NOV 6, 3:17 PM

In Virginia’s Vote For Biden, Democrats See Blue Wave Wobble While Republicans Spy Hope

Daniella Cheslow https://twitter.com/DaniellaCheslow

Joe Biden swept Virginia on Tuesday with a comfortable nine-point margin, exceeding the performance of Democratic contenders before him. ... But despite that win, some Democrats in Virginia now worry that narrow congressional victories and a failed attempt to flip a House seat reveal the “blue wave” that gave their party power during in the Trump era could possibly have created. Republicans, on the other hand, say they are seeing flickers of promise.

“Tuesday, from a congressional standpoint, it was a failure, it was not a success,” said Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia) during a conference call with fellow congressional Democrats earlier this week, the audio of which was obtained by The Washington Post. ... Spanberger flipped her seat in 2018 and eked out an unofficial re-election victory with just 5,000 votes more than Republican Nick Freitas in Virginia’s 7th District, which includes the Richmond suburbs and the outer reaches of Charlottesville.

Two other first-term Democrats, Rep. Jennifer Wexton and Rep. Elaine Luria, kept their seats, but the party failed to flip the 5th District, where African American physician Cameron Webb lost to Republican Bob Good, a former Liberty University fundraiser.

Now, Republicans see a possible path away from four years of stinging defeats. ... “I do see hope for the Republican Party,” said Jill Cook, secretary of the Republican Party of Virginia’s state central committee.

{snip}