WASHINGTON — Democratic state Sen. Jennifer Wexton has unseated Republican U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, The Associated Press has projected, sending a Democrat to represent Virginia’s 10th Congressional District for the first time since 1981.
The race was one of the most closely watched in the country.
“I’ve been saying since the beginning of this campaign that change is coming to America, and change is coming to [Virginia’s 10th
District]. And that change came tonight,” Wexton said at her victory party.
She added, “We sent a message that we want a better nation, that we demand a better nation — a nation where we treat each other with dignity and respect.”
She cited her victory as a win for those who want affordable health care, immigration reform and a country where “it’s no longer easier to buy a gun than it is to vote.”
Speaking of the nation’s current divided political climate, Wexton said, “We know we cannot continue like this.” She said the next job was to “come together and work together — not to win votes, but to win back the inclusion, the compassion, civility and dignity that make America the country that we all know and love.”
“We have lost this fight, but we have won so many together,” Comstock told supporters, but, speaking of the Republican agenda in general, she said “these great victories will continue.”
She added, “Success is never final; failure is never fatal.”
In an interview with WTOP’s Max Smith last month, Wexton said of herself, “I’m a longtime resident of the district. I’m a mom, a former prosecutor and a bipartisan state senator who is determined to go to Washington and get things done for my constituents.”
Comstock cited her record in a separate interview, calling herself “a bipartisan leader on the priorities of the region.” Wexton, on the other hand, said Comstock voted with President Donald Trump 98 percent of the time.
Comstock promised “tax cuts 2.0” if reelected and supported repealing the Affordable Care Act.
WTOP’s Max Smith and Kyle Cooper and ABC News contributed to this report.
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