Our 2018 local Democratic nominees (from left) Haseeb Javed, Ken Elston, Michelle Davis-Younger, Alanna Mensing, and Rex Parr
November 6, 2018 was another banner day for Manassas and Manassas Park Democrats, as 6 of our 7 Democratic nominees and all 3 of our endorsed candidates for the Manassas School Board won their elections to public office.
At the top of the ticket statewide, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D) handily won re-election against his Republican opponent, Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chairman Corey Stewart. Moreover, Kaine’s vote shares in Manassas Park (69.07%) and Manassas (62.88%) exceeded his statewide vote share of 56.95%.
Similarly, in the contest for Virginia’s 10th Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia State Senator Jennifer Wexton (D, SD-33) soundly defeated second-term Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R), and Wexton’s vote shares in Manassas Park (67.47%) and Manassas (60.28%) exceeded her district-wide vote share of 56.12%.
In Manassas Park, first-time candidates Alanna Mensing (D) and Haseeb Javed (D) were both elected to the City Council with 2,738 votes and 2,042 votes, respectively. Incumbent Preston Banks, a Republican running as an Independent, was also elected with 2,392 votes, while incumbent Michael Carrera, another Republican running as an Independent, placed fourth and was thus not re-elected.
In the race for three seats on the Manassas City Council, Democratic incumbent Ken Elston was re-elected with 5,998 votes, while three-term Republican incumbent Marc Aveni came in fifth and was defeated. Also elected were first-time candidate Michelle Davis-Younger (D), the top vote-getter with 6,168 votes, and second-time Republican candidate Theresa Coates Ellis, the third-place finisher with 5,900 votes. Regrettably, second-time Democratic candidate Rex Parr polled fourth, just 487 votes shy of winning election.
Lastly, Sanford Williams, Tim Demeria, and Ken Nixon–the three candidates that the MMPCDC endorsed for Manassas School Board–were each elected with 6,717, 6,569, and 5,784 votes, respectively.
Elsewhere in Virginia, Democratic women won two additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives from Republican incumbents. Elaine Luria won CD-2 from first-term Republican Scott Taylor with 51% of the vote, and Abigail Spanberger won CD-7 from second-term Republican Dave Brat with 50.3% of the vote.
Virginia Congresswomen-elect Elaine Luria (CD-2), Jennifer Wexton (CD-10), and Abigail Spanberger (CD-7)
Nationally, the Democratic Party picked up a net of 40 (and possibly 41) seats in the U.S. House of Representatives (the largest Democratic gain in a mid-term House election since 1974), producing a 235-199 Democratic House majority.
Although the U.S. Senate Democratic caucus lost a net of two seats, resulting in a 53-47 Republican majority, only 9 of the 35 Senate seats contested in 2018 (<26%) had been held by Republicans, whereas the Democrats were faced with defending 10 seats in states that Donald Trump had won in 2016 and retained six of them. In light of that unfavorable Senate map (the most unfavorable for Democrats in a midterm since at least 1914), the net loss of only two Democratic seats confirms the 2018 Blue Wave and places the Democrats on a path to regain control of the U.S, Senate in 2020 when about 64% of the contested seats will be Republican held.
Official election results for the City of Manassas
Official election results for the City of Manassas Park
Official Virginia election results for U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives
