Kudos to Republicans in Virginia

Accepting a One Vote Defeat with Grace

Update:  A final count has declared the vote a tie, but that does not take anything away from the Republican's graceful reaction to losing by one vote.

The House of Delegates in Virginia has 100 members. It was heavily Republican until Donnie took office. After the November election it was 50 Republicans, 49 Dems with one race in favor of a Republican by 10 votes. So a recount took place. And here's what happened to Del. Yancey, the apparent Republican winner.

Of the 23,215 votes cast in the district on Election Day, Yancey held a lead of just 10 votes going into Tuesday’s recount.

But five hours later, after a painstaking counting overseen by local elections officials and the clerk of court, Yancey’s lead narrowed — and then reversed.

The final tally: 11,608 for Simonds to 11,607 for Yancey.

Yes, you are reading that correctly. The Republican lost by one vote. And that one vote was huge as now the House of Delegates is 50-50, with two other recounts outstanding. But the really great thing is how the Republicans reacted.

Yancey, who was in Richmond at a committee hearing, can contest the results of the election with the legislature, a step that veteran lawmakers last recall happening in 1979. But GOP officials said that seems unlikely.

“We congratulate Delegate-elect Simonds and welcome her to this historic body. We also thank Delegate David Yancey for his distinguished service,” House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (Colonial Heights) and other Republican leaders said in an email.

“The responsibilities of the House of Delegates as an institution transcend party labels, and our obligations to govern this Commonwealth remain,” the GOP leaders said. “We stand ready to establish a bipartisan framework under which the House can operate efficiently and effectively over the next two years.”

WOW! Okay, words are cheap and let's see what happens when legislative work has to be done. But for now Virginia Republicans have shown Trumpie and his cronies how it should be done. Not that he will listen or watch, of course.