Virginia just showed Democrats the way to win in 2024

Six years ago, the elections for the Virginia state Legislature were so close that control of the House of Delegates had to be determined by drawing a name out of a bowl when the deciding race ended in a tie. This year, the result was much clearer: Democrats won most of the battleground districts, held their majority in the state Senate and retook the state House.

The results don’t just vindicate Democrats’ strategy of focusing relentlessly on abortion rights. It also shows that they need not cower and apologize when Republicans trot out familiar attacks about criminals running amok and “wokeness” in schools.

Virginia has steadily trended Democratic in recent years as the diverse D.C. suburbs have grown far more rapidly than the rural areas where Republicans dominate. But Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory two years ago convinced many observers that ginned-up controversies over public education have a spectacular political potency. Combined with an attack on Democrats for wanting to “defund the police” — a position almost no elected Democrats hold — Republicans had a new strategy to win even in places where they have struggled.