Virginia's 8th District Republican Committee

Virginia Republicans have held on to a 51-49 majority in the House of Delegates after this month’s elections, but Democrats are not satisfied with the election results. They have brought in notorious Democrat super-lawyer Marc Elias to file bogus lawsuits challenging election results in the 28th, 40th, and 94th Districts.

In the 28th District, where Republican Bob Thomas, a Marine Corps veteran, won by nearly 100 votes, they tried to get a court to force 55 absentee ballots that arrived after the deadline to be counted. Now they are claiming that dozens of 88th District voters should have voted in the 28th District, based on outdated precinct lines, and have apparently convinced the state board of elections not to certify the election results so they can take it to court.

In the 40th District, Republican Delegate Tim Hugo leads by just over 100 votes. We have not heard of any shenanigans in this race yet, but the Democrats are sure to demand a recount.

And in the 94th District, Republican Delegate David Yancey won by 10 votes. In their desperation, the Democrats filed a lawsuit over 1 single ballot!

The lawsuits and recounts are coming, and the Democrats will continue fighting to overturn the election results for the rest of the year and possibly into 2018.

How can you help? For now, you can donate to the House GOP’s Majority Protection Fund. Your donation will fund the House GOP’s legal efforts to protect these three Republicans in the 28th, 40th, and 94th District.

And when the recounts start next month, we will likely need volunteers to serve as observers – stay tuned for details.

Thanks to Ed, Jill and John, and all of our Republican candidates who worked so hard in this election. Also, thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered to help our candidates win.

Unfortunately, the results did not go our way last night across the Commonwealth. There will be a lot of Monday morning quarterbacks out there with their opinion of what went right and what went wrong. They will point fingers and assign blame. Whatever the reason or reasons, Democrats did a better job of motivating their voters to go to the polls. And the candidates who turn out the most voters win.

This morning, we may feel disappointed. But if we are committed to our principles and our values, then we cannot give up the fight. The issues facing Virginia and the nation are too important. We must regroup, strengthen our resolve, and go back to work because the next election is just one year away.

Mark Kelly
Chairman, 8th District Republican Committee

Fairfax Republicans,

Last night was a very hard night to be a Virginia Republican. We failed to elect Ed Gillespie, Jill Vogel, and John Adams to statewide office, and the consequences will be with us for years to come. Ed and Jill and John were a great team, and I’m sure you all join me in thanking them for representing our Party so well. Ed Gillespie in particular said at the beginning that he might be outspent, but he wouldn’t be outworked, and he kept that promise.

For such a talented and uplifting statewide ticket to miss the mark is hard enough to bear, but at least as hard will be the loss of Delegate Jim LeMunyon. Jim has been an effective legislator and advocate for the citizens of the 67th District since he was sworn in in 2010. His steady, dedicated, and thorough approach to meeting the practical needs of his constituents and keeping them informed about their government’s activities will be missed very soon.

Despite his outstanding record, Jim LeMunyon was overcome by a statewide tidal wave, as Delegates in districts across Virginia that last year voted for Hillary Clinton were swept out of office. So many in fact that control of the House of Delegates remains uncertain.

Fortunately, despite the election night returns, it appears that Delegate Tim Hugo has been reelected in the 40th District. Please join me in congratulating Tim, and wishing him well as he continues his service in the House.

Our five challenger candidates – Lolita Mancheno Smoak, Linda Schulz, Cheryl Buford, Adam Roosevelt, and Paul Haring – also were defeated. We very much appreciate the courage and commitment to the principles of our party that they showed in choosing to run for office on the Republican ticket.

Commentators have been quick to opine about the reasons for last night’s results. Some of them know very little about Virginia politics. Others may have axes to grind and oxen to gore. They certainly can’t all be right. But there’s a market for the quick and simple answer that matches up with what we each want to believe, so it’s really no surprise.

Republican Party of Virginia Chairman John Whitbeck has put the loss down to three factors: The Senate’s failure to repeal Obamacare, out-of-state money funneled to the Democrats, and the increasing tendency of non-white and younger Virginians to vote Democrat. I’m sure those all played a part.

I claim no special insight into politics south of the Occoquan, but I do have thoughts about the situation in Fairfax County. I may write about that another time. For now, I’ll just offer three observations:

1. Donald Trump did not carry Virginia.

2. Ed Gillespie performed slightly better in Fairfax County than Donald Trump did in November 2016: 31.2% for Ed, compared to 28.6% for the President.

3. Turnout this year was up sharply over past gubernatorial elections at both the state and County levels. Fifty-six percent of Fairfax County voters cast ballots yesterday, compared to 46.8% in 2014 and 44.6% in 2009. Turnout in a race for Governor had not been over 50% since George Allen was elected in 1993.

Finally, I offer my deepest thanks to all the volunteers who stood out in the rain yesterday, wet feet and all. And also to those who got up well before dawn to work inside at a polling place or to set up outside; who walked all summer long, knocking on doors; who called and emailed to find help for back-to-school night or to cover absentee voting or on Election Day.

Thousands of people helped in many, many ways over the course of the past year, and we are all grateful for your commitment. I know the candidates are especially grateful that so many people gave their time and effort so willingly and selflessly. Our volunteers and our culture of grassroots political action represent the best traditions and the truest sprit of this country.

Most Sincerely,

Matt Ames

Ed Gillespie issued the following statement today. Thank you, Ed!

Cathy and I want to thank you for your friendship, support, and hard work during this campaign.

“While last night was unfortunately not the result we had been hoping, praying, and striving towards, I am proud of the campaign we ran.

We put forward bold, innovative policy proposals to get our Commonwealth back on the right track.

We reached out to communities too often ignored by one party and taken for granted by the other.

We took our positive message of opportunity to every corner of the Commonwealth.

It was a campaign for ALL Virginians.

And I thank you for giving me the honor of winning the most votes by any Republican candidate for governor in Virginia history. Ultimately it wasn’t enough, but Cathy and I will always remember and cherish your support.

Cathy and I wish Governor-elect Ralph Northam, his wife Pam, and his family the very best and are rooting for his success as 73rd Governor of the Commonwealth we all love.

It was a joy and a privilege to run alongside my good friends Jill Vogel and John Adams, and I also congratulate Justin Fairfax and Mark Herring on their victories last night.

Cathy and I have loved every minute of our time on the campaign trail with you, and treasure the friendships we’ve developed. And we look forward to seeing you again soon, in a more relaxed setting!

God bless you, God bless our Commonwealth and God bless the United States of America.

Sincerely,
Ed Gillespie

RPV Chairman John Whitbeck sent out the following email this morning:

Before I rehash our efforts last night I need to give thanks. Thank you for your hard work, time, and treasure over the course of the election. I want to thank Ed Gillespie, Jill Vogel, John Adams, and all our Republican nominees for putting their names into the arena.

I will be blunt: last night was a terrible night for our Party. We had an excellent slate of statewide candidates, every single one of them had a higher vote total than Bob McDonnell received in 2009, and we still lost. Four years ago, a Republican vote total of 1.17 million, Gillespie’s vote total last night, would have captured the Governor’s mansion with a margin of over 100,000 votes. Last night, that number was good for a loss of over 8 points.

With every defeat comes lessons and here are a few takeaways:

Inaction by the US Senate GOP is Killing Our Party. Two weeks before Election Day, the prices for the Obamacare exchange came out. As expected, the rates were truly horrific.

What does this have to do with the election or the Senate GOP? According to exit polls, healthcare was the most important issue to voters yesterday and we lost that voting segment massively: 77% to 23%! Failure to repeal Obamacare hurt us as a country and that inaction specifically damaged our Party with voters last night.

If no major items are passed in the US Senate over the next year, the 2017 elections will be a preview of 2018 elections.

Out-Of-State Money Made A Difference. RPV raised and spent a record for an off-year election in Virginia. Our Party had the largest field staff in history, set a record for the most mailers sent, and even had an ad get featured on Meet The Press the weekend before the election. Unfortunately, this paled in comparison to the amount of money spent by unions, Planned Parenthood, and out-of-state billionaires.

While such a funding disparity will likely be impossible for Democrats to maintain over the coming elections, it had a major impact last night.

Virginia Has Changed And Is Changing. Last night, 68% of voters under the age of 45 voted Democrat. Minority populations continue to climb as a percent of Virginia’s population and last night our nominees lost non-white voters 80% to 20%. If we do not find a way to appeal to these two groups the results will be grim.

We Must Prepare For 2018. The Democrats are motivated now more than ever and they will be coming for our Congressional District members in 2018. We must quickly regroup and prepare for next year.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have had hard times like this before and we always come back from them. This time will be no different. We have a choice, either quit and concede the Commonwealth to progressives or fight back and re-take Virginia. I choose to fight.

Join me.

John Whitbeck
Chairman
Republican Party of Virginia