House Editor David Wasserman writes: In many ways, Virginia is a microcosm of the nation's politics. It's a mélange of high-income, socially liberal suburban voters (Fairfax County), flag and family southern conservatives (South Side, the Shenandoah Valley and some of Tidewater), and even Appalachian coal country pockets where the once-dominant Democratic Party may be exhibiting rigor mortis (Southwest Virginia). Although Virginia's black population is higher than the national average and its growing Hispanic population is several points lower, its overall minority share of the electorate mirrors the nation.
Of course, it's a quintessential swing state: President Obama won 53 percent here in 2008, and President Bush took 54 percent in 2004. Democrats took six of the state's 11 House seats in 2008, and Republicans took eight in 2010. So whenever there's a fresh opportunity to gauge which way the wind is blowing in the Old Dominion, it's especially worth taking. Luckily, there's a perfect opportunity tomorrow.
With partisan control teetering on the edge in today's Virginia Senate elections, the question is, has the political environment really changed since 2010? If
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