Del.-elect Kathleen Murphy with Sen. Mark Warner
On Tuesday night, Democrats got some small but long-awaited good electoral news out of the Old Dominion. Democrat Kathleen Murphy defeated Republican Craig Parisot by a 51-49 margin in a special election to capture the House of Delegates seat formerly held by Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock. Daily Kos
endorsed Murphy in early December and our community very much delivered, raising over $11,000 for her campaign.
Murphy's win was no sure thing: This is a very competitive district that Obama only carried 50-49. It's no secret that Democratic turnout tends to suffer in special elections, and poor Election Day weather only complicated things further. The fact that Murphy was actually able to exceed Obama's margin in this district is nothing short of remarkable, and it bodes well for her chances when this seat is up for a full two-year term this November.
Virginia Republicans will still maintain a hefty 67-32 majority in the House of Delegates (with one vacant Democratic seat). However, if Democrats are going to have any chance at emerging with a more respectable minority, much less a majority, HD-34 is exactly the type of seat they need to win. Thanks in large part to a Republican gerrymander, Team Red has a built-in advantage in the House: Romney carried 53 of the 100 seats despite losing the commonwealth by four points. Members are also elected in off-years, where Democratic turnout disproportionately falls.
Murphy's win does demonstrate that is is possible for Old Dominion Democrats to prevail tough races in unfavorable conditions, and her party will be looking to this race for lessons heading into November.