LANSDOWNE, Va. — Enthusiasm among Northern Virginia Republicans grew throughout election night during a GOP party in Lansdowne. They cheered and called out candidate names as winning GOP races flashed across the scene.
Early in the night, the Associated Press and others called Virginia for Joe Biden, but hours later, officials told WUSA9 they still believed it was too early to call.
The event was set up to celebrate the GOP volunteers in Northern Virginia, according to 10th District Republican Chairman Geary Higgins.
“Our message to them is just thanking them for all their hard work,” he said.
This event is different than anything we’ve seen in recent election history because of the pandemic safety measures in place. The tables were a bit further apart than usual. Officials kept track of how many people were in the room. They handed out masks and setup hand sanitizer on tables, although WUSA9 observed a lot of people not wearing those masks.
Higgins believes in all his years in politics, this is the most engagement he’s ever seen.
“This year has been pretty amazing and given the fact that we've had this pandemic, it's even more amazing because that has limited people's access to information,” he said.
The other message from party leadership was patience for what is likely to be a long process.
“I would tell everybody to just hang in there,” Higgins said. “See what happens and see how it plays out. I think that ultimately, it's going to come out with the right decision for those that are here. I'm prejudiced about that I'm sure.”
The unanswered question lingering throughout the night was once every vote has been counted and the results are certified, how do Republicans plan to move forward?
“I think when you have an election and then you have a decision," Higgins said, "you accept that decision and we start working together, for everybody, for the people and not trying to undermine everything that one side or the other is trying to do."