by Michael Martz at The Richmond Times Dispatch
Republicans plan to elect a new speaker and majority leader in the House of Delegates on Sunday evening, but they could face recounts in two close House elections that, if enough votes were to shift, could force them to share power with Democrats when a new General Assembly convenes in January.
Del. Martha Mugler, D-Hampton, and Del. Alex Askew, D-Virginia Beach, trail their Republican challengers by less than half a percentage point of the votes cast in each of the two Hampton Roads districts. That entitles the two Democrats to ask their local circuit courts to grant them recounts at state expense.
Mugler and Askew would have to wait for the State Board of Elections to certify the votes on Monday before petitioning the courts for recounts.
By then, Republicans are expected to have decided on new leaders to govern the chamber and their majority party caucus. The caucus is scheduled to vote in Richmond on Sunday evening on whether to elect Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, as the next speaker of the House and Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, as the next majority leader.
Gilbert said in a statement Tuesday that local electoral boards in Hampton Roads on Tuesday certified that the Republican candidates had prevailed in both contests, solidifying the GOP’s new majority.
“Today’s certification by the local electoral boards make it official: Karen Greenhalgh and A.C. Cordoza have prevailed in House Districts 85 and 91,” Gilbert said. “I again congratulate the delegates-elect on their win, and look forward to working with them as members of our 52-member Republican House majority.”…