Why the Virginia SD7 Special Election on January 10, 2023 Matters a LOT - Democrats REALLY Need It!
First off, keep in mind that prior to the 2022 midterm elections, Democrats held a VERY narrow, 21-19 majority in the Virginia State Senate, while Republicans controlled (and still control) the governorship and House of Delegates. Which means that the only thing stopping Glenn Youngkin’s far-right agenda from becoming a horrifying reality is that narrow Democrats majority in the State Senate, aka the “firewall.”
Following the 2022 midterm elections, with the unfortunate victory of State Sen. Jen Kiggans (R) in the VA02 U.S. House race, there’s now a vacancy in the State Senate, which makes the current partisan balance *TEMPORARILY* 21-18 in favor of Democrats. However, the special election for the 7th State Senate district seat will take place on January 10, 2023, which means that when the Virginia General Assembly kicks off its 2023 session on January 11, that seat will be filled, making the State Senate balance either 22D-18R or 21D-19R.
So, you ask, why is this SD7 special election so important if, at worst, the State Senate will end up – at worst, from a Democratic perspective – back to where it started, at 21D-19R? Several reasons: 1) it’s important in and of itself that we replace right winger Jen Kiggans with Democrat Aaron Rouse, not another right winger like Rouse’s Republican opponent; 2) the 21D-19R margin is waaaayyy too close for comfort, given that it leaves no margin for error – sickness, death, absence for whatever reason – and also gives Youngkin the opportunity to pick off a Democrat (Joe Morrissey on abortion, for instance) or two on any given issue; 3) if State Senator Jennifer McClellan runs for, and wins, the special election for Rep. Donald McEachin (D-VA04)’s U.S. House seat before the end of the 2023 General Assembly session, that would mean Democrats’ already narrow majority could dip as low as 20-19, which would mean that if Democrats lose a single Senator on pretty much any vote, they’ll lose that vote, especially given that LG Winsome Sears (R) would break any ties…shuddderrrr.
https://bluevirginia.us/2022/12/why-the-virginia-sd7-special-election-on-january-10-2023-matters-a-lot-and-why-democrats-really-need-to-win-it