With a tight House and Senate, all eyes are on Virginia leading up to the midterm elections

Annie Andersen: Forget Winter is Coming…

There’s something even more daunting on the way- the midterm elections!

November 20-22 might seem like a long way away, but candidates are already planning.. And already raising money. Control over congress is at stake.

Let me explain.

the National Republican Congressional Committee announced it raised more than 45 million dollars in the second quarter.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee wasn’t far behind… raising 36 and a half million.

And in the 20-22 midterm elections… every dollar could count.

The non-partisan analyst Cook Political Reports calculates 9 of the 34 midterm senate races are in play.

The rest are all solidly red or blue.

Cook Political hasn’t issued ratings for House races yet SINCE MUCH IS EXPECTED TO CHANGE With redistricting happening later this year.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE SUPREME COURT RULING ON GERRYMANDERING, STATES WILL BE ABLE TO REDRAW VOTING DISTRICTS TO FAVOR THE RULING PARTY.  AND in most STATES the ruling party is CONSERVATIVE.

Kyle Kondik from the University of Virginia says House Republican candidates will have the edge for several reasons.

(Kyle Kondik, Communications Director, University of Virginia Center for Politics) <<”Our baseline expectation will be that Democrats probably will lose ground in the House, not only because it’s a mid-term year where they hold the White House, but also because the Republicans appear likely to have benefited more from the redistricting process than the Democrats do, so you add those two factors together and it’s two pretty big advantages for Republicans.”>>

DEMOCRATS CURRENTLY HAVE A 5 SEAT LEAD IN THE HOUSE… AND THE SENATE HAS AN EVEN SPLIT.

WITH THESE TIGHT MARGINS… BOTH PARTIES ARE LOOKING TO VIRGINIA AS A CRYSTAL BALL OF SORTS.

VIRGINIA IS ONE OF A HANDFUL OF STATES WITH ODD YEAR ELECTIONS. THEY’LL BE VOTING ON STATE RACES THIS NOVEMBER.

Virginia’s makeup is very similar to the whole country – just on a much smaller scale.

-IT’S HISTORICALLY PURPLE. -And CURRENTLY A DEMOCRAT TRIFECTA.

So both parties are going to learn a lot about how to campaign for the midterms by looking at Which strategies win and which flop.

Both CANDIDATES are USING BIG NAMES TO THEIR ADVANTAGE… BUT ALSO TO THEIR OPPONENTS DISADVANTAGE.

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP HAS NOT CAMPAIGNED THERE YET. BUT HE DID ENDORSE REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE GLENN YOUNGKIN.

And PRESIDENT BIDEN HIT THE STREETS FRIDAY.. CAMPAIGNING FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE TERRY MCAULIFFE.

ARE YOU READY FOR ANOTHER ELECTION SEASON?

WHO DO YOU THINK HAS AN EDGE?

LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.