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Democratic Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn conceded the House of Delegates Friday night after mail-in ballots showed that a number of closely contested races were not going to change. Barring any new developments, Republicans flipped seven Democratic seats on Tuesday, which will give them a 52-48 majority in the 2022 legislative session.
“Unfortunately, the headwinds were too strong, and the maps drawn by the previous majority presented a challenge that was too great to overcome,” Filler-Corn said in a statement Friday. “We will dearly miss our colleagues who will not be with us the next term, but we will ensure their legacies are preserved.”
Republicans have vowed to focus on education and the other issues that they ran on during the campaign cycle. A lot of their time on the trail was spent talking about Democratic overreach during the last two years and their desire to reverse it.
While some of the legislation that Republicans want to reverse is obvious, like the law that no longer requires schools to report crimes to police, the distance that Republicans want to try and overturn new laws is still unclear.
Filler-Corn says that while in the majority, Democrats will continue to fight to protect the new laws. “We will hold them accountable if and when they attempt to reverse the progress we have made and move our Commonwealth backward,” Filler-Corn said. “Our fight is far from over, and House Democrats will continue to work hard to build a better Virginia for our constituents and for everyone who calls our Commonwealth home.”
More coverage from the House this week:
- Flipping seven seats, Republicans appear to have won the House of Delegates
- Democratic Party Chair Responds to Tuesday Night’s Losses
- Education to remain a focus for Virginia legislators heading into 2022.
- Audio: Del. VanValkenburg & Del.-elect Cherry talk winning and moving forward
- Kilgore begins making moves for Speaker as GOP likely takes the House
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