Republicans have defeated Democrats across a majority of statewide and local elections across the nation, defying polls and winning upset victories that shocked pundits across the United States.
In Virginia, Republicans won all three of the statewide races, including the governorship, lieutenant governorship, and the attorney general election, their first time winning a statewide election in the state in 12 years.
In Virginia’s highly anticipated gubernatorial race, Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe in an upset victory over the former governor. With 99 percent of the expected votes reported, Governor-elect Youngkin defeated McAuliffe by nearly 70,000 votes (50.7 percent to 48.6 percent). McAuliffe conceded the election to Youngkin, who will assume office on Jan. 15, 2022, succeeding Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam.
RSBN has also projected that Republican Winsome Sears will become the next lieutenant governor of Virginia after defeating Democrat Hala Ayala by nearly 50,000 votes (50.7 percent to 49.3 percent). Sears makes history becoming the first female and woman of color to be elected as lieutenant governor in Virginia.
Republican Jason Miyares has also defeated incumbent Virginia Attorney General Democrat Mark Herring by more than 30,000 votes (50.5 percent to 49.5 percent), and will become the state’s next attorney general.
In New Jersey, Democrats were favored to win the gubernatorial race headed into election day. According to a Monmouth poll, Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy was expected to defeat Republican Jack Ciattarelli 51 percent to 40 percent.
However, New Jersey’s gubernatorial race is unexpectedly too close to call, with Ciattarelli slightly ahead of Gov. Murphy by one-tenth of a point with 88 percent of the expected vote reported. While Murphy could still defeat Ciattarelli, as most of the conservative areas have reported their vote, and liberal areas are still reporting theirs, a narrow victory in a state that went to Joe Biden by 16 points in 2020 is a bad sign for Democrats ahead of the 2022 midterms.
In Ohio, Republican Mike Carey won a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio’s 15th Congressional District. Carey defeated Democrat Allison Russo with 58.3 percent to 41.7 percent.
President Donald Trump, who endorsed Carey in June, congratulated the congressman-elect on his massive victory.
“Congratulations to Mike Carey on a fantastic victory in Ohio. I am very proud to have endorsed him early and strongly,” Trump stated. “He will be a great congressman!”
In Ohio’s 11th Congressional District, an overwhelmingly liberal area, Democrat Shontel Brown defeated Republican Laverne Gore in the district’s special election. Brown will fill the vacant seat of former Democrat Rep. Marcia Fudge who stepped down earlier this year to become Joe Biden’s Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
In Florida, Republican Steve Bovo, endorsed by President Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, won the mayoral race in Hialeah, a city in the Miami area.
Trump congratulated Bovo on his victory, stating that he “has been a loyal supporter and is a great Patriot.”
“He is tough on crime, will always protect our Second Amendment Rights, supports our America First agenda, knows the value of a strong economy, and understands the evils of socialism,” Trump said.
In Texas, Republican John Lujan flipped a State House seat from Democrat to Republican in South San Antonio in a district that was won by Democrats and Joe Biden by 14 points in 2020. Republicans also won four New York City council seats too.
Pennsylvania Republicans won all of the statewide races in the state, sweeping the state’s judicial system with conservatives. Republicans won the state’s Supreme Court seat, as well as seats in the superior and commonwealth courts.
The 2021 elections spell trouble for Biden and the Democrats ahead of the 2022 midterms. As the Republican Party increases its gains in traditionally liberal areas, the Democrats are becoming increasingly more likely to lose control of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate by wide margins.