Following a tied race, a random drawing gives Republicans control of the Virginia legislature. From the Washington Post:
RICHMOND — A Virginia elections official reached into an artsy stoneware bowl, pulled out a name and declared Republican David Yancey the winner of a House of Delegates race that could determine which political party controls the chamber.
Virginia staged a dramatic, rare election lottery, livestreamed across the country, to settle a tie between Yancey, an incumbent from Newport News, and Democrat Shelly Simonds.
The spectacle drew national attention as an odd way to decide a highly consequential contest. But it might not be the last word in a saga that’s taken more turns than the clay that went into that wheel-thrown bowl, borrowed for the occasion from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts .
Gerrymandering can be your friend!
Elections analysis from University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato from the Twitterverse:
VA Dems got a 55-45% majority in all House of Delegates contests combined in Nov. ’17. 10% majority=landslide. They will get either 49% or 50% of the actual seats. And it looks like Rs will get Speaker’s job and all committee chairs, regardless. Democracy, American style, 2018.
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All 140 seats in both VA houses are up NEXT YEAR (2019). GOP has paper-thin leads in each house. Easy prediction that all spending records will be broken. Then comes redistricting in 2021, when a D GOV (Northam) will have a big role–unlike in 2011 when GOP did it alone. #HD94
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