Democrats appeared to have flipped a critical Senate seat in the Virginia legislature on Tuesday — possibly protecting the state from banning abortions at 15 weeks.
Aaron Rouse, a former NFL player and Virginia Beach councilman, held a narrow lead over Republican Kevin Adams, a Navy veteran, on Wednesday morning. A special election is being held to fill the swing district seat vacated by Republican Jen Kiggans after she was elected to the US House in November.
It was a tight race, with Rouse taking 50.41% of the vote and Adams 49.51%, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Rouse now leads Adams by just 348 votes. Although the Virginia Public Access Project called the race for Rouse — and Rouse and Democrats have claimed victory — the missing football still counts. As of Wednesday morning, Adams had not made a confession.
“THANK YOU! With your support, and the support of the voters of Virginia Beach and Norfolk, we have won this Special Election,” Rouse tweeted on Tuesday night. “No rest for the weary—tomorrow, we go to Richmond to work for Virginia families.”
The election attract big money from both sides of the aisle because the result will likely have an outsized impact on the delivery of abortion rights in Virginia. Rouse is pro-choice and promise to “fiercely protect the right to abortion,” while Adams opposed abortion and supported 15-week ban with exceptions for rape, incest and pregnant women.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) first hinted at a possible 15-week abortion ban in December when he proposed provides $50,000 to establish the ban in the state budget. Youngkin, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, initially painted himself as a moderate on abortion rights on the campaign trail in 2021 but quickly changed his tune when he took office.
“I am proud to be a pro-life governor and plan to take all the actions I can to protect life,” Youngkin said in a statement went to press less than an hour after the Supreme Court repealed federal abortion protections last summer.
“Any bill that comes across my desk, I will sign it happily and happily to protect life,” Youngkin said toward support group the next day.
If Rouse’s narrow lead holds, the victory solidifies a 21-18 Democratic majority in the state Senate. However, state Sen. Joe Morrissey, an anti-abortion Democrat, has said he would be open to supporting restrictions if the legislation made it to the Senate floor. If Adams rebounds, Morrissey’s swing vote could render the thin Democratic majority useless in protecting abortion rights.
While a 15-week abortion ban may seem moderate in a post-Roe world where nearly a dozen states have almost total abortion bans, it will have far-reaching consequences for Virginians and others seeking care from neighboring states. Currently, Virginia allows abortion through the second trimester of pregnancy and into the third if the mother’s life is at risk. In addition, it is one of the few countries that allows abortion after 28 weeks of pregnancy, making it a safe place to have an abortion later in pregnancy.
“We are happy to congratulate Sen.-elect Aaron Rouse who valiantly and unapologetically made this special election about protecting abortion rights,” Jamie Lockhart, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, said in a statement Tuesday night.
“SD-07 voters responded loud and clear that they want to see abortion protected, not banned – like the majority of Virginians across the commonwealth. When our rights are on the line, voters show up to support reproductive freedom,” she said. “This is a critical victory for health care access and the future of abortion rights in our commonwealth, and we look forward to working with Sen.-elect Rouse and all of our allies in the General Assembly who will boldly champion the freedom of Virginians this legislative session. .”