GOP Scores Massive Victory in Special Election Congressional Race that Holds Majorly Good News Before the November Midterms
Republican Andrew Rice defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith in the March 17, 2026, special election for Virginia House of Delegates District 98, winning 62.5%–37.5%. The seat opened after the death of longtime Republican Delegate Barry Knight.
Rice, a Virginia Beach Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney and political newcomer, delivered a 25-point landslide that outperformed recent GOP margins in the district. Virginia Republicans hailed the result as strong conservative momentum and voter rejection of Democratic control in Richmond, especially ahead of the April 21 redistricting amendment vote.
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Noting the major upset, a political analyst said, “Congratulations, Andrew Rice! Do not let anyone in the media convince you that this wasn’t a seismic result. Andrew outran Trump by a significant margin. Voters are FIRED UP and ready to vote against Democrats. Great sign for the VOTE NO campaign.”
Another post to social media noted, “HOLY CRAP! Republicans just scored a +14 point OVER PERFORMANCE in the Virginia House of Delegates District 98 Special Election. Andrew Rice (R) defeats Cheryl Smith (D) by 28+ points, in the Trump+14 district,” joking, “Apply liberals’ logic, this means a RED TSUNAMI is coming
BIG GOP WIN: Republicans just flipped momentum in Virginia HD-98 special election! Andrew Rice (R) crushes it with ~+25-29 point lead/margin in a district that leaned Sears +7 in November’s election. That’s a massive ~22+ point swing toward the Republicans!
Explaining the possible motivations, a post asserted, “This isn’t just a win—it’s a resounding rejection of the radical left’s agenda in Richmond. I predict there will be major backlash against the policies of Governor of Virginia—the people are furious. High taxes, out-of-control spending, soft-on-crime nonsense, and woke overreach have finally hit a breaking point.”
The same source declared, “Virginians are waking up and saying ENOUGH. This district in Virginia Beach—once competitive—has flipped hard red because voters are sick of Democrat failures. America First policies work.”
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“Lower taxes, secure borders, law and order, protecting our kids—the GOP is delivering, and voters are rewarding it. Big warning shot to the left: Your time is up. The red wave is building, and 2026/2028 is going to be brutal for you,” the user concluded.
Reacting to the major win, the Virginia GOP stated, “Congratulations to Andrew Rice on winning the special election for the 98th House of Delegates district! Andrew is a common-sense conservative leader who will push back against Democrat extremism and fight for policies that benefit working families.”
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Replying to the state GOP, one comment noted, “Resounding victory. Voters are not down with gerrymandering or higher taxes or the loss of 2A rights that the Dems pushed thru.” Another added, “Four months in, and Dems have already overplayed their hand in VA. Thank God Virginians have noticed.”
One conservative woman said, “Make sure that you tell Virginians in the midterms EVERYTHING that Spanberger & democRATS are doing to the residents, from taxes to gun right violations to deviants in women’s bathrooms & ask them if that’s what they want done to them by the Federal government too!”
JUST IN: Trump Makes Major White House Staff Shakeup Ahead Of Midterms
President Donald Trump is making a major personnel move at the White House just weeks before the midterm elections, elevating longtime legal ally Will Scharf to serve as White House counsel.
Scharf, who had been serving as White House staff secretary, will replace David Warrington in one of the administration’s most important legal posts as Republicans brace for a possible wave of Democratic investigations if control of Congress shifts.
Trump announced the move Saturday and made clear he has confidence in Scharf.
‘I know Will well!’ Trump wrote on social media on Saturday, praising him as ‘tough, strong, and smart.’
Warrington is expected to leave the administration and return to the private sector.
Scharf, 40, has become one of Trump’s most trusted legal hands and previously represented him in major personal legal battles, including the Supreme Court fight tied to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case.
‘Will Scharf will do a great job as White House Counsel!’ Trump added.
As staff secretary, Scharf handled legal memos, policy documents and other materials requiring the president’s attention, giving him a front-row seat to the administration’s day-to-day operations.
He also became a familiar face during White House signing ceremonies, where Trump would often call on him to explain executive orders and legal actions to reporters.
The promotion places Scharf in a far more consequential role as the administration prepares for what could be a bruising political and legal fight after the midterms.
If Democrats capture the House, they are expected to use committee power aggressively against Donald Trump and his administration, setting up subpoenas, investigations and potential courtroom battles.
Scharf’s legal background makes him a natural fit for that fight.
Before joining Trump’s second administration, he served on the president’s personal legal team and helped lead work on the Supreme Court case involving Smith.
Scharf has also been appointed to the National Capital Planning Commission, where he has helped advance the legal case for Trump’s sweeping renovation plans across Washington.
Those projects have become a repeated target of liberal legal challenges as Trump pushes to reshape parts of the nation’s capital.
Scharf has not always simply rubber-stamped every proposal, however.
He previously raised concerns about suspending habeas corpus rights for illegal immigrants, drafting a memo warning that such a move could face major legal challenges.
He also drew attention in September after being caught on a hot mic joking that ‘our brand is crisis,’ a reference to the political comedy film starring Sandra Bullock.
Scharf is part of the so-called ‘Missouri Mafia,’ an informal circle of conservative legal and political figures from the state who now hold influential positions in Washington.
The group includes Sens. Josh Hawley and Eric Schmitt, Solicitor General John Sauer, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Jesus Osete and FBI Deputy Director Andrew Bailey.
Before entering the Trump orbit, Scharf served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Missouri and later ran unsuccessfully for Missouri attorney general in 2024.
His promotion gives Trump another battle-tested conservative lawyer in a top White House role at a moment when the administration is preparing for both a critical election and the possibility of renewed Democratic lawfare from Capitol Hill.
WATCH: Cory Booker Has Screaming Senate Meltdown after Dems Lose Yet another Critical Congressional Battle
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) erupted during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting as Republicans moved forward with Todd Blanche’s nomination to serve as Attorney General. He launched into a fit of shouting about President Donald Trump, Blanche, and his GOP colleagues. The New Jersey Democrat accused Republicans of obsessing over the Biden family while ignoring what he claimed were far larger conflicts involving the Trump family.
The outburst came as the committee considered whether to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate. Booker made clear that he believed Democrats had lost the fight to stop the nomination at the committee level, repeatedly accusing his Republican colleagues of abandoning congressional oversight. He also claimed Blanche could not be trusted to act independently from Trump if confirmed as the nation’s top law enforcement official.
“Ridiculous! The corruption that we have normalized in America, that presidents’ children can go out and sit on boards and make money — that is wrong and that is corrupting,” Booker shouted. He then acknowledged the millions of dollars associated with the Biden family before accusing Republicans of applying a wildly different standard to Trump. “But they have become so obsessed with the millions that the Bidens have made that they have ignored completely the billions of dollars that the Trump family is making,” he said.
Booker’s remarks then took a wild turn. “That is like being obsessed and using a magnifying glass to study the stain on the living room carpet, when behind you is a mountain of excrement covering the living room couch and coffee table,” he declared. “This is so outrageous. The lack of proportionality going on of my colleagues. It is laughable.”
The senator continued raising his voice as he accused Trump of profiting from the Presidency through cryptocurrency and business arrangements involving his children. “This is absolutely insane that we have a president of the United States that has now made $2 billion doing what?” Booker said. He mocked the idea that the money reflected ordinary business success: “Wow, he’s such a shrewd businessman. Let me create my own crypto coin and have foreign nations invest in it.”
Booker also alleged that corporations were placing Trump’s children on boards and awarding them contracts, though he did not identify a specific company or contract. “Oh, and by the way, if you are a corporation in America, put my children on the board and they’ll get no-bid contracts,” he said. He then turned his anger back toward the committee itself, arguing that its members had failed to police executive power.
Watch Senator Booker’s meltdown here:
https://rumble.com/v7dq4kq-cory-booker-melts-down-the-moment-he-realizes-dems-just-lost-another-fight.html?e9s=src_v1_sa%2Csrc_v5_sa_o%2Csrc_v1_ucp_a
“We are — this is the Judiciary Committee. We’re supposed to be checking and balancing this nation,” Booker said. He blamed collapsing trust in government on what he described as lawmakers abandoning their responsibilities. “Why have people on both sides of the aisle given up on any trust in government? It’s because we’re surrendering any shred of integrity left.”
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The Democrat then warned that advancing Blanche would place too much power in the hands of someone he believed would protect Trump. “And now we’re letting an Attorney General become the highest law enforcement officer in the land, and putting no holds whatsoever,” he said. Booker claimed he had spent two weeks hoping the committee would impose some kind of safeguard before allowing the nomination to advance.
“I had hope for two weeks that we would get something, two weeks that we would have something substantive to stop the world’s greatest presidential tax cheat from cheating, and we’ve done nothing,” Booker said. “And this man is going to now sail to the floor, and history is going to show it. I know what’s gonna come out in history on this president, and I know what’s gonna come out on Todd.”
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