Less than a month after Tim Kaine presented his tax increases, one of the safest districts the Democrats have (the 46th, Brian Moran’s old district) turned into a swing district tonight. Republican Joe Murray came within 16 votes of pulling the biggest upset in this state since Winsome Sears (State Board of Elections).
As I write this (10 PM), there are whispers of a possible recount (the margin was less than 1%), but whether there is one or not, the larger point cannot be missed.
Here we have Barack Obama in his glory as President-elect without having to tick anyone off by making a decision yet; George W. Bush is still in the White House. Yet in a district deep in the inner suburbs of Northern Virginia, anchored around what is arguably the Commonwealth’s most left-wing jurisdiction (Alexandria – 11 of 12 precincts), the Republican still won half the votes.
We can only hope the legislators in Richmond see these results and take notice. Democrat Paul Hackett’s near miss in a 2005 Congressional special election in Ohio was a portent for the 2006 - and 2008 - elections. Is this a portent for November 2009? At the very least, it should give the Democrats pause about following Tim Kaine’s tax increase. More importantly, it should encourage the Republican Delegates to use their majority to block any tax increase, be it on the budget, transportation, or anything else.
