Democrat Refuses to Concede Election Defeat Despite No 'Path to Victory'
On Tuesday, Republican Bob Anderson narrowly won the commonwealth’s attorney race in Loudoun County, Virginia, defeating incumbent Democrat Buta Biberaj.
“There is no current path to victory for Buta Biberaj, and we look forward to waiting for the due process to run course. I am confident the results will remain the same and look forward to serving as your next Commonwealth’s Attorney,” Anderson said Wednesday morning, according to the Loudoun Times-Mirror.
Biberaj, however, did not share Anderson’s assessment of the race’s finality.
“We tell people that their vote counts,” she said. “So, we have to make sure that we count their votes.”
Biberaj estimated there were around 2,000 outstanding votes that, according to the Times-Mirror, “should be counted by Nov. 13.”
In his full statement on Wednesday morning, Anderson disputed that estimate.
“As of now, all mailed in, early voting, and day-of ballots of voters that have been cast have been counted. There are no outstanding ballots at this moment,” Anderson said.
Nick Minock of the Washington D.C.-based WJLA-TV posted Anderson’s full statement on X, formerly Twitter.
Bob Anderson’s victory statement. pic.twitter.com/DMw54Q408r
— Nick Minock (@NickMinock) November 8, 2023
As of Wednesday, Anderson held a 1,021-vote lead, according to the Times-Mirror. In fact, the Virginia Public Access Project called the race for Anderson very early Wednesday morning.
It appears that Biberaj’s only hope lay in uncovering a counting error. Under Virginia law, she may seek a recount if Anderson wins by a margin of 1 percent or less. He currently leads by approximately 0.8 percent.
A recount — at least in principle — would hardly bother Republican voters. If the law allows for it, and if Biberaj has good reason to pursue it, then so be it.
Two things about this story, however, will have many Republican voters both annoyed and troubled.
First, after the experiences of 2016 and 2020, many Republicans have no tolerance for Democrats’ moral preening about “counting every vote,” “election denial” and “saving democracy.” Nor do many Republicans trust that Democrats will operate in good faith.
Wednesday on X, Ian Prior of America First Legal encapsulated this justifiable cynicism.
“In all likelihood, Buta Biberaj is going to do everything she can to ‘undo an election.’ The irony!” Prior wrote.
In all likelihood, Buta Biberaj is going to do everything she can to “undo an election.”
The irony! https://t.co/2DDdwMAvLk
— Ian Prior (@iandprior) November 8, 2023
Second, our suspicions should intensify when we read phrases such as “should be counted by Nov. 13.” After all, having witnessed the shenanigans of 2020, we know what happens when election officials keep counting for days.
Most Americans, of course, have no direct stake in the outcome of a Virginia commonwealth’s attorney election. We simply want the rightful winner to prevail.
But we do find the current state of things troubling. When Democrats question election outcomes, they claim to do so out of concern for democracy. Then, they proceed unobstructed, free from howling establishment media complaints of “election denial.”
On the other hand, when certain Republicans question election outcomes, they receive visits from the FBI.
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