Shit.

That’s what I posted on social media last. Shit. And it got a lot of replies. Only one person, in Germany, replied wondering what I was talking about. But I don’t create vague posts on social media. My nieces do that. I’ll often see something vague from one of the three of them like, “It’s the worst thing ever!” or “This is the end” or “Bitch, you’re gonna regret doing that!” After several years, I stopped worrying about these. They’re as frequent as their mirror selfies. But no, I wasn’t being vague and I didn’t have time to explain it to the German, who eventually figured it out and replied, “Oh …shit.”

Republican Glenn Youngkin won Virginia last night. The election was called after midnight. And, Democrats and liberals, he won. He won fairly….well the counting of ballots was fair and legal. Sure, he lied, gaslighted, demagogued, and dog whistled his way to the governor’s mansion, with the GOP lieutenant governor and attorney general riding on his coattails, but he won. Republicans are also poised to retake the House of Delegates, which would have been a firewall to Youngkin’s racist Trump agenda. Democrats will not sue, claim election fraud, say it was rigged, accuse non-documented immigrants and dead people of voting, demand a five-month Arizona-style recount from a recount first firm with no experience with the matter, blame bamboo ballots and Italian satellites, deny he won, refuse to concede, or stage a fascist coup attempt. He won. Shit.

Funny how Glenn Youngkin winning the race by less than 90,000 votes is free and legal yet losing by seven million is rigged. This is how it’s going to be from now on in this nation. Republicans will take election victories and praise free, fair, and how it was chock-full of juicy election fairness. But when they lose, they’re all going to claim it was rigged and stolen.

For me, the disappointment isn’t just that Glenn Youngkin won or that Terry McAuliffe lost after giving them a huge flub on a silver platter. It’s that I thought better of Virginia. Virginia, I’m seriously disappointed in you. Virginia, I just knew you were better. Virginia, I was wrong.

Virginia has been trending blue since President Obama won the state in 2008. He was the first Democratic presidential candidate to do so since LBJ. And while Virginia has a tradition of electing a governor in the opposite party of the one occupying the White House, it seemed Terry McAuliffe was going to destroy that tradition because he defied it in 2013. I thought Virginia was too good to go backward. I was wrong.

And while Youngkin barely won with about a two percent difference, I’m disappointed a lot of Democrats stayed home. The turnout was greater than expected, but it was still about a million less than the 2020 presidential election. I’m disappointed that Democrats don’t take these elections as seriously as Republicans do. I’m disappointed Virginia Democrats don’t understand the importance of these elections as well as Republicans.

I thought Virginia was too good to fall for the bullshit. Youngkin campaigned against Critical Race Theory being taught in public schools. Virginias bought racist dog whistle despite it not being taught in public schools.

Youngkin campaigned on Terry McAuliffe, President Biden, and attorney general Merrick Garland sending the FBI after parents for expressing their viewpoints at school board meetings. This hasn’t happened yet, Virginians bought it.

Youngkin didn’t point out these parents were issuing death threats to school officials. Virginia didn’t catch that or pay enough attention.

Youngkin ran a campaign ad featuring a parent accusing Terry McAuliffe of forcing really bad (black) books on her innocent baby…who was a senior in high school in an AP advanced reading course. They didn’t mention the book was Beloved, a very significant Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Toni Morrison, who was also awarded the Nobel Prize in literature.

Glenn Youngin made a proposal about school choice that can only be funded by taking money out of public schools and giving it to private schools (most of which were created to save poor little rich white kids from being forced to go to the same school as black kids in the 1960s). Virginia didn’t seem to notice.

Youngkin’s policies were all tied toTrump policies. If you don’t want to take my word for it, you can ask Trump goon Steve Bannon, who boasted about this. Except, Virginia didn’t ask Steve Bannon about this, not even while he was here campaigning for Youngin and saluting a flag used during a racist insurrection.

Virginia wasn’t disgusted enough with Youngkin supporters, along with Steve Bannon, pledging to a flag they claimed was waived at Trump’s insurrection.

Virginia wasn’t disgusted that Youngkin started his campaign by tying it to the Big Lie.

Virginia wasn’t disgusted that Youngkin accepted Trump’s endorsement and said he represented so many reasons why he was running.

Virginia wasn’t outraged that Youngkin refused to condemn the Charlottesville Nazis, but could condemn actors portraying Nazis.

Virginia wasn’t turned off by Youngkin’s racist dog whistles which were over Critical Race Theory. Yes, kids. Whenever a politician is crying about Critical Race Theory, which isn’t in any public school in the United States, it’s a code for racism.

Virginia wasn’t appalled that Youngkin is pro-book banning.

Virginia displayed a very short memory by forgetting the Trump agenda it voted hard against, then voting for a Trump candidate.

Virginia forgot the disaster of the Trump presidency, which it rejected last year by ten percent when it chose President Biden over Donald Trump, and just voted for those same Trump policies to become state policies.

Virginia fell for the hoodwink, blaming President Biden for the international problems of high gas prices and inflation, where started under Trump.

Virginia blamed President Biden for the supply chain problem, which hasn’t really hit Virginia yet and once again, started under Trump.

Virginia didn’t ask Youngkin about his position on abortion, for which he was caught on a hot mic saying he wouldn’t talk about it on the campaign because the majority of the state disagreed with his position on it. Virginia made it easy for Youngkin not to talk about it.

Virginia didn’t realize it was setting the stage for Republican victories in next year’s midterms, which will put Mitch McConnell back in charge of the United States Senate.

Virginia, voting to hurt Democrats in Washington for bickering and failing to deliver, doesn’t realize what it’s going to get from a U.S. House and Senate led by Mitch McConnell and Kevin McCarthy.

Virginia didn’t ask Youngkin if he’d duplicate policies by other Republican governors like Texas’ Greg Abbott and Florida’s Ron DeSantis.

Virginia didn’t ask if he would ban abortion like Abbot, or vaccine mandates like Abbott and DeSantis.

Virginia elected a candidate who is far right of the state’s moderate left.

Virginia, you voted stupid. I would have expected this from right-wing yee-haw states like Florida, Texas, Alabama, or even North Carolina. I would have expected this in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin. I didn’t expect it from you, Virginia.

Virginia, I thought you were better than this. I thought you were smarter than this. I was wrong.

Shit.

Signed prints: The signed prints are just $40.00 each. Every cartoon on this site is available. You can pay through PayPal. If you don’t like PayPal, you can snail mail it to Clay Jones, P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402. I can mail the prints directly to you or if you’re purchasing as a gift, directly to the person you’re gifting.

Notes on my book, Tales From The Trumpster Fire: There are TWENTY copies of my book in stock, which go for $45.00 each, signed. Also, I have copies of my first book from 1997, Knee-Deep in Mississippi available for $20.00.

Tip Jar: if you want to support the cartoonist, please send a donation through PayPal to clayjonz@gmail.com. You can also snail it to P.O. Box 3721, Fredericksburg, VA 22402.

Watch me draw: