Next year’s presidential election is already getting a lot of attention, but more immediate political clashes are unfolding in Virginia, where the balance of power in the General Assembly will soon be at stake.
Next year’s presidential election is already getting a lot of attention, but more immediate political clashes are unfolding in Virginia, where the balance of power in the General Assembly will soon be at stake.
Tuesday’s primaries will provide an indication of where Democratic and Republican voters are trending as they prepare to elect the 140 members of the General Assembly in November.
Virginia will receive considerable attention this year as a possible political barometer, as it is one of the few States with legislative elections in 2023.
And although cable television and talk radio are dominated by debates about national political trends, they begin at the state level.
In recent years, a growing number of state legislatures have become supermajorities, where they wield enormous power because even the governor of an opposing party cannot veto legislation.
More than half of the states, or 28, now have a qualified majority. Nineteen are controlled by Republicans, while nine are held by Democrats.
Maryland is one of the states where Democrats control both houses of the General Assembly, as well as the governor’s office. In Virginia, Republicans control the governor’s office and the House of Delegates, while Democrats have a slim majority in the state Senate.
Democrats in the upper chamber have successfully pushed back on some of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s legislative priorities and Republicans are working hard to gain full control of the General Assembly.
Republican governors in many states with supermajorities have been able to adopt ambitious legislative programs.
In Florida, for example, Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation earlier this year. legislation banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. DeSantis highlighted a series of other legislative victories like he begins his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination.
Laws strengthening restrictions on abortion have been passed in several other states where Republicans control the legislature.
In Virginia, Youngkin tried to get lawmakers to pass his billion-dollar tax cut plan, but the Democrats pushed back.
Virginia lawmakers still have not passed a budget for this year. Some lawmakers have suggested efforts to pass a budget could intensify after Tuesday’s primaries.
Since Youngkin has become increasingly involved in national Republican politics, Virginia’s fall primaries and elections will come under increased scrutiny. Youngkin was mentioned at one time as a possible presidential candidate, but indicated last month that he focuses on GOP efforts to flip the state Senateat least for now.
Republicans have not controlled both chambers of the General Assembly and the governor’s office in a decade. This last happened in 2012 and 2013, when Bob McDonnell was governor.
Republican and Democratic operatives will be closely watching what happens in Virginia as they try to make sense of what could be a very unpredictable political landscape for 2024.
