KEY POINT: "Why would Virginia House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) say that “We also feel like we have a mandate”? After all, the three top positions in Virginia — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — are Democrats, and if the drawing to determine the tiebreaker had turned out differently, the partisan split in the House would be 50-50 instead of 51-49.”
No, Mr. Speaker, there is not a Republican mandate in Virginia
Opinion - The Washington Post
Regarding the Jan. 14 front-page article “Northam takes oath as Va. governor”:
I was disturbed to read that new Virginia House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) had the audacity to state that Republicans “feel like we have a mandate.” A victory determined by a drawing is not a mandate.
Adding the facts that the state is heavily gerrymandered to favor Republicans, District 28’s Republican win was questionable based on erroneous ballot distribution, and Gov. Ralph Northam’s (D) victory was by a wide margin further distances the election results from being a mandate for Republicans
- Felicia Schwenk, Falls Church
Why would Virginia House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights) say that “We also feel like we have a mandate”? After all, the three top positions in Virginia — governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general — are Democrats, and if the drawing to determine the tiebreaker had turned out differently, the partisan split in the House would be 50-50 instead of 51-49 .
For the Republicans, all the votes cast in the November elections definitely do not give them a mandate. It is time now for both the Republicans and the Democrats to cooperate and work for the benefit of the commonwealth.
- Jean Durham Busboso, Locust Dale