Commentary: John Reid, two weeks after Election Day
Reid was the Republican nominee. for lieutenant governor.
This is the Virginia Scope daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.
Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.
Commentary: John Reid, two weeks after Election Day
By John Reid, the 2025 Republican nominee for lieutenant governor
It’s two weeks post elections in Virginia.
And I want to start ALWAYS with a sincere thank you to everyone who gave so generously to my campaign. Everyone who volunteered and everyone who stood up for me and everyone who voted for me.
This was quite a year and a much more ugly and contentious effort than I expected at the outset.
So please KNOW that I am very thankful for you and your support. Sincerely.
Now whether you voted for me or not we ALL face a horrible reality.
Bills are being drafted now that will eviscerate the things we believe in and Republicans will be able to do nothing about it at all- except perhaps file lawsuits after the fact.
There will be no Governor to veto bad laws.
No Lt. Governor to slow things down and break ties to stop bad bills from passing the Senate.
And no Attorney General to stand up against abuse. In fact this AG appears likely to promote and revel in abuse and revenge.
As a life long conservative who has never walked away from the movement and as a native Virginian It’s very painful for me to lose and see the tidal wave of leftist abuse coming.
So we have to make a plan to survive and return in large enough numbers (to try) to fix the errors that are about to happen.
Accountability is important.
It’s one of the reasons I posted daily on this page. Even if you were one of the many people who hated me (for whatever reason) I was determined to prove that no one would outwork me as a candidate. Even with limited money. I encourage donors and voters (and haters) to scroll back to last year and see for yourself.
But what about others?
Win or lose you should always ask for an accounting of money and actions.
Every group that is passionate about an issue that Democrats will now stomp or claims to have influence in our elections should provide their donors and supporters with an after action report.
What election or issue emails did you send to your membership?
Even if you cant formally endorse, did you clearly identify the candidates who support your positions and concerns and contrast them with those who hate your positions?
Did your group purchase any ads in print or on TV or radio?
Did your organization mount a Get Out The Vote program (GOTV) of any kind?
Did your leadership in their private capacity host any fundraisers or meet and greets for supportive candidates?
Did any of your members participate in door knocking days for supportive candidates?
Did your organization work with postcard writing campaigns?
Were your members asked to consider attending any campaign events and rallies- especially at the end of the cycle?
If your group has a political action component- what did it actually do?
This is NOT a complaint from a losing candidate, it’s a reminder that our success and perhaps survival as a movement requires much more than text messages amongst ourselves or the impossible quest for the flawless candidate or a weird commitment to a public neutrality that our opponents don’t abide by.
Let’s all get in the actual game. We cannot ever win again without that complete commitment. Grow the ranks with 70 percent friends and be brave enough to speak up and donate and work publicly.
I’m working on plans.
I will stand alone or with you but either way I won’t let my home go down without a fight.
Spanberger, Democrats garner support from hard-to-reach youth voters
By Tyler Blake, VCU Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. -- Youth voter turnout surged in the gubernatorial election, and Democrats were the beneficiaries. And the overall preliminary voter counts closely parallel the high turnout of the 2021 gubernatorial election.
Young voters turned out at a rate of 34%, matching a 12-year high previously seen in 2017’s gubernatorial election, according to estimates from Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.
Historically, the youth voter bloc is not as active in statewide elections, according to the organization.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin defeated Democratic candidate Terry McAuliffe in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election by a slim margin of about 63,000 votes, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Just 27% of youth voters turned out that year.
Former Gov. Ralph Northam beat Republican candidate Ed Gillespie in 2017, with the same youth turnout percentage seen in 2025 that ushered in another Democratic victory, according to CIRCLE.
However, those turnout numbers are lower compared to Virginia’s youth voter turnout in the past two presidential elections. Voters aged 18-29 turned out at a rate of 55% in 2024. The turnout rate was a comparable 56% in 2020, according to CIRCLE.
Maddie Cross, an 18-year-old first-time voter, echoed sentiments of younger voters not being as active in statewide elections.
“I overheard some girls in my [dorm] hall talking about how they weren’t planning on going home to vote in this election because ‘presidential elections are the ones that actually matter,’” Cross said.
Cross, on the other hand, was eager to get out and vote for Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger on Election Day.
“I’ve been pre-registered since I was 17, so I was really looking forward to this election,” Cross said.
Cross formerly lived in a district represented by Spanberger before it was redrawn. When asked why she voted for Spanberger, she referenced her familiarity with Spanberger and her policies.
“I think she’s genuinely committed to making life better for Virginians,” Cross said.
Ella Swager, a 21-year-old voter, cast their ballot for Spanberger early ahead of Election Day, saying they felt like they had a civic responsibility to do so.
“Cost of living, women’s rights, immigrant rights, a lot of things that are being threatened right now, so I wanted to show up and vote and make a difference in the way I could,” Swager said.
Turnout should be equal across elections, because they’re all important, Swager said.
“If anything, statewide and local elections have a more direct impact on people’s daily lives,” Swager said. “I hope to see more awareness of those elections among young voters, and more turnout as well.”
Jewel Venable, age 19, said she did not vote in the gubernatorial election because she did not know enough about the candidates.
“I didn’t want to make a vote with not much knowledge and research,” Venable said.
Spanberger will be inaugurated in January as the state’s 75th governor and first female governor in its history. She won by over 15 points.
Youth voters heavily favored Spanberger, with 70% of voters aged 18-29 supporting her, according to CNN Exit Polls.
Voter turnout also increased exponentially from 2021 within a majority of college precincts examined by Capital News Service, with all but one precinct voting Democratic, according to data from the Virginia Department of Elections.
Bob Holsworth, a political analyst and managing partner of DecideSmart, said this trend can be attributed to a broader issue of youth feelings towards the current administration and the Republican Party as a whole.
“There is, among young people, particularly among young women, there is a real distrust of Donald Trump,” Holsworth said.
The Republican Party ran their campaign on issues that young voters did not connect with, which helped cause such large victories for Democrats in Virginia, Holsworth said
“The economic issues, the reproductive rights issues, the deportations, there was nothing going on in the Republican campaign that made them appeal to young people very well,” Holsworth said.
Spanberger ran her campaign with an emphasis on women’s reproductive rights, public school funding, lowering health care costs, finding energy solutions and making the state more affordable for its residents, messages that seemed to resonate with young Virginia voters.