A SCOTUS Opening

[Mickeypoo]

(10-29-2020, 09:20 AM)Belsnickel Wrote: So, I live in Virginia. Specifically, I live in the Shenandoah Valley which is a rural, agricultural area in the western part of the state. Virginia currently has a Democratic House, Senate, and Governor. However, this is all because of the more heavily populated urban areas such as NoVA, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. Outside of those areas, the state is predominantly right leaning. Because of this, no one in my area has any real representation in the state house because I, as a progressive, am stuck with a Republican Delegate and Senator, and the right-leaning folks in the area have a Delegate and Senator that can't get much done. Also, because all the party leadership comes from NoVA, they have zero idea about the needs of the more rural areas in the Valley, in SWVA, or in southside. So believe me when I say that I can see both sides of this argument. We have three metro areas that control the whole state.

There are certainly frustrations with this. I get it. I am constantly berating the state Democratic party over the lack of any concern for my area and the lack of representation from other areas of the state within party leadership. Republicans in my area would happily give NoVA to DC or Maryland and kick Hampton Roads off to NC if they could (though the economic fallout would be huge).

All that being said, check this out. This is the 2016 electoral map for Virginia. Virginia went for Clinton.


Just interesting to see how much red there is, but the state went blue, and likely will go blue in a few days.

Thank you for this response.  Very similar in NY and I feel pretty much the same as you and can see it from both sides.
There are a lot of states that look like VA does.  "Liberal" NY is the same, mostly red.