Republicans are on the verge of a majority in the state Senate, but the results of the deciding 17th district race between Republican candidate Bryce Reeves and Sen. Edd Houck, D-Fredericksburg, are close enough to likely prompt a recount. A Reeves victory would give both parties 20 seats in the Senate.
At press time, Republicans and Democrats appeared to have the same number of seats in the Senate, Larry Sabato, director of the University's Center for Politics, said in an email. Reeves leads by just 86 votes out of about 45,000 cast, which makes a recount likely, Sabato said.
Should Reeves prevail, the Republicans will effectively control the Senate because Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican, will break any ties.
"The key race in District 17 is too close to call," Sabato said. "There was a major reporting error in Spotsylvania County. First, we'll have a canvass, then probably an official recount. This will take weeks to sort out - unless by [today] we find out the count has widened for one or the other."
Despite the closeness of the race, campaign manager Chris Leavitt proclaimed Reeves' victory last night.
Reeves plans to focus on creating a better business climate in Virginia by creating jobs, encouraging business and increasing employment, he said.
"Bryce is going to get in there and work on working with the governor to create a better business climate period," Leavitt said.
In the 25th district, incumbent Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, defeated Republican candidate Thomas W. Aldous Jr. with about 64 percent of the vote.
Regardless of the results of the remaining elections, Deeds promised to work with whoever is elected to benefit Virginians. "We have to put aside the Ds and Rs and come together," he said.
Such optimism about bipartisan cooperation seems unlikely, however.
"Even a one-vote GOP majority will mean more conservative legislation will pass - possibly a lot more," Sabato said.
The new Republican majority is not necessarily an indication of a national shift in public opinion, he added. "The election for president is a year away ... A very different electorate turns out next year. And a year is a long time; a lot can change," he said.
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