Red Wave: 12 Republican Nationwide Wins in Tuesday’s Election

Wendell HuseboNovember 3, 2021

Republicans won big Tuesday around the nation with 12 significant accomplishments that bode well heading into the 2022 midterms.

1. Pennsylvania’s Judicial Victories

Republican Kevin Brobson defeated Democrat Maria McLaughlin for a position on Pennsylvania’s highest court with about 52 percent of the vote.

The win will maintain the composition of the states’ court. The victory is important because in 2022, the court will weigh cases on election integrity, state redistricting, and abortion.

Former Pennsylvania deputy attorney general Megan Sullivan also defeat Democrat Timika Lane for a spot on the appellate court, which hears cases on civil and criminal appeals.

Attorney Stacy Wallace won her race for the Commonwealth Court, where suits involving state agencies are heard.

2. Republicans Flip Texas State House Seat 118

Republican John Lujan reclaimed the special election runoff for Texas House District 118. The district is Democrat leaning on the south side of San Antonio with a large amount of Latino voters.

In 2020, Biden won the district by 14 points. Lujan flipped the seat by 300 votes.

“This speaks loudly that people are concerned about conservative values,” Lujan said about his victory. “You know, we want to secure our border, we want to grow our economy.”

3. Minneapolis Votes “No” on Abolishing Police

Abolishing police, a measure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) pushed to enact, was defeated Tuesday in Minneapolis. According to Fox 9, the measure would have removed the Minneapolis Police Department and replaced “it with a Department of Public Safety.”

ICYMI: ‘Squad’ member Ilhan Omar was mad that police were not policing, despite calling for abolishing them. pic.twitter.com/Rr1SijyQWl

— MRCTV (@mrctv) October 31, 2021

The policy also would have terminated the police chief position, along with a minimum police staffing requirement. The win is considered a sound rejection of the radical Democrats’ demand to defund police departments across the county.

4. New Hampshire Mayoral Flip

Paul Callaghan won the mayoral race in Rochester, New Hampshire, which has voted Democrat since 2005. Callaghan won by a huge percentage of the vote, 2,845 to 1,399 in real numbers.

Callaghan campaigned on revising the local budget, increasing the local housing supply, and economically developing the city.

“Congratulations to Mayor-Elect Paul Callaghan on of his resounding victory tonight, with 66% of the vote,” the New Hampshire Republican Party stated Tuesday.

5. Trump-Endorsed Republican Won Ohio State Seat 15

As a candidate supported by Donald Trump, Representative-elect Mike Carey defeated state Rep. Allison Russo (D), who President Biden threw his weight behind last minute.

NEW!

“Congratulations to Mike Carey on a fantastic victory in Ohio. I am very proud to have endorsed him early and strongly. He will be a great congressman!” – President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/P5fghSBODj

— Liz Harrington (@realLizUSA) November 3, 2021

Trump praised Carey’s victory Tuesday for “a fantastic victory in Ohio. I am very proud to have endorsed him early and strongly. He will be a great congressman!”

6. Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-Elect Makes History

Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-elect Winsome Sears, made history Tuesday by becoming the first black woman to hold office statewide. She defeated Democrat Hala Ayala (D), a member of the state’s legislature.

Upon the monumental win, Sears gave a rousing speech, which CNN and MSNBC apparently ignored.

“We can live where we want, we can eat where we want. We own the water fountains… I am living proof. In case you haven’t noticed, I am black, and I have been black all my life, but that’s not what this is about,” she stated.

.@WinsomeSears just delivered the most FIRE speech after being elected the next Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, completely DESTROYS CRT:

“And here I am… In case you haven’t noticed, I’m black and I have been black all my life.” 🔥🔥🔥

WATCH. pic.twitter.com/NDT5Wvypha

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) November 3, 2021

7. Virginia Attorney General Flip

Jason S. Miyares declared victory over Democrat incumbent Mark R. Herring with 95 percent of the vote counted on Wednesday. In his victory speech, Miyares said he was “humbled and honored” to become the first state’s top elected Latino lawyer. Miyares had never run for statewide office.

The Washington Post called the victory a “major upset.”

Miyares ran on demonstrating his opponent to be the state’s “top cop” who was soft on public safety in schools and on funding police. He successfully labeled Herring as holding a “criminal-first, victim-last mind-set.”

HUGE @GOP wins so far:

*A sweep of statewide officeholders in VA (Biden won by 10 in ’20)
*PA judicial victories
*Flip the VA House
*Flip TX HD-118 (Biden won by 14 in ’20)
*MN rejected Democrats’ Defund the Police
*NH mayoral flip (first GOP win since ’03)
*Win in OH-15

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) November 3, 2021

8. Local New York State Seats Flipped

A Southern Brooklyn, New York City Council seat that was long held by Democrats was flipped by Inna Vernikov, a divorce attorney who won with about a 28 point margin.

The New York Times reported two “other Democratic seats nearby still hung in the balance on Wednesday morning, including a race where the incumbent, a likely candidate for Council speaker, was trailing.”

Democrats in Long Island also incurred “staggering losses up and down the ballot.” And in Buffalo’s Mayor race, India Walton, “one confident democratic socialist,” lost to a moderate Democrat who had Republican support.

9. Republicans Flip Virginia’s House of Delegates

Virginia Republicans reclaimed control of Virginia’s State House by at least one vote. The House had been in Democrat hands with a 55-45 majority since 2019.

Chesterfield reports in-person early vote tally, which was enough to call 4 House races. We project Del. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg) will lose her seat, giving the House GOP +6 and a 1-seat majority in the House of Delegates. https://t.co/KoLDqo0ns0 pic.twitter.com/6m4pgVc3j2

— Virginia Public Access Project (@vpapupdates) November 3, 2021

But on Wednesday, as the votes were tallied, the Virginia Public Access Project retracted their victory for House seat 85, a Democrat stronghold where first term Democrat Alex Askew (D) sits.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Republican challenger, Karen Greenhalgh, has a 202 vote lead to give state Republicans a two seat margin in the House.

Virginia, which Biden won by 10 points, will now have a
✅ Republican Governor
✅ Republican Lt. Governor
✅ Republican Attorney General
✅ Republican House of Delegates https://t.co/c85n50eLM4

— Kevin McCarthy (@GOPLeader) November 3, 2021

10. Hispanics Turned Out for Republicans

According to a Fox News exit poll, 54 percent of Hispanic voters supported Glenn Youngkin for governor of Virginia and only 45 percent voted for Terry McAuliffe.

Biden won the majority of the Hispanic vote in 2020 and overall by ten points statewide in Virginia. Youngkin’s success with Hispanic voters was an improvement over Donald Trump’s significant inroads.

Chair of “Latinos for Youngkin” outreach effort told the Washington Post that “many Hispanics who fled their countries fled for those same reasons.”

“What’s really resonating with the Hispanic community is that you can realize the American Dream if you work hard and apply yourself and you are dedicated,” The chairman explained.

11. Republicans Flipped Virginia’s Governorship

Republicans had lost every statewide race in Virginia since 2009, along with the previous presidential elections. But with Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin’s victory by about a two point margin, he managed to overcome Biden’s ten point victory in 2020 over Donald Trump.

THANK YOU, VIRGINIA!

It’s a new day in the Commonwealth, and I am profoundly humbled by the trust placed on me.

We are going to get to work on Day One to ensure that Virginians soar and never settle. pic.twitter.com/hGN89mZ8kr

— Glenn Youngkin (@GlennYoungkin) November 3, 2021

Youngkin primarily ran on the state issues of education and parental rights in education. With momentum increasing until the very end, Youngkin was able to win over parents who were concerned about Critical Race Theory being taught in schools.

12. GOP Won Back the Suburbs

Republicans in the blue states of Virginia and New Jersey saw significant turnout in suburbs and rural ares. The Wall Street Journal reported that Republicans performed well by talking “about some of the same cultural issues, such as critical race theory in schools, but without playing into the hands of the Democrats who want to portray all Republicans as racists.”

The Journal also described success in those states “as a template for how Republicans can win back the suburbs” in states Biden handily won in 2020.

Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø