Democrats swept the Virginia General Assembly on Tuesday, November 7th. As every single seat in the state Senate and House of Delegates was up for grabs with newly redrawn districts, it was a very competitive and hard-to-predict race. In the House, the majority switched from a 52-48 Republican majority to Democratic control (with one seat still undergoing a recount). The Senate maintained a Democratic majority, losing only one seat to the Republican party.

This was an extremely crucial race for Virginia, as it was not only a sign of how the national 2024 elections may play out, but also could determine the fate of access to reproductive rights in the Commonwealth. Governor Glenn Youngkin had hoped to maintain GOP control in the House and also take the Senate, solidifying his ability to push through his agenda. There was even speculation that if he was successful in turning the General Assembly completely red, he could be a frontrunner for the Republican ticket in the upcoming Presidential election. Governor Youngkin spent a significant amount of time and millions of dollars to achieve this goal but ultimately fell short. 

After the election, the new General Assembly will likely block most of Youngkin's agenda. For instance, Democrats are likely to stop Youngkin’s proposal for a fifteen-week abortion ban. Democrats rallied against him and campaigned to protect abortion rights, appealing to moderate and left voters to turn the election their way. Additional Democratic policies include a more progressive tax policy, gun safety laws, environmental reforms, and voter freedom. There is also a proposal to include a constitutional amendment on restoring felon voting rights and a constitutional amendment that would exempt spouses of soldiers who died in the line of duty from property taxes. The General Assembly also proposed state-wide legislation on topics of increasing the minimum wage and banning assault weapons. Youngkin is likely to veto these policies. 

The election results have also made Virginia an outlier as it is the only Southern state that has not banned or placed restrictions on access to abortion. The Democratic General Assembly has already gotten to work, and has proposed a Constitutional amendment that would declare that “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”

With this new dynamic of a Democrat legislative branch and Republican governor, what will happen over these next few years is unknown.