A service of Salisbury University and University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Control of Virginia House Still Uncertain

creative commons

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A Democratic tidal wave in Virginia on Election Day three weeks ago has left chaos in its wake, with control of the House of Delegates still far from being decided.

The Republicans went from a commanding majority to an apparent 51-49 lead, with GOP candidates clinging to razor-thin leads in three districts. In one of those races, where the Republican is ahead by just 82 votes, an apparent error by a recently deceased registrar led to 147 voters casting their ballots in the wrong district.

Democrats say a new election in that district may be needed. Lawsuits have been filed, and more could be coming.

Depending on what happens with those three seats, the House could fall into Democratic hands for the first time in nearly 20 years or find itself evenly divided and perhaps paralyzed.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.