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Kepubucans naa maae real strides toward eventual control of the House of Delegates before Democrats socked it to them this year and placed 15 Republicans and one independent incumbent together in eight districts. It was as blatant a case of reapportionment for political purposes as have ever occurred in the nation, and yet a federal court panel said there is nothing wrong with gerrymandering so long as districts meet one-man, one-vote requirements and give fair representation to minority groups.
Republicans presently hold 39 of the 100 House seats. If they can stay near that number this year, then big opportunities may await them for further gains as the decade progresses. And though the GOP now has just 10 of the 40 Senate seats, some party strategists believe they can increase that number by a couple this fall.
Once the voters help sort things out, a lame duck General Assembly will return to Richmond to take care of congressional redistricting that will add one new district to the existing 10 and very likely result in the election of the first black in modem times as a member of the state’s congressional delegation.
House Democrats will also be faced with the momentous decision of replacing Speaker of the House A.L. Philpott, who died recently. The frontrunners seem to be
94.1%