Del. David Toscano (D-Charlottesville), the Virginia House of Delegates Minority Leader who represents the 57th District, spoke to the University Democrats Wednesday night in Clark Hall. Toscano’s speech centered around the importance of voting in the 2018 midterm elections and the possible ways for Democrats to win the U.S. House majority.
Toscano emphasized that voter turnout in upcoming midterm elections is critical for the Democratic party and encouraged everyone, especially young people, to vote.
“I think there is incredible energy out there right now and if we can mobilize people then we are going to do really well,” Toscano told The Cavalier Daily. “It is all about turnout in these midterms because turnout is typically lower than the regular election.”
Toscano additionally referenced the current political climate surrounding President Donald Trump and the Republican Party, saying he was positive Democrats have a good chance of securing more seats in the U.S. House this year.
Toscano also mentioned Leslie Cockburn, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District, and Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District, as examples of candidates who could secure seats in Congress after the upcoming midterm election. Cockburn is running against GOP nominee Denver Riggleman, and Spanberger is running against incumbent Republican Rep. Dave Brat.
“Leslie Cockburn’s election is going to be really, really close,” Toscano said. “Spanberger’s election is going to be really, really close. When the decision is whether you are at 50-50 or 51-49, you know that the last vote you are turning out makes a big difference.”
Toscano also said public dissatisfaction with Trump is not the only reason the Democrats might have a good chance of winning the House. He claimed the Democratic Party has qualified and experienced candidates who focus on key economic issues such as economy, education and healthcare to serve their districts and win the elections.
“If you look at the really good House races, they’re not always running against Trump,” Toscano said. “Trump is just always there in the background, but people also want to vote for something. So you hear these candidates talking about healthcare, jobs, education.”
Toscano also mentioned the redistricting lawsuit in Virginia and the state’s new legislative map. This summer, a federal judge ordered an expert to redraw the state’s legislative map after lawmakers were found to have illegally packed African-American voters into 11 districts. Toscano remarked that the new districts in Richmond and Hampton could increase the Democratic Party’s chances of winning more seats in the House.
GOP members of the House of Delegates had planned to vote on a redistricting proposal Oct. 21, but canceled the vote after Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said he would veto the proposal if it passed. This will likely lead to a court-appointed expert drawing the map.
“There is this new redistricting lawsuit that has been out there and is going to give us new districts in Richmond and Hampton area and that is going to make a lot more seats getable for us,” said Toscano. “I think it is possible that we could have 10 more seats in the [2019 House of Delegates] election and then we could get not just the majority, but more than the majority.”
Looking towards the race in Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District race, Toscano said he considers Cockburn an excellent choice for the Fifth District.
“I absolutely support Leslie Cockburn,” Toscano said. “She’s a terrific candidate and has run a really wonderful race. She has a wide breadth of experience, especially in international affairs and people won’t realize that sometimes. She will do great things with the Fifth District.”
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