Immigrants and advocates won big in Virginia and elsewhere this election cycle. Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie lost by a huge margin after running a toxic, xenophobic, race-baiting campaign. So did Republicans running for the House of Delegates who thought they could get elected by attacking Democrats for pro-immigrant policies.
Virginians and Americans who voted in other races around the nation elected some historic firsts, including Danica Roem, the first transgender American to serve in a statehouse, ever. Seven cities elected their first black mayor. An Indian-American candidate in New Jersey whom opponents tried to smear as a terrorist was elected mayor. Multiculturalism and diversity won this year, while hate lost.
