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- Democrats dominated the counties in Virginia’s 10th congressional district during the election Tuesday night.
- Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock, who represents Virginia’s 10th district, has several challengers looking to unseat her in 2018.
- But she is not looking at a change in strategy, focusing on the Republican tax reform effort and other economic issues.
WASHINGTON — Last night’s Democratic wave in the Virginia election for governor and state legislature seats put Republican Rep. Barbara Comstock on notice, displaying a massive turnout among Democratic voters in Comstock’s 10th congressional district.
But Comstock is not planning on changing her game plan ahead of the 2018 election cycle.
“You always have to listen to your voters and know your district and that’s what I’ve focused on,” Comstock told Business Insider on Wednesday. “I’ve focused on the priorities of my district and will continue to.”
Comstock’s district turned deep blue on Tuesday, with Democratic candidate for governor Ralph Northam winning by more than a 12 point lead, according to Decision Desk HQ, a prominent election results website. The Democratic wave was felt all over Loudoun and Fairfax, which are two of the major counties Comstock represents.
Comstock shrugged off the bellweather nature of the elections in Virginia, suggesting the 2018 elections are a long ways away and citing the urgency of the Republican tax reform bill as the primary task at hand.
“The election is a year ahead,” Comstock said. “It’s a lifetime. I’m going to focus on the priorities and things that I said I would run on, which is we’re working on tax cuts for my district, we’re working on some transportation solutions, and a lot of the high tech community that I’m working on.”
And Comstock has persevered through tough races before. She won by six points in 2016 despite the fact that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton won her district by 10.
But 2018 could be Comstock’s most difficult task yet. Several challengers have emerged attempting to unseat her, including a US Army veteran and outsider, as well as former Obama administration officials.
Virginia’s 10th district has “very independent voters and they want to know that you hear them and will work with them and that’s what I’ll do,” Comstock said.
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