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Well, it seems that the Virginia electorate has taken a decided step back towards the middle. For the most part, the more moderate candidates won, at least in the close races, and Virginia seems to be heading into next year's Presidential contest as a swing state.
Having said that, I also think that yesterday's results show Virginia becoming ever more polarized between the heavily urbanized areas in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads areas and the rest of the state, which is largely rural. This polarization is familiar to me, from growing up in Upstate New York. New York's politics have long been polarized between the largely rural Upstate regions and the mega-urbanized New York City region. Now I'm finding myself on the other side of a similar polarization in Virginia and suddenly I'm feeling a great deal more sympathy for the voters in the greater NYC area. I often grumble about the voters and representatives from the rural parts of Virginia that block legislation that is desperately needed to address issues and needs in the rapidly growing areas of Northern Virginia (such as transportation). But when I reflect on my rural past, I can begin to understand how these rural residence feel about our issues, and how they feel like we are placing unfair burdens upon them. It will be very difficult to address the critical needs of the densely populated regions without antagonizing the residence of the rural regions, but hopefully the newly elected legislators will try to find ways to accommodate both groups, to the extent that it is possible.
Having said that, I also think that yesterday's results show Virginia becoming ever more polarized between the heavily urbanized areas in Northern Virginia and the Hampton Roads areas and the rest of the state, which is largely rural. This polarization is familiar to me, from growing up in Upstate New York. New York's politics have long been polarized between the largely rural Upstate regions and the mega-urbanized New York City region. Now I'm finding myself on the other side of a similar polarization in Virginia and suddenly I'm feeling a great deal more sympathy for the voters in the greater NYC area. I often grumble about the voters and representatives from the rural parts of Virginia that block legislation that is desperately needed to address issues and needs in the rapidly growing areas of Northern Virginia (such as transportation). But when I reflect on my rural past, I can begin to understand how these rural residence feel about our issues, and how they feel like we are placing unfair burdens upon them. It will be very difficult to address the critical needs of the densely populated regions without antagonizing the residence of the rural regions, but hopefully the newly elected legislators will try to find ways to accommodate both groups, to the extent that it is possible.
