Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, fended off a leadership challenge to win reelection as the House Republican leader at a GOP caucus on Sunday.
Del. Mike Cherry, R-Colonial Heights, had also sought the post in the wake of the recent state elections that saw House Republicans lose 13 seats. In the end, Republicans did not appear to hold Kilgore responsible for those losses, which came in an election where the party’s gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears won the lowest share of the vote for any Republican candidate for governor in Virginia since 1965. The new House that convenes in January will have 64 Democrats and 36 Republicans, the most Democrats and fewest Republicans since the 1988-89 session.
Kilgore had only been the Republican leader since June, when Todd Gilbert resigned as he awaited a short-lived appointment as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia.
In a statement Sunday, Kilgore said: “I’m honored to once again earn the trust of my colleagues to serve as House Republican Leader. I’m grateful for their confidence, and I’m ready to get to work immediately. With discipline, focus and a full cycle of planning we will rebuild, reconnect, and deliver a message that resonates with voters across Virginia.”
House Republicans reelected Michael Webert of Fauquier County as whip and chose Scott Wyatt of Hanover County as caucus chair. The previous chair, Amanda Batten of James City County, lost her reelection bid.
House Democrats had earlier reelected their leadership team without opposition: Don Scott of Portsmouth for speaker, Charnielle Herring of Alexandria for majority leader and Kathy Tran of Fairfax County for caucus chair.