House Republican Leader Todd Gilbert issued the following statement:

“I want to publicly thank Sylvia Bryant and Heather Mitchell for their hard work as our nominees in the 90th and 2nd House Districts. It takes a special kind of person to stand for public office. Running in a dark blue district isn’t easy. Running in the short sprint of a special election is even more difficult. Both of these candidates carried our banner proudly, and even though they came up short tonight, Republicans across Virginia should be proud of them and their teams for their hard work. I know I am.

“And while Heather Mitchell awaits the official canvass of the final results, the results in a Northern Virginia suburb should send a shudder down the spine of every Virginia Democrat. A district last won with a 61-39 margin has so far come down to just three points, in a race where the Republican was massively outspent nearly 4-1.

“The suburbs have seen what Virginia Democrats are doing in Richmond, and they’re not happy. They’ll be even less happy after they see what Democrats have planned in next week’s General Assembly session.”