{"id":2581725,"date":"2026-03-19T12:20:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:20:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buyers-regret-gop-vote-jumps-a-whopping-20-points-in-va-special-election-just-3-months-after-dems-took-control-of-state\/"},"modified":"2026-03-19T12:22:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T16:22:55","slug":"buyers-regret-gop-vote-jumps-a-whopping-20-points-in-va-special-election-just-3-months-after-dems-took-control-of-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buyers-regret-gop-vote-jumps-a-whopping-20-points-in-va-special-election-just-3-months-after-dems-took-control-of-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Buyer&#8217;s Regret: GOP Vote Jumps a Whopping 20 Points in VA Special Election, Just 3 Months After Dems Took Control of State"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">44<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbuyers-regret-gop-vote-jumps-a-whopping-20-points-in-va-special-election-just-3-months-after-dems-took-control-of-state%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2581725&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Off-cycle elections are usually not predictive of midterm outcomes, but Virginia\u2019s House District 98 race produced a notable exception. Republican Andrew Rice defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith 62% to 38%, marking roughly a 22-point swing from the district\u2019s previous result in which the Republican incumbent Knight had won.The piece emphasizes that the district, typically safe for Republicans, saw a much larger shift than in recent elections, suggesting voters were reacting to national dynamics and messaging. It links the swing to Democratic messaging on \u201caffordability,\u201d crown\u00ading Spanberger as a potential 2026 frontrunner whose focus on cost-of-living issues backfired in this race. the article argues the result should serve as a warning to Democrats that promises on affordability may not translate into votes, and that Republicans could gain momentum as voters grow disillusioned with perceived Democratic priorities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>If you&rsquo;ve been around politics for any length of time, you know the drill: Special off-cycle elections are supposed to offer an augury into what&rsquo;ll end up happening when the midterms roll around, and it&rsquo;s never good news for the president.<\/p>\n<p>Usually, these things are non-stories. Most of these seats are in districts where the majority party has a safe seat and the party out of power makes a big show of trying to get a fresh face within striking distance of a safe seat.<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, this helps to vault a previously obscure politician into the national spotlight. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/pro-life-groups-fire-targeting-battleground-state-dem-boost-trumps-senate-majority\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jon Ossoff<\/a>, for instance, is now a member of the Senate because of one of these off-cycle special elections. Usually, it does not. (It&rsquo;s only been a few months since her loss, but I think the ascent of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/unbelievable-might-actually-win-district-dominated-trump-democrat-aftyn-behns-unhinged-moments\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aftyn Behn<\/a> reached its premature apogee in rather spectacular fashion in December, despite outperforming Democrats&rsquo; typical vote totals in the Tennessee district she attempted to flip.)<\/p>\n<p>And, generally speaking, these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watchdogs-warn-ohios-gold-standard-voter-rolls-tarnished\/\" title=\"Watchdogs Warn Ohio&#039;s &#039;Gold Standard&#039; Voter Rolls Tarnished\">elections don&#038;rsquo<\/a>;t really provide much insight. The party out of power almost always over-performs, then over-performs in the midterms, because that&rsquo;s the American political circle of life. It&rsquo;s a bit like seeing a single swallow flying somewhere near San Juan Capistrano and predicting a whole bunch of them are about to return. If you get paid for this sort of insight, your job could be safely replaced even&nbsp;<em>without<\/em> the encroachment of AI.<\/p>\n<p>On a rare occasion, however, one of these elections&nbsp;<em>does<\/em> provide genuine insight that the media and the pundit class isn&rsquo;t talking about &mdash; and the election in Virginia House District 98 on Tuesday certainly qualified.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wavy.com\/video\/republican-rice-wins-house-dist-98-special-election\/11617198\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WAVY-TV<\/a>, Republican Andrew Rice defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith by 62 percent to 38 percent in the House of Delegates race to replace the late Republican Del. Barry Knight.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I am thrilled to welcome Andrew Rice to our caucus as the newest delegate from the 98th District,&rdquo; Republican Del. Terry Kilgore said. &ldquo;The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-republican-bucks-blue-wave-in-special-election\/\" title=\"Virginia Republican bucks blue wave in ...\">road back starts<\/a> here.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Rice, who is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-fairfax-countys-sanctuary-policies-led-to-the-murder-of-an-innocent-woman\/\" title=\"How Fairfax County\u2019s sanctuary policies led to the murder of an innocent woman\">deputy commonwealth&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s attorney in Virginia Beach, was expected to win, given that this was a safe Republican seat. (In fact, were there any off-cycle election tendency for voters to come out to register displeasure on what&rsquo;s happening at a national level, Smith would arguably be the beneficiary.)<\/p>\n<p>However, the race represented a significant jump over the vote that Knight received last November against Smith, where he won by a 56.6 to 43.2 percent margin, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Barry_Knight\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ballotpedia<\/a> &mdash; a far lower number than Rice&rsquo;s 24-point win, even with Knight having the benefit of incumbency.<\/p>\n<p>And not only that, but Republican gubernatorial candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/watch-dare-65-painful-seconds-winsome-earle-sears-opponent-struggling-dodge-jay-jones-death-fantasies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Winsome Earle-Sears<\/a> only won the district by somewhere between 5 to 7 percentage points in November during her loss to Democrat Abigail Spanberger.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; Republicans just won a special election in Virginia HD-98.<\/p>\n<p>Republican Andrew Rice is currently ahead+29 in a district that was Sears+7 in November.<\/p>\n<p>A 22 point swing to the GOP. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/9aYb7g3gfi\">pic.twitter.com\/9aYb7g3gfi<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/greg_price11\/status\/2034055581271474373?\">March 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>(While Greg Price says Earle-Sears won by 7 points, commonwealth-level records in Virginia aren&rsquo;t kept quite as neatly and based on our data extrapolation, we found the number was likely closer to five points, give or take. In other words, that&rsquo;s a 20-point swing.)<\/p>\n<p>So, why the reason for the shift? The answer is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/sound-familiar-moderate-dem-spanberger-became-virginia-gov-promising-affordability-leftists-immediately-push-radical-tax-first-agenda-legislature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spanberger<\/a> herself, who was seen as the future of the Democratic Party heading into the 2026 midterms.<\/p>\n<p>If any of you are old enough to remember that &ldquo;Family Guy&rdquo; episode some 20-odd years ago where Lois Griffin wins a local election by answering every question with &ldquo;9\/11,&rdquo; Spanberger basically ran the IRL version of this campaign, only substituting the word &ldquo;affordability.&rdquo; The implication was clear: She was no woke ideologue, just someone who cared how much your eggs cost.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Gov. Spanberger: We will work relentlessly to make life more affordable for our fellow Virginians. We will tackle the high cost of housing, whether you&rsquo;re renting, buying, or trying to stay in your home. We will work to lower energy costs. And we will contend with an impending&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WTNTTGkZZK\">pic.twitter.com\/WTNTTGkZZK<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FactPost (@factpostnews) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/factpostnews\/status\/2012589304120303652?\">January 17, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>And so how did that work out? It turns out that Spanberger&rsquo;s definition of &ldquo;affordability&rdquo; might not be yours, as Virginians quickly discovered:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The &ldquo;affordability&rdquo; honeymoon appears to be ending for the Spanberger administration. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bMrqGuu6W7\">pic.twitter.com\/bMrqGuu6W7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Nick Minock (@NickMinock) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NickMinock\/status\/2021636966593581102?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Taxes increase in Fairfax, VA under <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FairfaxDems?\">@FairfaxDems<\/a> AGAIN<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Affordability&rdquo; for families under Gov Spanberger&rsquo;s Dem party continues <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8dTgM64svk\">https:\/\/t.co\/8dTgM64svk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NOVA Campaigns (@NoVA_Campaigns) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NoVA_Campaigns\/status\/2027127504650097115?\">February 26, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; JUST IN: Virginia&rsquo;s New Democrat Gov. Abigail Spanberger says the state is RE JOINING an expensive greenhouse gas initiative expected to surge electricity costs<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;PARTY OF AFFORDABILITY&rdquo; strikes again<\/p>\n<p>EVERY voter must pay attention to this in 2026!<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RTD0xFMbnE\">pic.twitter.com\/RTD0xFMbnE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EricLDaugh\/status\/2013393819589382556?\">January 19, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, Democrats have proposed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/48-hours-taking-virginia-dems-cutting-prison-sentences-gutting-hand-ballot-recounts-banning-gas-mowers-much\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gutting election integrity measures<\/a>, cutting prison sentences, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >banning gas lawn mowers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/virginia-mom-allegedly-murdered-illegal-alien-30-priors-weeks-dem-governor-blocks-ice-cooperation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">blocking cooperation<\/a> with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and possibly even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailysignal.com\/2026\/03\/10\/virginia-dems-send-sweeping-gun-control-bill-for-spanbergers-signature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">setting off on<\/a> a gun-grabbing quest, among other outrages.<\/p>\n<p>Spanberger was supposed to be the prototype for the 2026 Democrat candidate: laser-focused on &ldquo;affordability,&rdquo; out the window with all of the cultural infighting. And in just two months, she and her party have managed to prove that was all a ruse &mdash; and not a very clever one, at that.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the massive swing in House District 98 should be a warning to a party that hasn&rsquo;t thought about &ldquo;affordability&rdquo; since the days of John F. Kennedy: They may have fooled Virginians this once, but Spanberger will be the perfect object lesson in why the feint shouldn&rsquo;t work in November.<\/p>\n<p>People vote for Democrat promises, realize that they were all lies, and then &mdash; within just two months, in this case &mdash; want Republicans back to help rescue them.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a concise paraphrase of the article excerpt:<\/p>\n<p>Off-cycle special elections are usually not reliable predictors of midterm outcomes; they\u2019re often non-stories in districts already leaning toward the governing party, with the opposition nominating a fresh face who rarely makes a national impact. When these races do reveal something, it\u2019s usually limited. The Virginia House District 98 race in March 2026 is an exception: Republican Andrew Rice defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith 62-38 to fill the late Republican Del. Barry Knight\u2019s seat, a much larger margin than Knight\u2019s last-year win. The result signals a real GOP swing in that district-larger than the gubernatorial results there and far from the usual off-cycle pattern. The piece argues this swing reflects backlash to Democratic messaging, particularly Gov. Abigail Spanberger\u2019s emphasis on \u201caffordability,\u201d which voters apparently didn\u2019t embrace. It suggests Democrats have overpromised on affordability and should reconsider that approach for 2026, warning that voters reward concrete results over slogans<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2581726,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-19T093751.752.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[76142,32371,76141,38033,76140],"class_list":["post-2581725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-democrats-in-power","tag-election-analysis","tag-gop-surge","tag-virginia-politics","tag-virginia-special-election"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-19T093751.752.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2581725"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581725\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2581730,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2581725\/revisions\/2581730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2581726"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2581725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2581725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2581725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}