Politics Brief: Republicans claim Va. Senate; ​Houston voters overturn an equal rights ordinance, plus more

Sturtevant claims 10th District; Republicans hold Va. Senate

After Democrats and Republicans spent $45 million on campaigns for the 40 positions available in the Virginia State Senate, status quo remains as Republican senators still hold a 21-19 advantage, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports.

One of the most noteworthy senate wins for Republicans happened in the 10^th district, which includes University of Richmond, when Glen Sturtevant defeated Democrat Dan Gecker.

At 9:05 p.m. on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported Sturtevant led Gecker 50 percent to 47 percent with 99 percent of the vote counted. Although Gecker led well into Tuesday evening, Powhatan, whose votes came in later than many precincts, swung the balance in Sturtevant's favor, NBC reports.

The Sturtevant-Gecker race was fueled by copious amounts of outside donations typically unseen in state senate races. Michael Bloomberg pitched in $2.2 million total to Gecker and another senate election in northern Virginia – “an unprecedented sum for an election like this with no president, governor, U.S. senator or U.S. representative on the ballot,” according to CNN – while the National Rifle Association helped fund Sturtevant’s campaign.

The Republicans control of Virginia’s Legislature hinders the ability of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to meet his legislative priorities. A split legislature would have given McAuliffe, who is halfway through his four-year term, more influence on topics, such as passing budget deals and gun-control measures – a contentious issue in Virginia since two Virginia journalists were shot during a live news broadcast in August.

Nov. 3 Elections

- Houston voters overturned an equal rights ordinance protecting 15 groups, including transgender and gay Houstonians, against employment, housing and other areas of discrimination.

- Ohio voters rejected a proposal to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational use. Many voters opposed the proposal because it would establish a "marijuana monopoly" by placing control in the hands of private investors.

Election 2016

- Ben Carson is now the Republican front-runner, and Hillary Clinton passed Bernie Sanders in New Hampshire

- An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released Tuesday found that if the election were held today, Clinton and Carson would tie 47 percent to 47 percent.

- Republican candidates have demanded more control over the structure of their debates. Their demands include no "lightning round" questions or candidate-to-candidate questions.

Washington

- Obama sent Special Operations troops into Syria, which was announced despite Obama's past opposition to sending ground troops into the country.

- The government avoided a default when Obama signed a two-year budget and debt deal Monday.

Contact editor-in-chief Jack Nicholson at jack.nicholson@richmond.edu. Contact features editor Kayla Solsbak at kayla.solsbak@richmond.edu.