McLEAN, Virginia — “Thwarting Trump as much as possible. In a big, big way. So I’m normally Republican, but I’m voting Democrat.” Linda, a Catholic woman in her 70s, was clear that she didn’t support Abigail Spanberger, Jay Jones, or the Virginia Democrats in general. In fact, she was totally opposed to the transgender ideology Spanberger has defended.
What mattered to Linda was knocking President Donald Trump down a peg. Linda told me she voted for Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) four years ago, when Democrats held the White House. She says she also voted for Mitt Romney for president in 2012.
And in consistently voting against the party in power, whichever party is in power, is what Virginia seems to do.
Eight years ago, during Trump’s first term, Democrats swept in Virginia. Four years ago, under former President Joe Biden, Republicans got a sweep. And this week, under Trump, Democrats swept once again. Go back further: Democrats won Virginia’s governorship twice during the Bush administration, and Republicans won twice during Bill Clinton’s presidency. Democrats won all three times during the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush years, while Republicans won during Jimmy Carter’s administration.
The party controlling the White House has won Virginia’s governorship only once in the last 13 elections.
Simran, a furloughed government worker at Greenberries coffee shop on Election Day, described her vote for Spanberger as a vote to check the power of Republicans, who control the federal government.
Likewise, Benjamin, after voting at James F. Cooper Middle School in McLean, said his vote for the Democratic ticket was “a message to the federal government.”
BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL: DEMOCRATIC SHUTDOWN IS A POLITICAL WINNER IN VIRGINIA
“I’m an independent,” he said, “and the federal government needs to get a message that they need to do things differently.” Benjamin even justified a vote for Jones, who wants his opponents dead, as a check on Washington. “What he did is bad, but what is happening in the country is worse.”
Democrats won in New Jersey and Virginia on the strength of voters who dislike both parties, polls show. If you’re negative toward both parties, you’re going to be more negative toward the one that you see as wielding the power.
