In Va., Warner wins; Dems gain 2 House seats

Virginia completed its march from red to blue Tuesday by electing former Gov. Mark Warner to the U.S. Senate and voting for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in 44 years, but the balance of power in Virginia’s congressional delegation now appears to hinge on the outcome of one contest.

Sen. Barack Obama defeated Republican candidate Sen. John McCain in a long, hard-fought race by winning roughly 51 percent of the vote in the state, compared to Mr. McCain’s 48 percent, with 94 percent of precincts reporting.

“Virginians said they want the next U.S. senator to focus on results, not rhetoric,” Mr. Warner, 53, said during a victory party at the Hilton McLean, in Tysons Corner. “Tonight, this campaign ends about 18 months after it began, based on the notion we could find common ground.

“So here I stand, the new senator from Virginia.”

In Maryland, residents settled a decade-old debate by voting to legalize slot machines, while the District, with a majority of Democrats and black residents, appeared ready to replace D.C. Council stalwart Carol A. Schwartz and voted for Mr. Obama, Illinois Democrat.

“It’s huge, I think,” said Liz Levy, a D.C. resident who voted at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Northeast. “I disagree with the way the country’s been going for eight years, and I’m excited for a change.”

Mr. Warner won overwhelmingly in Virginia, which has more than 5 million registered voters, in his race against Republican candidate James S. Gilmore III, who preceded the Democrat as governor.

His victory extends Democrats’ recent dominance in statewide elections: Virginia voters in recent years have elected two consecutive Democratic governors, restored the party’s control of the state Senate and unseated Republican incumbent Sen. George Allen by voting for Republican-turned-Democrat Jim Webb.

Meanwhile, Democratic challenger Virgil H. Goode Jr. are nearly deadlocked in a race to represent the 5th District.

With all 307 precincts reporting, Mr. Goode led Mr. Perriello by just 446 votes Wednesday morning, and each candidate had won roughly 50 percent of the vote. The race has not been called by the Associated Press.

A victory by Mr. Goode would give Virginia Republicans a slim 6-5 majority in Congress, a far cry from the 8-3 lead they held entering Tuesday.

A win for Mr. Perriello would shift Virginia’s balance of power in the House toward Democrats, following elections that saw voters give the party control of the state’s second U.S. Senate seat and side with a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964.

Republicans still hold Virginia’s lieutenant governorship and attorney general’s office, both of which are also elected statewide.

With 94 percent of the state’s 2,496 precincts reporting, Mark Warner won 64 percent of the vote, compared with Mr. Gilmore’s 35 percent. The candidates vied to replace Republican Sen. John W. Warner, who is retiring. The two Warners are not related.

In his concession speech delivered in Richmond, Mr. Gilmore credited Mr. Warner with running a good campaign.

Story Continues →