Democratic Virginia Rep. Jennifer Wexton placed a transgender flag outside of her office on Capitol Hill after being sworn in Thursday.
Wexton defeated two-term incumbent Republican Barbara Comstock in the November elections, and has become just the second Democrat ever to represent Virginia’s 10th district in the House of Representatives.
Wexton was one of three Democrats to oust an incumbent House Republican in Virginia. Democratic Reps. Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger defeated incumbent Republicans in Virginia’s 2nd and 7th district, respectively.
A former delegate in the Virginia General Assembly, Wexton received the endorsements of many prominent LGBTQ groups during her run, including the prominent political organization, “Human Rights Campaign.”
The trans flag is proudly & openly displayed next to the Virginia flag outside @RepWexton’s new office! She said to me, “Did you see the flag?! I think we’re the only office on the Hill with one.” To all her volunteers: the flag is there because of you & for you! Change is here! pic.twitter.com/s0iGgoxOgH
— Narissa Rahaman (@nsrahaman) January 3, 2019
GOP Rep. Barabara Comstock of Virginia lost her re-election bid Tuesday night to Democratic challenger Jennifer Wexton riding on a wave of anti-Trump sentiment in Northern Virginia, according to multiple news outlets.
Comstock’s defeat grants Democrats one of 23 seats the party aims to pick up in the 2018 midterms to take control of the House.
Virginia’s 10th Congressional District has picked almost exclusively Republicans to represent them for the last six decades. Wexton’s victory could be a bellwether of national sentiment turning against the GOP, CNBC reports.
Comstock likely suffered from President Donald Trump’s unpopularity in the district. Residents disapprove of the president 10 points more than they approve, according to a Monmouth University poll conducted at the end of September.
By mid-October, Democrats were so confident that Comstock would lose that in mid-October the party’s campaign committee canceled nearly $1 million worth of advertising it had reserved earlier in the year for Wexton. Instead of spending the money to boost Wexton, the party decided to redirect it to Democrats in congressional districts where the race appeared closer than it did in the 10th.