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Republican Wins Race When Name Pulled From Bowl

After a recount, a court battle and a contested ballot, the race for the seat representing Newport News in the House of Delegates finally has a winner: Republican David Yancey. 

Yancey won the race by random drawing at a public meeting in Richmond Thursday.

 

Thousands watched the spectacle of democracy unfold online. Inside a conference room at the state capitol, the meeting was brimming with local and national media. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people at a Board of Elections meeting before,” joked Chair James Alcorn to laughs. 

Alcorn began the proceedings with a history of the rollercoaster race. 

Republican David Yancey won the initial November election, but the margin of just 17 votes allowed Democrat Shelly Simonds to call for a recount. 

After the first day of the recount Simonds had pulled into the lead by a single vote. But before certifying the results, a three judge panel decided to count a contested ballot for Yancey, bringing the race to a tie. 

To break that tie, both candidates names were printed on slips of paper and then put into 35 millimeter film canisters. Those canisters were placed into a blue ceramic bowl, provided by an artist from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. 

To the click of photographers’ cameras, Alcorn pulled out a canister and read the winning name aloud. 

Sitting in the front row, Democrat Shelly Simonds held her husband’s hand and bowed her head as Republican David Yancey was declared the winner. 

Speaking to reporters after the drawing, Simonds didn’t concede, leaving the possibility of another recount on the table. 

“It was a long hard election season and it does seem like a sad ending to the story to have to end on a game of chance,” Simonds said.  

Credit Virginia House of Delegates Photo
Delegate David Yancey did not attend Thursday's drawing in person due to the snowstorm in eastern Virginia.

Yancey wasn’t at the drawing, he was snowed in in Newport News. But in a written statement he congratulated Simonds on a hard fought election.

“I am grateful to have the honor to continue to serve,” wrote Yancey. “When I return to Richmond next week, I will be patrolling legislation to address healthcare concerns, public safety, and continuing to address our transportation needs.” 

Yancey has represented the 94th District for six years. 

“David works extremely hard, he’s a delegate that I’m extremely proud of,” said Republican Kirk Cox after Thursday’s drawing.

Cox will now likely be Speaker of the House of Delegates. While there is still a federal court challenge pending in another race, Yancey’s win further cements the GOP’s 51 seat majority. 

“Not a lot changes for us, we have a very robust agenda that you’re going to see us push,” Cox said. “So I think it’s going to be a very productive session. 

Republican priorities include a conservative budget, deregulating Virginia businesses, and workforce development. But they no longer have the super majority they once did. And Democrats are likely to push hard on issues like Medicaid expansion and redistricting reform.

Republican Majority leader Todd Gilbert says this year’s session will be different for his party. 

“We’re going to find ourselves working with the other side more than we ever have, at least in my tenure,” Gilbert said. “We look forward to the opportunities to find bipartisan approaches to the issues that Virginians face.” 

The state legislative session starts next week. If election season is any indication, the 2018 General Assembly could be an exciting affair. 

This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.

Mallory Noe-Payne is a Radio IQ reporter based in Richmond.