CHARLOTTESVILLE (WINA/AP) – Virginia Democrats who campaigned on protecting abortion rights have swept this year’s legislative elections, retaking full control of the General Assembly after two years of divided power. The Charlottesville area did its part in sending Democrat Creigh Deeds back to the state Senate, just in a different district number 11, with nearly 66% of the vote over Republican challenger Phil Hamilton with 34%.

Our area helped flip the House of Delegates sending Democrat and former Charlottesville School Board member Amy Laufer to Richmond with 61% of the vote over Republican Steve Harvey’s 39%. Even though the district number has changed, that essentially flips a seat that’s been held by Rob Bell for more than 20 years after he first decided not to run for re-election in the redrawn district… then resigned last month from the legislature to take a job in State Attorney General Jason Miyares’ office.

And Democrat Katrina Callsen ran unopposed for the new 54th House District… a district that looks like Sally Hudson’s current district, but she is leaving the General Assembly after losing the 11th Senate District Democratic primary to Deeds.

Tuesday’s outcome is a sharp loss for Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who exerted a great deal of energy, money and political capital on an effort to secure a GOP trifecta.