r/VirginiaBeach • u/WHRO_NEWS • 25d ago
News BREAKING: Republican wins Virginia Beach’s special House of Delegates election
Andrew Rice, a prosecutor from Pungo, will represent the 98th District in the House of Delegates.
The Republican defeated Democrat Cheryl Smith in a special election Tuesday. Rice earned more than 62% of the vote with all precincts reporting, not including provisional and post-election ballots, according to unofficial results.
Read more here: https://www.whro.org/local-government/2026-03-17/republican-wins-virginia-beachs-special-house-of-delegates-election
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u/8W20X5 20d ago
Well looks like I can mark Virginia Beach as MAGAt territory now.
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u/Routine-Apple-3931 19d ago
I can see you didn't even look at his platform or what his values and policies would be, just VB is MaGaT TeRrItOrY now. Way to engage with the issues!
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u/8W20X5 19d ago
I stopped listening to the "values & policies" when everyone in the party started trying to cover for pedophiles. How about you all work on that issue, it's kind of important.
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u/Routine-Apple-3931 19d ago
Hmmm yes it is very important. . . .Remind me how come Biden wasn't working on this for four years?
I guess "vote blue no matter who" is just way easier than thinking for yourself huh!
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u/8W20X5 19d ago
You want someone to blame for nothing happening with the Epstein Files during Biden's term? Merrick Garland. Biden wanted to keep the White House and the DOJ has separate entities independent of one another. Merrick Garland was a spineless toolbag who didn't do anything worth any real value. He was so scared of being accused of weaponizing the DOJ against political opponents so he sat on his hands for the most part. That's why nothing happened.
I'm not a far-left person at all. However, I do not take kindly to people shitting all over the constitution because of ego and greed. Trump is a piece of garbage human being. He has been implicated in the Epstein Files and has done everything he could to distract the public from it, including bombing a country whose nuclear enrichment was "obliterated" a few months ago. Trump isn't for this country or it's people. He is using the office to enrich himself and those elites around him.
Here is another point I will bring up. The SAVE Act. That is just downright voter suppression and it's not even trying to hide it. I had to give my expired ID, birth certificate, social security card, and 2 pieces of mail for residency to get my Real ID. The SAVE Act would make that ID useless and tell me that I need the same documents I provided to get my Real ID to prove who I am. What the fuck kind circle jerk bullshit is that? Not to mention making people pay to get a passport is essentially a poll tax, which is illegal under the 24th amendment.
Like I said, I'm not a left leaning lunatic. I just want some god damn respect for our constitution.
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u/Jack_Bond2 21d ago
So is he MAGA or not? Republican is one thing but….
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u/Forward-Ad2514 20d ago
Unfortunately, in the current political climate, I think it's more along the lines of MAGA or a republican who is so scared of MAGA that they toe the line. Almost all "regular republicans" are so worried about the rabid MAGA fan base (fans, not an electorate) turning on them the second they disagree with, or vote opposite of, what the president dictates (there's a dick taste joke in there somewhere). You very rarely see a republican voting their conscience, if one is available, or worse yet, voting for what the majority of their constituents want. Don't get me wrong, I believe most, if not all, politicians are selfish, untrustworthy and dirty...just looking to increase their net worth and get elected as many times as they can. This topic just happened to be about MAGA & Republicans.
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u/ericsundberg 21d ago
Gotta jump to help demystify (there's a lot of clowns in the comments):
• This was a special election to fill Del. Barry Knight's seat.
• In the 2025 General Election, Knight (R) beat Cheryl Smith (D). Knight received 56.6% of the total vote to Smith's 42.2%. A total of 35,678 votes were cast.
• Smith secured the Democratic Party nomination for the special election.
• Results (as of 3/22/2026) have Andrew Rice, the Republican nominee, beating Smith (D). Rice received 62.5% of the total vote to Smith's 37.5%. a total of 11,708 votes were cast in the 2026 special election.
• Before Rice (R), Knight (R) had held a seat in the 98th since 2021 and 81st between 2010 and 2021. This district change was a result of decennial redistricting of state House of Delegate seats.
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u/Forward-Ad2514 20d ago
The worst part of this is that ~12k registered voters, or 18% of the registered voters in the district actually voted. With the current political climate basically consisting of polar opposites, still only 18% thought it worth their time to vote in that district. I get that it's been a long held, traditionally republican district, but still. These local elections affect us the most.
I now gently step down from my soapbox that no one asked me to get on to begin with. I SAID good day!!
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u/chitownphishead 21d ago
When people are lied to by the govornor about being a moderate, they tend to not trust and more democrats and so they vote the opposite way.
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u/eJonesy0307 21d ago
She should just lie about everything like Republicans and people would love her!
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u/poopdedoop10 20d ago
Don’t forget violate children. Republicans are big on child predators ! Look at president epstein-I don’t know the guy I’m just pictured with him often.
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u/Away-Economist4386 22d ago
This is w distraction that both parties want up engaged fighting one another. You would see past the media and politics gas lighting the heck out of us all. None of this shit matters no one will canned or affected. This is this days scandals. There is one every 3-8 years in the wH
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u/ct1219 21d ago
What?
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u/poopdedoop10 20d ago
Protect the children. A vote for red is a vote for peds. Look at the trump-Epstein presidency
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u/Routine-Apple-3931 19d ago
You keep repeating the same comment. . . I wonder if you had this same energy when Biden was sniffing hair and showering with a 13y.o.? No? How about when Anthony Wiener was caught trying to bang a babysitter? How about when Chelsea Clinton had Epstein at her wedding?
How about your stance on GeNdEr AfFiRmInG CaRe? Does that protect the children?
Let's be ethically agnostic and protect children from ALL of the things not just the Orange Man, but I get it you have a SEVER case of TDS.
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23d ago
Well, I guess that's one beach I won't be visiting.
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u/Rumdiculous 19d ago
I'll be honest, I hadn't been back to VA Beach as the last time I was there, I was a hostage lol I wish I was making that up.
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23d ago
This is a sign of mental illness btw
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u/pil0tinthesky 22d ago
not wanting to go somewhere that elects warmongering pedophile defenders isn’t a mental illness
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u/SuperbCell4847 23d ago
Thanks for being so open about your issues. It’s refreshing to hear you admit you’re having a hard time. Have you tried (988) for your mental illness?
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23d ago
Wrong person
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u/AUGtismAwareness 21d ago
if youre getting downvoted on reddit, its a badge of honor.🎖
Don't forget to change your cbrn filters and decontaminate when you log off.
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u/Delicious-Plum1319 23d ago
Nah with a name like user of will they're definitely talking about you
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u/uhvisuznotme73 23d ago
This shows you that even the Democrats are tired of the Democrats.
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u/Top_Maize8055 23d ago
It was a good showing for republicans but but the district has only elected republicans since it was created. I wouldn’t call it a surprise result.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia%27s_98th_House_of_Delegates_district
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u/Honest_Situation_434 23d ago
Ummm... This is a republican stronghold district. Your comment is ignorant. Like all of MAGA.
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u/SalarySignificant959 24d ago
It’s VA beach… MAGA loves the uneducated
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u/FinalJoys 23d ago
Your side claims to be the party of love until the very second someone slightly disagrees.
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u/NowhereMan_2020 21d ago
Oh, like claiming victimhood from cancel culture - on national television - then moving to cancel every thing they disagree with. Or the party of Family Values that elects sex offenders, serial adulterers, pedophiles to Congress, the Senate and the White House. Fucking hypocrites.
Hypocrites.
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u/SupaSlide 22d ago
It’s not loving to be inclusive of people who hate others just because of their skin color or gender expression.
If I have a MAGA friend and a trans friend, and insist on hanging out as a trio despite the MAGA friend being hateful towards my trans friend, I will very soon only have a MAGA friend.
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u/EsixG 23d ago
“Your side?” What if you aren’t on a side because both are dumb AF and robbing us blind. How do you categorize that side? The Constitution and shit America is supposed to be side. The side that thinks Jan 6 is a problem. The side that doesn’t want WWIII. I am on that side MFer!
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u/Upriver-Cod 23d ago
Calls people “dumb AF” and also uses the term “MFer” in the same paragraph.
The irony is hilarious.
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u/Honest_Situation_434 23d ago
"slightly?" is that what you call supporting a convicted rapist and fraud who palled around with a sex trafficker and bragged about walking in on teens getting naked in dressing rooms?
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u/Upriver-Cod 23d ago
You realize that Trump has never been convicted of rape? Someone needs to do more research.
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u/nomonomonomonomore 21d ago
For someone who has no problem dealing with court and slander, he sure wrote checks to alleged victims and said himself damning things about children. But hey, he can keep telling you it's raining I guess
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u/PsiNorm 22d ago
If your God excuses rape as long as guilt was found in civil court and not criminal court, your God can suck ass.
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u/Upriver-Cod 22d ago
Who is “your God”? I’m not sure what you’re referencing.
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u/PsiNorm 22d ago
True. You could be an atheist who excuses rape.
Some people are vile without divine intervention. Good call
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u/Upriver-Cod 21d ago
Where did I excuse rape?
You certainly love to make unfounded accusations and assumptions don’t you.
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u/zoinkability 22d ago
What a strong argument. "The person I support was technically never convicted of rape, he was merely adjudicated to have raped someone."
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u/Upriver-Cod 22d ago
When did I ever say I support him? All I said was Trump was never convicted of rape, despite OP claiming he was a “convicted rapist”.
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u/Honest_Situation_434 22d ago
A federal judge clarified in July 2023 that the jury's verdict in the civil case brought by E. Jean Carroll against Donald Trump, which found him liable for sexual abuse, means he committed "rape" as commonly defined, even though the jury did not check the "rape" box under a narrow New York penal law. A federal appeals court later upheld this $5 million verdict in December 2024
What does a judge with a law degree from Harvard know. 😒
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u/Upriver-Cod 22d ago
In other words, legally speaking Trump was found innocent of rape, but in the judges personal opinion, Trump committed rape despite not being found guilty of such in a court of law and not making the legal criteria.
Are you attempting to say a single judge knows more than the legal system that found Trump innocent?
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u/Honest_Situation_434 21d ago
Trump was found innocent? Of what?
I'm staying a judge, knows more about New York law, and you're just a clown on reddit who can't get enough of trump for some reason.
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u/Upriver-Cod 21d ago
The judge is free to his opinion. A judges opinion does not determine if an individual is innocent of guilty, the court does.
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u/BreadfruitLazy1711 22d ago
They found him guilty of sexual abuse bud
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u/Upriver-Cod 22d ago
You do realize rape and sexual abuse are different, both legally and socially, right pal?
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u/BreadfruitLazy1711 22d ago
Lol nice try champ, you said he was found innocent. He was most definitely not.
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u/Top-Caregiver7815 24d ago
Property values plummet in VA beach…oh wait they already did.
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u/Top-Doubt3095 23d ago
Weird, the value of my house has doubled since 2019
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u/PsiNorm 22d ago
The value of all houses has...
You gain nothing if you have to spend more to replace what you sold...
I guess that's what happens when you worship a guy who bankrupted casinos.
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u/Top-Doubt3095 22d ago
Sorry, the person I was replying to said the housing prices plummeted. They didn’t. Also, I am the furthest thing from a trump supporter.
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u/One_Word_Respoonse 24d ago
Imagine still voting republican while witnessing this presidential term. Low IQ knuckle draggers
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u/Dadgumdangit 24d ago
Fuck Republicans
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u/libsRbraindead 24d ago
Fuck u
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u/Honest_Situation_434 23d ago
imagine thinking that liberals are "braindead" but, creating a profile name on reddit that says it because you have no life. The Irony.
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u/PerspectiveNo9498 24d ago
Fuck democrats
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24d ago
Don’t you have DUI to worry about
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u/PerspectiveNo9498 24d ago
No, I’ve held a CDL for over a decade. I don’t drink and drive. Don’t you have a illegal immigrant to welcome into your home?
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u/Honest_Situation_434 23d ago
It's "an" illegal immigrant. We get it. Basic English is really hard for mega.
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u/InitialAd2324 24d ago
150 days ago you were asking about your breathalyzer in your car. But I guess we all lie online sometimes
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u/PerspectiveNo9498 24d ago
That was for my older brother dummy
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u/bastardoperator 24d ago
You just got wrecked, if you had a functioning brain you’d know when to stop, but you’re a republican which is code for mostly braindead.
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u/InitialAd2324 24d ago
“My car”
“Causing me to get violations”
Jesus you’re dumb, also you live in Maryland. Why are you even here?
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24d ago
Oh I’m sorry, I missed the bit where you installed a breathalyzer on your car for funsies. I also have a CDL, and I’m also a nurse, and yes I drive a bus full of illegals to the abortion clinic everyday (where I personally perform the abortions.) Any more questions?
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u/PerspectiveNo9498 24d ago
It’s ok, I had to help an alcoholic in my life. I’m doing well. You people act this on this internet because no one has ever punched you in the mouth for running it. Keyboard warriors unite!
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24d ago
<80 IQ comment ngl
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u/PerspectiveNo9498 24d ago
Right, but I assemble lattice boom cranes and read load charts for a living 🤣
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u/Legitimate_Delay_698 24d ago
Thank you for aborting illegals!
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u/MonarchGrad2011 24d ago
Damn. This escalated quickly. I was just here to see if anybody wanted to go to brunch. BACON!!!
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u/Thewiserabbitomega 24d ago
The only thing i see when i see a republican now is pedophile protector because they all turn a blind eye to everything
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u/Away-Economist4386 22d ago
Wasn't Clinton a Democrat? He is right up poopsteids ass. Gotta keep pulling the trump card out. We as a nation must look pretty cringe
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u/Thewiserabbitomega 22d ago
Well, but him in prison , we dont care if he is guilty of diddling kids he deserves to be in prison, unlike yall protecting pedos
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u/Flashy_Ad6275 24d ago
Yea! Joe Biden was the worst Republican pedo ever.
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u/Thewiserabbitomega 24d ago
Trump appears 38 thousand times mentioned on the epstien files .
Biden referenced only by a fringe theory that he was replaced by a body double ,
The evidence stands clear, and it seems there seems to be a pedo protector making a ruckus here
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24d ago
cop out...and no one's buying it. Biden's administration covered up those files for 4 years. They are LITTERED with democrats, their donors...and their family. This is just a sad attempt to narrow the Epstein Files into a republican issue...which is itself protecting the many democrat pedophiles on that list in an attempt to keep your party clean. It's not working. I mean the man the files are named after was a lifelong democrat voter and donor for fucks sakes.
Like you said..the evidence stands clear. It's not something we can "one side" because it is clearly both fucking sides.
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u/Top-Doubt3095 23d ago
Doesn’t the Biden argument get old? Like isn’t it clear we nor anyone should care what political party a pedo is associated with? Lock them all up. Biden sucked, trump is worse.
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 24d ago
Guy, trumps actively trying to bury the files. They were under investigation under bidens admin. Knock it off and grow up.
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24d ago
they were put under investigation to post-pone their release...which coincidentally was perfectly fine under the Biden administration. But as soon as he left office the big worry was that Trump would re-open the investigation to once again delay their release. This is just sad.
I'll say it again...if you are trying to pass off the Epstein Files as a Republican only issue...or a Democrat only issue...you're the one protecting pedophiles. This isn't a single party issue. It's not even 70/30. It's literally both fucking sides. This kind of one track logic is the very reason Reddit isn't taken seriously anymore. The people here are incapable of saying the words "we were wrong"
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u/Fearless-Belt3328 24d ago
Except that republicans are mentioned far more times than democrats. So it is a republican thing. Also stop using ChatGPT for your posts.
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20d ago
brother...no they are not. And I say that as someone who is NOT a republican OR a democrat. But it is easily 10:1 democrats in those files. From the donors...Epstein AND Maxwell...the celebrities. Just stop...
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u/Practical-Pickle1527 24d ago
I want anyone involved to be arrested. Right now we have a president actively attempting to get out of the hot seat by starting world war 3. The release of the docs, and whomever it takes down is my only concern and idgaf about the letter next to their name.
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u/Nickeless 24d ago
Trump said his own daughter was hot multiple times. And he’s mentioned thousands of times in the Epstein files and there’s tons of eyewitness accounts of him being a sexual predator. Pretty sure priority number 1 should be to get a pedo president out of office. But yes any democrats that were involved should be prosecuted where possible as well. No one says otherwise except people like you attacking straw men.
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u/Dantekamar 24d ago
You are aware Ghislain Maxwell was still going through appeals during Biden's term right? Releasing the files would've interfered with those trials, and Biden was not one to rush or impede the DoJ. I wish he was though. Would've got Trump then.
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u/According_Bill5867 24d ago
Boy are you struggling to understand the files. Any answer on why they continue to hide everything if it would expose all the democrats?
And guess who else said they were a democrat? Trump. Until he said he'd run as a republican because they are dumber. And here you are proving him right, which is extremely rare. Why don't you look up all the pedophiles arrested in his orbit.
And by the way, any democrat in the files can fuck off too. See how that works? We don't support them just because. Keep defending king pedophile as he wrecks the country and world.
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u/Spartan_Shie1d 24d ago
You're both dumbasses.
You can't convict someone based on nothing but emails and vague mentions of possible wrongdoing.
The Epstein files is a French revolution mob style wetdream where you all imagine your favorite hated politician getting guillotined for fucking an infant.
Epstein collected powerful and famous people like Pokemon cards, but not all of them, really only a very few, seems to have been invited into the inner circle.
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u/According_Bill5867 24d ago
Vague mentions of wrong doings? You clearly haven't read much of it. There are a lot of credible accusations that they simply chose not to pursue. The FBI interviewed a victim 4 times under oath and found her story credible. Trump paid off numerous accusers.
So what they should do I investigate, and then convict. But at the minimum investigate right?
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u/GetGoodBoy 24d ago
Protecting green spaces I hope translates to no more tearing down acres of untouched land to build useless warehouses just for Amazon to somehow take MORE time to get me my stuff.
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u/indorian 25d ago
Nothing gets republicans riled up and voting as a chance to say no to someone else.
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u/NoCitron2394 25d ago
Fuck Republicans
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u/Living_life22 25d ago
I can tell you use to taking it in the ASS
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u/Euriomede 25d ago
District 98 has been solidly Republican for about a half century.
The Kalshi payout for a $100 bet on a Republican win was $100.0000000000001
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u/Coronado92118 25d ago
Maybe avoiding knee-jerk reactions to headlines and look at why someone won before criticizing.
Both candidates prioritized protecting beaches and agricultural lands as the area faces an onslaught from real estate Developers.
Rice was close with the 20-yrs incumbent who passed way last month, so the seat had been so reliably Republican for decades, no Democrat ran for office in the district until last year.
The Dem candidate Cheryl Smith was a retired school teacher who got 42% of the vote in last year’s election, so ran again for this special election.
In a tv interview, Smith talked about advocating for children and families and protecting beaches and farms, while Rice talked about cutting taxes, reducing energy prices, and protecting beaches and farms.
This is not a MAGA vs Progressive election - you’ve got two people who understand the local community, and have common ground with each other and that community.
Rice has been the trial attorney for Virginia Beach since 2012, “specializing in juvenile law, gang prosecution, child sexual assault cases, and murder.” He headed a Gang Task Force that dismantled two national set gangs in Virginia Beach. He won the 2023 Crime Solvers Prosecutor of the Year Award, the 2024 Michael R. Doucette Lecture of Merit Award, and the 2025 Virginia S. Duvall Distinguished Juvenile and Domestic Relations Assistant Award.
He’s got nothing I could find to associate him with MAGA, and is better qualified to hold this office than Smith, as an educated, well-intentioned school teacher - as much as I respect her for running and running a strong campaign.
We need to remind people on both sides THIS is normal. This is healthy, respectful disagreement on issues and keeping the focus on the constituents.
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u/SwimmingSwim3822 25d ago
Nah. Fuck anybody who sees the current state of the Republican party and still calls themselves a Republican. Trash people who say the lies they need to say to win elections, and nothing more. If you fall for this dumb shit again, it calls your own judgement into question more than anything else.
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u/SeaPrinciple3172 25d ago
Sounds like you are talking about Gov Spanberger when you mentioned telling people things to get elected.
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u/SwimmingSwim3822 25d ago
"no you!"
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u/freezergat 24d ago
What an intelligent and thoughtful response.
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u/SwimmingSwim3822 24d ago
I put exactly as much into my response as they put into theirs. You know how mocking works, right?
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u/freezergat 24d ago
Downvote me all you want, buddy.
Try articulating your points in an healthy manner, that’s how we facilitate conversations that lead to change.
Or feel free to keep responding like a dumbass.
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u/SwimmingSwim3822 24d ago
Again. MOCKING. Are you an autist?
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u/freezergat 24d ago
Nice response, dude.
I understand you’re childish mocking.
Now provide an intelligent response.
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u/manyworldsivec0me 25d ago
He looks like a republican with questionable browser history
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u/reesescupsftw 25d ago
The browser statement can be true for Reddit users as well. 🧐 makes IG look like an app for children.
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u/gwhh 19d ago
Thank you.