In Virginia’s race for governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin made inroads into the suburbs and among independents who fueled recent Democratic victories.
Democrats reeling from the party’s showing on Tuesday night were sharply critical of its direction and agenda — already the subject of months of infighting on Capitol Hill — concluding it threatens to devastate their efforts to hold on to the House and Senate next year much as it dragged down this year’s candidates.
“Big Republican turnout and the suburbs move back to where they were pre-Trump,” said Jared Leopold, a former Democratic Governors Association spokesman. “I think the education piece was a big part of it. Youngkin had a message about education that was framed in a positive way for parents.” The challenge will be even more stark in the months ahead for Democratic congressional incumbents, Ulibarri said, since they are at the center of the gridlock.What’s more, the results in Virginia stoked concern that centrist Democrats might urge party leaders to pause the agenda and rethink priorities, according to a Democratic member of Congress, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to be more candid.