Meet the VPAP Pundit!


Jack Wright predicts the future every day.

As a data analyst for Chesterfield County Fire Department, he studies trends to determine, say, where oven fires are most likely to occur. His spatial analysis helps the department improve response times for 911 calls.

In his past attempts at VPAP’s Pundit Contest, Jack took the same statistical approach he brings to his job. But he got burnt. 

“Before, I can remember creating Excel spreadsheets trying to figure out different predictions,” said Jack, 24. “This time, it was really … trying to figure out in my head how I thought things would play out.”

Unbound by the rows and columns of a spreadsheet, Jack set his intuition free. And now he wears the 2020 VPAP Pundit crown.

His “gut feelings” helped him fire away 13 perfect predictions, plus a win-clinching tiebreaker.

Jack bested 748 other contestants, more than two-thirds of whom were eliminated when they predicted that Democrat Cameron Webb would beat Republican Bob Good in the 5th Congressional District.

If Jack had taken an analytical approach, he might have fallen into the same trap.

Instead, he drew upon his experience of growing up in rural Alleghany County along the West Virginia border.

“I tried to envision the people that I know from where I grew up and how they would see these candidates,” said Jack. “I really played off my upbringing to see that [in the 5th Congressional District] Good was probably more in line with the majority of voters.”

After the round of Congressional elections, 81 contestants were still in the game. Like Jack, most safely navigated the outcome of the constitutional amendment setting up a bipartisan redistricting commission and local casino gambling measures in Bristol and Norfolk.

It was the final ballot question — a proposal to relocate a Confederate monument from courthouse grounds in Warren County — that cut the field in half.

For Jack, no number-crunching was necessary.

“I didn’t see any of those Confederate monument things [passing], especially when you get on into rural Virginia,” he said. “I know growing up, everyone idolized them, and right or wrong, it’s going to be too hard to overcome the partisan lean of that issue.”

The final trial by fire for the remaining 41 hopefuls was to predict the outcomes of four local races. Again, Jack drew upon local knowledge to navigate one of them.

“I live in Richmond, so I was probably most invested in the mayoral race” of everything on the November ballot, Jack said.

At the end, Jack and one other contestant got all 13 questions correct. Jack kept his flame burning on the tiebreaker: What percentage of votes cast in-person on Election Day in Virginia will go to Donald Trump?

The answer was 61.5%. Jack predicted 58.32%

His instinct got him the win — no spreadsheet necessary.

“I know VPAP had a chart” detailing early voting stats, Jack said, sounding modest. “Maybe I gleaned something from that subconsciously.”

His mental fitness may get a boost from his Geography degree from Virginia Tech. The deep breaths required to stay calm through the Pundit Contest can be credited to his background as an aerobic endurance athlete, running and biking with his fiancée in his spare time.

And he’s not a hot head. He begins a gracious reign as Pundit with these final words:

“Shout-out to VPAP!”


Written by Ali Mislowsky

Nov. 12, 2020

Updates Home

Updates RSS Feed

Browse updates by month:

March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023

(Show All)
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008