The racist terrorist attacks in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August, inspired Virginia voters to repudiate Trump and his racist base. During the election on Nov. 8, Virginia residents voiced their thoughts by going to the polls and electing several Democrats to powerful positions.
One of the Democrats elected was Justin Fairfax. Fairfax became the first Black lieutenant governor of Virginia. In that capacity, he will be able to cast tie-breaking votes in the state’s divided Senate.
Fairfax defeated Republican Jill Vogel. Vogel was a known Trump supporter and campaigned for Corey Stewart, who wanted to preserve Confederate memorials.
The incident in Charlottesville put the entire state of Virginia in a bad light. Hundreds of racist White protesters made their way to Charlottesville armed with machine guns, shields, pepper spray, sticks, and other weapons. They yelled racial slurs and held Confederate flags and signs with Nazi symbols. They attacked others who protested against their racist views. A terrorist drove his car into a crowd of people, injuring several and killing one woman. Following the incident, Trump claimed that the racists were “very fine people.”
The election of Fairfax and other Democrats in Virginia is likely a direct response to that tragic incident.
Fairfax served as a federal prosecutor in Alexandria, Virginia, after graduating from Duke University and he also worked for Tipper Gore during Al Gore’s presidential campaign in 2000.
