Josh Thomas has defeated John Stirrup in win Virginia HD-21 with 13,561 votes

Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that Josh Thomas has defeated John Stirrup in win Virginia HD-21 with 13,561 votes.

Thomas, a retired Marine, defeated Stirrup, a former Prince William County supervisor, in the Gainesville-area 21st District, chalking up a win in one of the closest races of the cycle.

The Democratic Party win in the northern Virginia-Washington exurb was a setback to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) effort to retain a GOP majority in the commonwealth’s lower chamber, which was slim going into Election Day.

The race was defined by abortion, not only because Democrats statewide made it their focus but also because the Washington Post released an audio recording of Stirrup saying he would “support a 100% ban” on abortion.

Stirrup, however, did say he believes that “we can bring Virginians together around a consensus position to protect life at 15 weeks.”

Thomas called Stirrup a “MAGA extremist focused on taking away women’s rights” and said he believes Virginia’s current restriction of 26 weeks should remain the law.

The Virginia Republican focused the majority of his campaign on crime and public safety, noting high crime rates in his home county. “From business to labor to law enforcement to community activists, people of all stripes coalesced around this campaign because they knew I will work to keep our community safe, support small businesses, and defend our rights,” he added. 

Thomas, who had no primary opponent this summer, ran on kitchen-table economic issues like the cost of living and public school funding.

On the campaign trail, Thomas pushed a legislative agenda that encourages more housing construction across the region. He also wants the state to increase the availability of low-income housing tax credits.

Roem, 39, defeated Bill Woolf, a Fairfax County police detective, according to unofficial results. She celebrated the win on social media Tuesday night.

“To the people of western Prince William County, the City of Manassas Park and the City of Manassas: I’m so grateful to continue serving my lifelong home community, now in the state Senate,” Roem wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Thank you so, so much. It’s time to get back to work!”

Republicans hold a slim edge in the House of Delegates and are looking to win the Senate and keep the House to give Youngkin the consolidated control he needs to enact his conservative agenda, including permanent tax cuts and a push for a 15-week ban on abortion, with exceptions. Such a victory could raise the governor’s national profile and energize a possible last-minute bid for the White House, political analysts say.

The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as W&M is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 under a royal charter issued by King William III and Queen Mary II, it is the second-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and the ninth-oldest in the English-speaking world. It is classified among “R2: Doctoral Universities – High Research Activity”. In his 1985 book Public Ivies: A Guide to America’s Best Public Undergraduate Colleges and Universities, Richard Moll included William & Mary as one of the original eight “Public Ivies”.

On Tuesday morning, Youngkin called on voters to extend Republicans’ “license to lead.”

“Send me a team that will work with me in Richmond, not against me, and we will bring Virginia to new heights,” he said in an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”

Candidates for both parties spent the run-up to Election Day hosting last-minute get-out-the-vote rallies and canvasses.

Democrats brought in surrogates including Maryland Gov. Wes Moore; gun control activist David Hogg, a Florida high school mass shooting survivor; and former U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who joined Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas for a northern Virginia appearance.

President Joe Biden, who won Virginia in 2020 by 10 percentage points and campaigned against Youngkin in the state in 2021, did not appear in person, but signed off on a fundraising email and endorsements.