Prince William County Election 2018: Results, Wexton's Win

PRINCE WILLIAM 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 and Prince William County Board of Supervisors chief 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.

In the 1st District, at least there was a modicum of suspense in Rep. Rob Wittman's push for a sixth full term against Democratic challenger Vangie Williams. If a so-called blue wave materialized, maybe Williams and her campaign, the thinking went, could capitalize. But as pointed out by the Free Lance-Star, her popularity only stretched so far in a race she ultimately lost 56-44.

She received about 48 percent of the vote in traditionally Republican Stafford County. She beat Wittman by 15 votes in the 1st District portion of Spotsylvania, which includes suburbs near the Fredericksburg line. But Wittman won in rural counties such as King George, Westmoreland, Northumberland and Middlesex. That was more than enough.

"Obviously, campaigns are kind of a back and forth, but after the campaign is over with, my job is to listen to everybody and work on their behalf across the 1st District," he said afterward. Williams said that, "We did a job that no one saw coming (and) this is not the end of my journey in politics—only the beginning."

In the 11th District, there was little question that Gerry Connolly, first elected in 2008, would win, and so he did. He turned back Republican challenger Jeff Dove 71-27, with Libertarian candidate Stevan Porter a distant third.

Meanwhile, in the Manassas City Council race, E. Michelle Davis-Younger led the way with 6,161 votes, followed by incumbent Ken Elston with 5,991 and Theresa Coates Ellis with 5,897. Amalfi M. Arias, Marc T. Aveni and Rex G. Parr Jr. fell short.

And in the Manassas Park City Council race, Alanna M. Mensing led the way with 2,734 votes, followed by Preston M. Banks with 2,392 and Haseeb Javed with 2,042. Michael Carrera fell short.

For Manassas City school board, chairman Sanford S. Williams led the way with 6,707 votes, followed by T.J. "Tim" Demeria with 6,561, and Kenneth T. Nixon Jr. with 5,778. Peter B. O'Hanlon and Athene C. Bell 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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