The party, which had not been in full control of the legislature since the 1990s, erased what had been slim Republican majorities in the House and Senate in 2019. Goldstein’s organization, which is supporting 12 Virginia House candidates this year, first got involved in the state’s elections in 2017, when Democrats powered by voter antipathy toward then-President Donald Trump won back 15 GOP-held seats. “Having a ‘mission accomplished’ kind of attitude would be absolutely fatal here for Democrats,” Goldstein said. The election this year is not like those of 2017 or 2019 “when it comes to Democratic enthusiasm,” said Gaby Goldstein, the co-founder of Sister District, a nonprofit launched in the wake of the 2016 elections to help elect Democrats to state legislatures around the country. But some say a flip in control is not out of the realm of possibility. Observers on both sides of the aisle generally agree that Republicans, who have trailed significantly in fundraising, have a tougher climb. They also have their eyes on a few possible pickups.
This year, they are mostly playing defense, aiming to keep incumbents in about a dozen key, geographically scattered seats. Virginia House Democrats have flipped most of the state’s battleground districts in the past two elections.