New Hope in the US House: 3 Women From Virginia

Personal Note
We'd like to meet the chief political minds behind these winning campaigns. Call us.

Jennifer Wexton in Virginia's 10th Congressional District beat incumbent Republican Barbara Comstock with over 56% of the vote.

Wexton had been a well known Virginia state senator from Loudoun County, and she won the June congressional primary against a slew of Democratic opponents. She was an immediate favorite to knock out Comstock, widely considered the most vulnerable Republican in the nation. Wexton ran her campaign not so much as an insurgent but as a frontrunner protecting a huge lead. (Trump is sufficiently unpopular in her northern Virginia district. And she wasn't shy about being the resistance. "Change Is Coming" was one of her slogans.)

Loudoun County was jet fuel for Wexton. It's both the heart of and the population center for the 10th District. Government professionals, non-profit professionals, local business entrepreneurs, suburban Republican women. The 10th hasn't voted for a Democrat in over 60 years. But Wexton was already known and respected as a state senator. She won her seat in a special election in 2014 and was reelected in 2015 with over 56% of the vote. She had earned distinction as a lawyer and a prosecutor -- an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney. Plus she'd done a ton of pro bono legal work, served as president of the local bar, and was appointed a special judge in Loudoun District Court.

Perhaps a new political icon -- Suburban Professional Woman.

Abigail Spanberger in Virginia's 7th Congressional District beat incumbent Tea Party Republican Dave Brat by a 6,500-vote margin. A Libertarian candidate got just over 1% of the vote.

Spanberger grew up in Short Pump, Virginia, in Henrico County. She attended J.R. Tucker High School’s Spanish immersion program, served as a Senate Page for US Senator Chuck Robb, and graduated from the University of Virginia. After college, she moved to Germany and earned her MBA from a dual-degree German-American program. She was picking up important languages for espionage.

Before the CIA, she was a federal law enforcement officer working narcotics and money laundering cases with the US Postal Inspection Service. With her background speaking multiple languages, Abigail joined the CIA as an Operations Officer (entering the clandestine service and specializing in counter-terrorism). She traveled and lived abroad collecting intelligence, managing assets, and overseeing high-profile programs. In 2014, she left government service to begin a career in the private sector with EAB, a higher education consulting firm. At EAB Spanberger has helped colleges and universities create diverse student bodies, increase graduation rates, and break down financial barriers to higher education.

Good introductory video:

Elaine Luria in Virginia's 2nd Congressional District beat incumbent Republican Scott Taylor with a little over 51% of the vote. The 2nd District contains the HDQs of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.

Michael Tackett profiled Luria way back last January in the New York Times (along with two other women veterans of the Armed Forces running for high office in 2018):

Luria joined the Navy at the age of 17, eventually "majoring in" surface warfare at the Naval Academy. She rose to commander rank and served for 20 years before retiring.

"Luria said that she felt the pull to run for office after Mr. Trump’s election, and that her husband quit his job to help take over household duties so she could focus on campaigning .... she had earned a black belt in taekwondo, passed all the required endurance tests and flourished in the classroom .... After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she said, she felt compelled to stay in the Navy. She had a letter of resignation stuck in her desk, but never submitted it." 

Luria had the backing of the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) and ran a disciplined and (judging from my own in-box) relentless campaign.


But There Were Also 3 Heart-Breaks in Virginia

Organic farmer and writer Anthony Flaccavento in the 7th, whom I profiled back in July.

Investigative journalist Leslie Cockburn in the 5th, whom I profiled back on May 30th.

"Bold progressive activist" Jennifer Lewis in the 6th, whom I profiled in July.

Vote outcomes: Flaccavento didn't come close, Cockburn got almost 47%, and Lewis got 40%.

 Flaccavento's loss probably means it'll take years before another Democrat attempts it (I at least hear that from a political activist in the 7th). Cockburn (or someone like her) could possibly win it next time. And Lewis has something to build on.

UPDATE: The Race in the Virginia 2nd District

Elaine Luria

I was star-struck by Democratic candidate Elaine Luria way back on January 30. She was already turning heads as an ex-Navy commander running as the insurgent in a military-heavy district. Since then, she's continued and built a credible and effective campaign against a first-term Republican, Congressman Scott Taylor, a swaggering ex-Navy Seal who should have the seat sewn up by now.

But no. Taylor has been implicated in an election-tampering scandal that's dragging him down.

Not a Race to Watch -- But Anyway, Fun

Kaine and Stewart

Tuesday's Republican primary for the US Senate put Corey Stewart in an awkward place: He won with less than 50% of the vote (on very puny Republican turnout), and every big buck Republican and conservative machine immediately announced they wouldn't be participating at the US Senate level in Virginia this year.

Because of Corey Stewart (who, like his idol Twitterman, trails disreputable baggage).

See, he's a Civil War fantasist who hangs with white nationalists. "Stewart launched his Senate campaign after surprising -- and alarming -- national Republicans by winning 42.5% in last year's gubernatorial primary against former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie." (Gillespie went on to lose the governorship to Democrat Ralph Northam.)

Corey Stewart, campaigning last year

Stewart made Charlottesville's push to remove its statue of Robert E. Lee the centerpiece of his campaign for governor, holding rallies for the monument and displaying Confederate flags while defending "heritage" at his events. At one point, he attended an Old South ball.

He attended a news conference with the leader of the white supremacist protest that later resulted in the death of a counter-protester in Charlottesville. And after that counter-protester, Heather Heyer, was killed in a hit-and-run, Stewart blamed the violence on "both sides."

With Twitterman, Stewart has become the norm in the Republican Party of 2018, and the now "old guard" of sane Republicans are withdrawing to the wings. The Koch network, which runs Americans for Prosperity, announced it would not support Stewart -- or anyone else -- and the US Senate Republican campaign arm is giving Stewart a pass too. Ouch.

Incumbent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine had no primary opponent. He'll run strong statewide, and meanwhile Corey Stewart is likely to depress turnout among suburban Republicans ... hurting the reelection prospects of at least three endangered Republican US House members.

R Barbara Comstock (Va. 10th CD) ... challenged by D Jennifer Wexton

R Dave Brat (Va. 7th CD) ... challenged by D Abigail Spanberger

R Scott Taylor (Va. 2nd CD) ... challenged by D Elaine Luria

Now those are races to watch.

More US Naval Academy Grads Running as Democrats

I've already written here about Democratic congressional candidate Amy McGrath in Kentucky, one of three female graduates of Annapolis, and I'm happy to find out about two other kick-ass women and US Naval Academy graduates who are trying to be part of the #2018BlueWave. With candidates like these, who's afraid of Donald Trump?

Elaine Luria, running in the 2nd Congressional District of Virginia

Elaine Luria with her family

The 2nd CD of Virginia encompasses all of Accomack and Northampton counties and the city of Virginia Beach -- the largest city in Virginia -- and parts of the cities of Norfolk and Hampton. It includes the HDQs of Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network.

Incumbent Republican: Scott Taylor is in his first term in what is considered a safe Republican district. Taylor easily beat his Democratic opponent in 2016. He was previously a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and perhaps more important for a Congressional district that includes large naval installations, he was a Navy SEAL and served in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Politico gave him an admiring write-up for the masterful way he could handle a hostile audience at one of his town halls. If both Luria and Taylor win their respective primaries (and, yes, there's a raft of Democrats running), then it'll be Navy veteran (man) v. Navy veteran (female) in the general election. Game on!

Elaine Luria joined the Navy at the age of 17. Michael Tackett profiles her in today's New York Times. Luria chose to focus on surface warfare at the Naval Academy, rose to commander rank, and served for 20 years before retiring. "Luria said that she felt the pull to run for office after Mr. Trump’s election, and that her husband quit his job to help take over household duties so she could focus on campaigning .... she had earned a black belt in taekwondo, passed all the required endurance tests and flourished in the classroom .... After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she said, she felt compelled to stay in the Navy. She had a letter of resignation stuck in her desk, but never submitted it." Luria has the backing of the DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee), which is useful ($$$).

Mikie Sherrill, running in the 11th Congressional District of New Jersey

Mikie Sherrill and her family

The 11th CD of New Jersey has been considered a Republican district. Trump won the district by less than a percentage point in 2016, but last fall the 11th experienced an astounding "blue wave," with 39 insurgent Democrats winning races for seats on boards of education, municipal councils and freeholder boards. The 11th also went for Democratic governor candidate Phil Murphy.

Incumbent Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen just announced yesterday that he would not run again, making this an open seat. Frelinghuysen, considered one of the Republican moderates and also considered one of the most endangered Republicans in 2018, had been refusing to face his constituents (many of whom were angry that he was voting with Trump) at a public town hall. The entry of Mikie Sherrill into the race may have tipped Frelinghuysen into retirement.

Mikie Sherrill is not only a graduate of Annapolis (served as a Navy helicopter pilot) but she is also a former federal prosecutor and the mother of four. She also has the strong backing of the DCCC, and according to Michael Tackett, she is favored to win her primary. She has focused her criticism of Trump on the new tax law and on Trump's effort to weaken the Affordable Care Act. She says she is simply “fed up” with the president’s agenda. “I talked to friends and thought if we broke through our own glass ceilings, we would progress, yet we now see again and again we simply haven’t made the gains we thought we made. My children’s future is in peril.”