VA

You are viewing The Plan to Win for Virginia in 2021. Feel free to explore our past strategy, or jump to The Plan to Win 2022 here.

The last legislative session was the first time Virginia had a Blue Trifecta governing majority in over 25 years. Because of this progressive power, Virginia power builders are passing groundbreaking legislation—the first Southern state to abolish the death penalty, pass a domestic bill of rights, and expand voting rights.

Yet this power hangs in the balance—4 seats were won in 2019 with less than 802 votes (802 votes in HD-85, 736 in HD-52, 506 in HD-75, and 27 in HD-83!) while one tied seat was decided by literally drawing a name out of a hat. There are another 4 seats lost by less than 1,000 votes (970 votes in HD-81, 881 in HD-100, 500 in HD-84, 189 in HD-27). While polls are showing that Democrats are more excited to vote in 2022 than Republicans, that cannot be taken for granted in Virginia—not only is Virginia seen as a bellwether for the nation’s mood with its off-off cycle elections in odd years, but these seats must be defended and progressives need to strengthen their numbers this coming year, and we have little idea what Democratic enthusiasm will look like in the post-Trump years. This is our chance to gauge that interest as we head into the historic 2022 Midterms.

While the balance of power is precarious at the state house level, organizing partners created the environment to flip with a thoughtful ten year plan that took advantage of shifting demographics and parlayed the national anti-Trump sentiment in 2017 and 2019 to create a durable statewide multiracial coalition. They must take that success statewide and continue to focus it in 2021 into individual districts. And, this success in leveraging cultural and electoral opportunities have brought them to where Virginia is today: more than one Black woman running in the most diverse gubernatorial primary in history; instate organizers are contesting for more, progressive power in the state legislature and constitutional offices; and a major goal is to expand the progressive footprint to state house districts not imagined viable ten years ago—requires another cycle of deep investment to secure a democratic majority for the foreseeable future.

2021 Opportunities

High-priority races with wins up & down the ballot