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Can a Democrat newly famous for losing turn defeat into political gold?
People in search of a conspiracy theory need to head down to the bolded part.
Retweeted by David Fahrenthold: https://twitter.com/Fahrenthold
“It was ‘Every vote counts,’ a beautiful story, and then it morphs into a darker story — you can play tricks and a judge can decide an election" -- Shelly Simonds of VA, who sounds like she has not accepted defeat after name-drawing to break a tied race
Link to tweet
Virginia Politics
Can a Democrat newly famous for losing turn defeat into political gold?
By Paul Schwartzman January 8 at 6:07 PM
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The instant Shelly Simonds walked into an Italian restaurant near her home the other day, a booth full of diners rose from their seats to hug and console her. ... “This is one hot mess,” another diner volunteered when Simonds wandered by.
For an excruciating moment last week, Simonds was America’s most-talked-about political loser, a distinction she earned after her defeat in an electoral game of chance that was broadcast live across the country on CNN. ... Simonds, a Democrat who may still challenge the outcome, had thought she lost the race for the Virginia House of Delegates by 10 votes on election night, only to learn after a recount that she had won by a single vote. ... The astonishing turn momentarily threatened the GOP’s 18-year majority in the House of Delegates and transformed Simonds into an improbable, if fleeting, star of cable news shows.
....
Her list of what-might-have-beens includes something that has nothing to do with ceramic bowls or recounts. ... It’s the unopened cardboard box she found in her campaign headquarters days after the election. Inside were the names and addresses of hundreds of targeted voters her volunteers needed to reach on Election Day to get them to the polls.
No one from her campaign had knocked on those doors. ... With the election so close, Simonds knows that a handful of those voters could have made the difference. ... “I was stunned when I found that box,” Simonds said.
....
Paul Schwartzman specializes in political profiles and narratives about life, death and everything in between. Follow @paulschwartzman
Can a Democrat newly famous for losing turn defeat into political gold?
By Paul Schwartzman January 8 at 6:07 PM
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The instant Shelly Simonds walked into an Italian restaurant near her home the other day, a booth full of diners rose from their seats to hug and console her. ... “This is one hot mess,” another diner volunteered when Simonds wandered by.
For an excruciating moment last week, Simonds was America’s most-talked-about political loser, a distinction she earned after her defeat in an electoral game of chance that was broadcast live across the country on CNN. ... Simonds, a Democrat who may still challenge the outcome, had thought she lost the race for the Virginia House of Delegates by 10 votes on election night, only to learn after a recount that she had won by a single vote. ... The astonishing turn momentarily threatened the GOP’s 18-year majority in the House of Delegates and transformed Simonds into an improbable, if fleeting, star of cable news shows.
....
Her list of what-might-have-beens includes something that has nothing to do with ceramic bowls or recounts. ... It’s the unopened cardboard box she found in her campaign headquarters days after the election. Inside were the names and addresses of hundreds of targeted voters her volunteers needed to reach on Election Day to get them to the polls.
No one from her campaign had knocked on those doors. ... With the election so close, Simonds knows that a handful of those voters could have made the difference. ... “I was stunned when I found that box,” Simonds said.
....
Paul Schwartzman specializes in political profiles and narratives about life, death and everything in between. Follow @paulschwartzman
If the people who intend to vote for you don't make it to the polls, you are already playing catch up.
