Democrat Jeremy McPike is running for the Virginia legislature for a second time
In 2013, Virginia Democrats made a clean sweep at the top of the ticket, winning all three statewide elections: Governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general. But in the House of Delegates, the party fell painfully short, losing a stunning
seven races by a margin of less than 3 percent:
District |
Republican |
Votes |
%age |
Democrat |
Votes |
%age |
Margin |
86 |
Tom Rust |
10,389 |
50.0% |
Jennifer Boysko |
10,335 |
49.70% |
54 |
0.3% |
87 |
David Ramadan |
10,274 |
50.3% |
John Bell |
10,087 |
49.30% |
187 |
1.0% |
31 |
Scott Lingamfelter |
11,508 |
50.4% |
Jeremy McPike |
11,280 |
49.40% |
228 |
1.0% |
34 |
Barbara Comstock |
14,962 |
50.6% |
Kathleen Murphy |
14,540 |
49.20% |
422 |
1.4% |
13 |
Bob Marshall |
8,946 |
51.3% |
Atif Qarni |
8,448 |
48.50% |
498 |
2.8% |
94 |
David Yancey |
11,001 |
51.2% |
Rob Farinholt |
10,458 |
48.60% |
543 |
2.6% |
32 |
Tag Greason |
11,735 |
51.3% |
Elizabeth Miller |
11,084 |
48.50% |
651 |
2.8% |
Daily Kos endorsed in five of those contests, and make no mistake about it: Losing so many races so narrowly really sucks. But if there's something that this site has made clear from the very outset, it's that progressive change takes time; that there will always be setbacks; and that we've got to pick ourselves up off the floor whenever we lose and go right back to kicking the other side's ass.
And that's exactly why we've gone and endorsed eight more candidates running for the legislature next month in Virginia. Several, including Jeremy McPike, John Bell, and Elizabeth Miller, are running for a second time. They're once again putting their lives and their families on hold to help make their state—and this country—a better place. If they're not going to quit on us, how could we dare quit on them?
It's up to us to do everything in our power to make sure that instead of losing a bunch of races by 3 percent or less, we win them. Have a look at that chart again: The number of votes we're talking about is tiny, just hundreds at most. Any amount you give can make a difference when the stakes are this close.
So please give $3 to ensure that Virginia Democrats leave nothing on the table in 2015.