HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The top governing bodies in Chesterfield and Henrico will both have Democratic majorities if the unofficial results from Tuesday’s election hold.
Voter turnout was very high in both Henrico and Chesterfield with 61 percent of registered voters casting ballots.
In Chesterfield, currently, three of the five members on the Board of Supervisors are Democrats, but one of those supervisors, Republican Christopher Winslow, who represents the Clover Hill district, came up short against Democratic challenger Jessica Schneider.
As of Wednesday, Schneider’s lead is 910 votes.
Schneider’s victory means the Chesterfield Board will now have a 3-2 Democratic majority.
CBS6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth said one local issue, in particular, played a role in Chesterfield.
“What we see on Board of Supervisors races are these heated local issues that local people see. Recently there's been a lot of discussion about what's going on with school, and school administration, but when you get to a place like Chesterfield County, people are talking about development. Is development too much? Is it unchecked?” Holsworth said.
In Henrico, the Board of Supervisors also has five members, and Republicans hold a 3-2 majority on that board.
But, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, Democratic candidates were able to flip two of those seats.
In Tuckahoe, Democrat Jody Rogish defeated Republican Greg Baka who was backed by Patricia O’Bannon, the longtime Republican holder of the seat.
And, in Three Chopt, Democrat Misty Whitehead unseated Republican incumbent Tommy Branin.
Dr. Holsworth said he believes their victories can be attributed to a combination of the candidate, the issues, and their party identity.
He said he believes there is less ticket-splitting in this day and age, and there were competitive House and Senate races in these districts.
All results are unofficial as of Wednesday, as election officials are still waiting on some absentee ballots that could arrive by Monday, as well as provisional ballots.
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