Luck of the draw helps GOP hold Virginia House

RICHMOND, VA. » Virginia Republicans cheered Thursday when their candidate won a state House of Delegates race by luck of the draw, having his name chosen out of a ceramic bowl.

But inside a conference room in Richmond’s Capitol Square, where the drawing was held, it was all agony of defeat and no joy of victory. That’s because Republican David Yancey skipped the drawing, while Democratic challenger Shelley Simonds and many of her supporters absorbed it in stunned silence.

The drawing of lots took place after an election, recount and legal battles between Yancey and Simonds ended in a tie. Yancey’s win allows Republicans to maintain a slim majority in the House, though a final tally is still uncertain.

At the drawing, many were either reporters or Simonds’ supporters.

Simonds sat stoically during the ceremony. Board Chairman James Alcorn pulled one of the film canister’s out of a ceremic bowl and read the winner’s name: “David Yancey.”

Without him there, all eyes fell on Simonds. She stayed still and kept looking straight ahead, not giving any initial reaction. After a few seconds, she looked at her 15-year- daughter Georgia, and said, “it’s OK.”

Much of the crowd, filled with state workers and aides to Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Gov.- elect Ralph Northam, quickly filed out.

Simonds gave an impromptu news conference.

“This is a sad conclusion for me,” she said, sounding a lot like she was conceding defeat.But when asked, she explicitly said her options— including a recount request, were still on the table.

For his part, Yancey’s only comments came on socialmedia, where he congratulated Simonds on a “hard fought election.”

The race between Yancey, a three-term incumbent, and Simonds has bounced back and forth since theNovember election, when Virginia Democrats — fueled by voter anger directed at Republican President Donald Trump — wiped out a 66-34 advantage held by Republicans in the House. The election has been widely seen as a potential harbinger of the 2018 midterm congressional elections.

It seemd Simonds lost the election by 10 votes, but on Dec. 19, she won a recount by a single vote. The next day, a three-judge panel declared a tie based on a previously uncounted vote for Yancey.

At the heart of the dispute is a single ballot on which the voter filled in the bubble for both Simonds and Yancey. The voter also drew a single slash through the bubble for Simonds and picked Republican candidates in statewide races.

The ballotwasn’t counted during the recount and was identified after a Republican election official raised concerns the following day.

A federal court hearing on that election is set today.