Voters have weighed in on which party should lead Virginia's House and Senate. Now, the new Democratic majority is going to have to vote on which members should have leadership positions.
The election for who becomes the next Senate majority leader will happen soon, as will the vote for who becomes the new House majority leader.
Former House Democratic Leader David Toscano says the role requires thinking on your feet.
"That person should have a quick sense of what's going on to be able to counter the arguments being made and have a keen understanding of parliamentary procedure," Toscano says. "So, it's one thing to have the skill set. Then the other part of it is the politics. And that has to do with who you know within the Democratic caucus who can help get you the number of votes you need to get elected as Democratic leader."
Former Republican Governor Jim Gilmore says leadership votes often come down to who's your friend and who can raise you more money.
"Well, I think it'll be a combination of personal appeal and personal relationships that have been developed over the years and also the leadership direction, the policy direction, and also of course the fundamental administration like raising money for future campaigns," Gilmore says. "So, all of that goes into a decision about who wins the leadership positions."
One of the wild cards in this leadership election is the huge turnover in the General Assembly. With so many new members, it's tough to gauge who will be supporting whom when the members get together to pick their leaders.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
