The Virginia Democrats gained their third victory of the night with Jay Jones winning the attorney general race.

The closest race of the night, Jay Jones pulled ahead of incumbent Jason Miyares by a few thousand votes, despite a public scandal involving leaked text messages of him fantasizing about the murder of a Republican state senator and his children.

Congressman Don Beyer of the 8th district of Virginia is present at the Alexandria Democratic Watch Party.

Beyer spoke about the Democratic victory, stating “this is the first step to take back the house. 64 days until we take the next step forward.”

The outcome of the Virginia governor’s race is a stepping stone in the Democrats’ pushback against the Trump Administration.

The Democrats gained their second victory of the night with Ghazala Hashmi’s win in the lieutenant governor’s race.

Hashmi will become the first Muslim woman to hold statewide office in the United States.

The attorney general race remains too close to call.

The Alexandria Democratic watch party is happening right now in Del Ray, at Pork Barrel BBQ.

As the race is now called for the governor’s election, the Alexandria Dems are in high spirits.

The most notable presence at the party tonight is Sheriff Sean Casey and Mayor Aliya Gaskins.

As the rest of the polls are not yet called, the party continues in anticipation of the other gubernatorial results.

The crowd is still growing as the hour goes on.

With 55% of the vote just an hour after the polls closed, Abigail Spanberger is already projected to win the election, becoming the first female governor of Virginia.

The lieutenant governor and attorney general races are still too close to call.

Ghazala Hashmi leads the lieutenant governor race with 52.8% of the vote over John Reid’s 42.3%.

The attorney general race between Jay Jones and Jason Miyares is currently tied at 49.8%.

Voting continues all over Alexandria this afternoon. After the morning and lunch rush, the flow of voters has decreased, but Alexandrians are still committed to having their voices heard. The polls expect to see a rise in voters around 5 p.m. as people return from work. Diverse groups of people of many ages are coming to precincts all over the city.

Tents and tables from the Alexandria Democratic Committee continue to be present outside almost every precinct across the city, providing sample ballots with the Democratic candidates. The Alexandria Republican City Committee is more prominent at polls this afternoon, appearing at tables and talking to voters at some precincts, but less frequently and not as strong as the Democrats.

Voters still firmly believe this election is important for the Commonwealth. Charlie, a voter at the Charles Houston Rec Center, noted, “It is kind of the last chance you really could [vote], and I think it’s important as American citizens to participate in general elections like these and it is our civic duty to do so. And it is what makes our country so fantastic.”

Sam, a voter at the James K. Polk precinct, responded similarly, saying, “I have always felt that it is my civic duty to vote, and that democracy requires people to be informed and participate and make their voices heard for it to succeed.”

Additionally, the topic of the government shutdown has emerged as an increasingly important issue for Alexandria residents. Raad Haddad, a voter at the Charles Houston Rec Center precinct, says that the shutdown was the reason he decided to come out and vote. “I lost my job because of the shutdown,” he said.

Another federal worker at Charles Houston, who chose to remain anonymous, cited the shutdown as one of the reasons she came out as well. “The shutdown has been very impactful, and I think we need leaders that will care about federal workers, and in the broader picture, the people of the United States. And I am not seeing any of that on the national level, so I think that having folks at the state level who have the care for the people is important.”

As for the issues that are important to voters this election, there are many that draw citizens to the polls.

Democracy, the current presidential administration and many aspects of the current condition of the federal government and country proved to contribute to voters’ decisions in this election.

Kevin Armer stated, “Protecting democracy and making sure we still have a Rule of Law in the country” were very important issues to him during this election. He continued this sentiment, stating, “I think in these off election years it’s really important to vote and send a message to the administration. And Virginia [has] a really important role this year and we have an opportunity to really make our voices heard”

Many others agreed with him. Ford Morrison similarly said the election “obviously is [important] but not just for Virginia.” He said it is “also important for Virginia to vote the right way so the rest of the country either sees what we are doing and follows suit or at least we make a little change here.”

Another issue for many is the recent release of attorney general candidate Jay Jones’s personal text messages imagining the deaths of then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his children.

Maria, a voter at the Durant Center precinct, said, “One of the things that was most important to me was the whole text leak situation with the Attorney General.”

Gregg Serenbetz, a voter at George Washington Middle, shares a similar sentiment. “[Jones] saying that he wants to see the children of political opponents killed is a big issue.”

With over 30,000 federal employees living in Alexandria city and Arlington County, the government shutdown is also very important to Alexandira citizens and impacted their decision today. Juile, a voter at the Durant Center this morning commented on this issue, saying “The shutdown is important, who is going to get that moving and if the Democrats or Republicans are going to get their acts together.”

Issues like health care, medicare cost of living, trans rights, political violence and education were also on people’s minds when voting today.

Walking through the polls at many locations, there is a plethora of Alexandria Democrat tables and no Republican representation.

With Alexandria being a completely blue city, Republican campaigning is not likely to win the ballot in this city, nor much of Northern Virginia.

Earle-Sears’ campaign included appearances in Northern Virginia in areas like Purcellville and Fairfax, both blue districts. However, her following is most concentrated in rural Virginia.

As for Spanberger, her appearances in Norfolk with former President Barack Obama and Richmond signal a strong following in the capital city and the rest of Northern Virginia.

The polls are up and running in Alexandria. Steady streams of voters have been coming to cast their ballots since the precincts opened at 6 a.m. and the polling places appear to be lively centers of community.

At George Washington Middle School, a bake sale supporting the PTA is available to voters as they exit the polls and a similar sale is also open at the Durant Center polling location supporting the Jefferson-Houston School.

The GWMS orchestra also organized a busking performance outside of the polls in the midmorning, playing tunes like “The Final Countdown” and “Lift Every Voice And Sing” for the voters walking past.

Tents and tables from the Alexandria Democratic Committee are present outside of almost every precinct across the city, providing sample ballots with the Democratic candidates marked for voters to use in the polls. The Alexandria Republican City Committee seems to not have any presence at the polls.

Voters at the polls view this election as crucial for the state. Kevin Amer, a voter at the Durant Center, says that the election is important given the political state of the country. “I think with everything going on with this administration, it is important for voters to make a statement, if they are like me and are not okay with what is going on.”

Voter Kennedy Gillie shares a similar view. She says that she normally does not vote in local elections, but she “[doesn’t] like the way things are going in the country right now” and wanted to “try and get out and work at the state level.”

Voter Lauren, who chose not to give her last name, says that she “absolutely” believes this election is crucial. “I want to set a good example for my daughter. I come from a proud family of voters.”