RICHMOND, Va. — It’s been a week since Election Day, when American voters handed over control of the White House, House and Senate. apparently house To the Republican Party.

As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office again in January, Virginia’s political parties are already preparing for next year’s elections in the Commonwealth. While most states have time to breathe after the presidential election, Virginia has what’s known as an off-year election.

With races for Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General as well as the Virginia House of Delegates coming up in 2025, political parties are looking to Tuesday’s results for guidance.

“This gives us an indication of areas where we can attract voters to vote next year and produce positive results from a Republican perspective,” Virginia Republican Party Chairman Rich Anderson said. he said.

Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger have already announced their intention to run for Governor. Current Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin cannot run in this election because Virginia does not allow governors to serve consecutive terms.

AP and WTVR

The party that hasn’t historically been in the White House is doing better in this contest, but Anderson said Trump didn’t carry Virginia but cut it in half. Democrats’ margin of victory Compared to 2020, Republicans plan to build on that momentum.

“While that is a consideration, no matter who is in the White House, we will play the same aggressive ground game here in Virginia,” Anderson said.

Youngkin said his fellow Republicans are doing well in 2024 by focusing on issues that matter to voters, including border security, crime and, most importantly, the economy.

“Their jobs, their futures. How much money are you taking out of their pockets unnecessarily? And at the end of the day, it’s about the economy and it’s about people’s ability to be self-reliant and provide for their families,” Youngkin said. “Secondly, we have to have safe communities. What we’re seeing with unrestricted access to America over a wide border is that Americans are concerned. They’re concerned about crime, they’re concerned about drugs,” and they want it to stop, and it’s also a government issue.”

Democratic Delegate Mark Sickles expressed confidence that Spanberger can win in 2025 but said Democrats need to better communicate with working-class voters.

“We need to let them know what we’re doing and that we’re talking about health care, child care, getting quality education everywhere. It’s bread and butter issues, and I think at our level people can relate more to what we’re trying to do,” Sickles said. “They generally don’t feel like they’re overtaxed in Virginia because they can see where their money is going.”

“I think this (Spanberger) would be an excellent candidate, and I agree that people will be much more receptive to his message than they would have been if we had had different results on Tuesday,” he added.

CBS 6 Political Analyst Dr. While history may favor Democrats in Virginia, there is also an opening for Republicans based on Trump’s first year in office, Bob Holsworth said.

“When Donald Trump became president in 2016, the next four years were bumper for Democrats because he was very unpopular in Virginia,” Holsworth said.

But before the 2025 races can be concluded, Virginia will need two special elections to deal with the effects of the 2024 election.

Democratic State Senator Suhas Subramanyam and Republican John McGuire were elected to Congress last week, and elections will need to be held to fill seats in the General Assembly.

Senate President Pro Tempore L. Louise Lucas Election to replace Subramanyam said It will take place on January 7. Lucas has not yet called an election to replace McGuire’s seat.

If Republicans can keep McGuire’s seat and flip Subramanyam’s seat, it would give them control of the state Senate. Democrats hold just a 21-19 majority in this chamber, and if votes are deadlocked the tiebreaking vote goes to Republican Earl-Sears.

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