Loudoun County Election 2018: Results, Wexton's Win

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA—There was never any real question whether Democratic incumbent Tim Kaine would be able to swat away the challenge from Corey Stewart and keep his U.S. Senate seat. Kaine had big leads polling throughout the race and wound up dispatching the Donald Trump acolyte by approximately 16 percentage points.

But in the 10th District, of course, there was real intrigue in the race between incumbent Republican Barbara Comstock and her Democratic challenger, Jennifer Wexton. It was one of the more closely watched races leading up to the 2018 midterms.

Wexton led in most polls leading up to Election Day but not by overwhelming margins. But in the end, she wound up with a 56-44 win in a district that had been a Republican stronghold for nearly 40 years. As pointed out by the Washington Post, she won big "in the increasingly diverse suburbs of Loudoun County." The race was the most expensive in Virginia.

"When we come together, we accomplish great things," said Wexton in a victory speech in Dulles."Because we worked together, we just sent a message that you want a better nation, that we demand a better where we treat each other with decency and respect."

Comstock rose up to the challenge of her swing district before. Comstock was re-elected in 2016 by a six-point margin, the same year her district voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 10-point margin. In 2012, it went for Republican Mitt Romney over Barack Obama by a 1.1 margin.

Meanwhile, Leesburg mayor Kelly Burk easily won a second term. He picked up 9,343 votes, putting him 30 percentage points ahead of Councilman Tom Dunn and 40 ahead of Councilman Ron Campbell. "It's not just a win for me, it's a win for Leesburg," Burk said, per the Loudoun Times-Mirror. "We'll continue to make economic development one of our driving forces."

Also on the Town Council, incumbents Fernando J. "Marty" Martinez and Suzanne Fox, as well as Neil R. Steinburg won seats. Kari M. Nacy and Vanessa R. Maddox fell short.

And voters chose "yes" on the two constitutional amendments:

Question 1
Should a county, city, or town be authorized to provide a partial tax exemption for real property that is subject to recurrent flooding, if flooding resiliency improvements have been made on the property? Yes, 71-29.

Question 2
Shall the real property tax exemption for a primary residence that is currently provided to the surviving spouses of veterans who had a one hundred percent service-connected, permanent, and total disability be amended to allow the surviving spouse to move to a different primary residence and still claim the exemption? Yes, 84-16.

NOTE: All vote totals are unofficial. Results still must be canvassed and certified.

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