Virginia Republicans cheered Thursday when their candidate won a state House of Delegates race by having his name chosen first out of ceramic bowl.
But inside a conference room in Richmond’s Capitol Square, where the drawing was held, it was all agony of defeat and no joy of victory. That’s because Republican David Yancey skipped the drawing, while Democratic challenger Shelley Simonds and many of her supporters absorbed it in stunned silence.
The drawing of lots took place after an election, recount and legal battles between Yancey and Simonds ended in a tie. Yancey’s win allows Republicans to maintain a slim majority in the House, though a final tally is still uncertain.
The drawing drew a large, if lopsided, crowd to the Virginia elections board meeting. Many were either reporters or Simonds’s supporters.
So the focus was entirely on Simonds, who sat stoically as the commission ran through the ceremony. The name of each candidate, printed on a piece of paper, was placed into separate film canisters. The canisters were put into a cobalt-blue-and-white ceramic bowl made by a local artist and stirred around.
Board Chairman James Alcorn pulled one of the canister’s out and read the winner’s name: “David Yancey.”
Without him there, all eyes fell on Simonds.
She stayed still and kept looking straight ahead, not giving any initial reaction. After a few seconds, she looked at her 15-year-daughter Georgia, and said, “it’s okay.”
After a few minutes, Simonds gave an impromptu news conference.
“This is a sad conclusion for me,” she said, sounding a lot like she was conceding defeat.
But when asked, she explicitly said her options – including a recount request, were still on the table.