While I’m generally pleased about how the Dems fared this year in Virginia, this interesting stat stands out:

Democratic candidates won 54.8 percent of all votes that were cast for one of the two major parties

The Democrats beat the Republicans by almost ten points in the House popular vote. And that was almost enough to get half the seats in the VA House of Delegates, but not quite. For all the laughing about how the Republican gerrymander was so stupidly aggressive that it made them vulnerable to waves, the gerrymander held. It worked. And as long as there’s not an insane Democratic wave every year, the Republicans will be sailing back to a veto-proof majority in a state they simply can’t win anymore in terms of votes.

If I were a Republican strategist, I’d look at Virginia as a success. And a roadmap for the future. Drawing maps may be hard, but it’s easier than winning.