2020 and Youngkin in 2021.

 • Rouse focused his campaign message on protecting abortion rights, campaigning against Youngkin's proposal for a 15-week ban that was formally introduced in the Virginia legislature on Wednesday.

This is yet another example of why people need to pay more attention to the legislature in their respective states.

Voters in Virginia Senate District 07 helped save abortion rights in the Old Dominion state. And VA-SD07 had not been perceived a slam dunk for Dems. When you vote, you win.

All 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and all 40 seats in the Virginia Senate are up for election in November of 2023. Yep, VA is one of those off-year states. If turnout and interest statewide are similar to that this month in SD07, Democrats should retain control of the Senate and have an excellent chance of re-taking the House of Delegates. Getting involved in state government races is the best way at the moment to protect reproductive rights.