Bellwether
Virginia's Political Transformation, 2006-2020
Abstract
Throughout the early years of the 20th century, Virginia was viewed as a Republican state. Citizens in the Commonwealth had not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. In 2000, the GOP had just won the governor’s race, held both U.S. Senate seats, and had majorities in both the House of Delegates and the State Senate. By 2020, all of that had been reversed. During that period, Democrats won four of five governors contests, elected two US senators, and voted for Democratic presidential candidates in every year since 2008. In 2019, the House of Delegates, where Republicans maintained a 68-32 supermajority in 2011, flipped to Democratic control. With it, the state became a Democratic trifecta, where the party controlled all of the state’s levers of power. Bellwether tells the story of how this happened from someone who was “in the room at the time.” David Toscano began his service in the House in 2006 and became the Democratic Leader of the body in 2011. He examines the special nature of Virginia politics, the demographic changes that underpin much of its shifting political fortunes, and the policies and personalities at the center of the state’s dynamics for the last two decades.
Schlagworte
State Government State elections State politics Virginia- i–xxxii Preface i–xxxii
- 39–54 Race Matters 39–54
- 91–110 Pay to Play? 91–110
- 111–126 Governors Come and Go 111–126
- 143–164 Advocates 143–164
- 165–180 Hot Buttons 165–180
- 181–196 Because We Can 181–196
- 219–238 Trifecta 219–238
- 239–260 Conclusion 239–260
- 261–266 Epilogue 261–266
- 267–292 Bibliography 267–292
- 293–306 Index 293–306
- 307–308 About the Author 307–308