Richmond flips help Democrats expand Virginia House majority
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Democrats are keeping their majority in Virginia's House of Delegates, AP reports.
Why it matters: Dems flipped 13 seats Tuesday night, including four in the Richmond region, according to unofficial results from the Virginia Department of Elections.
State of play: All 100 seats in the House of Delegates were on the ballot, including 10 in metro Richmond.
- Going into the election, the Democrats held a tight 51-49 majority.
- Now, they're poised to hold a 64-36 majority, per the state's unofficial results.
- The outcome means Democrats can move forward with their effort to redraw the state's congressional maps.
Zoom in: Unofficial House results of RVA's most competitive races, according to the Virginia Department of Elections, show:
In House District 57, which includes Henrico and parts of Goochland, Democrat May Nivar is poised to best Republican Del. David Owen, flipping the seat.
For the all-Chesterfield HD 73, Democrat Leslie Mehta is on track to unseat Republican Del. Mark Earley Jr.
In HD 75, also Chesterfield, Democrat Lindsey Dougherty is expected to win Republican Del. Carrie Coyner's seat.
- Coyner had received added attention in the past month since the texts that shook the attorney general election were sent to her.
In Petersburg's HD 82, Democrat challenger Kim Adams is poised to beat Republican Del. Kim Taylor, flipping that seat.
Democratic incumbents held their seats in the rest of the metro Richmond.
Zoom out: These wins cement a Democratic sweep Tuesday night, with Abigail Spanberger elected as Virginia's next governor, Ghazala Hashmi, lieutenant governor and Jay Jones, attorney general.