Meet the VPAP Pundit
Fans of the reality competition show Survivor know that the host, Jeff Probst, often celebrates people “getting off the couch” and playing the game.
That’s what Kelsey Wright, 22, did when she entered VPAP’s Pundit Contest last month.
The Survivor fan, who lives in Alexandria, took inspiration from the show when she entered the contest for the first time.
I wanted to “put my guess out there, so later I could look back and see how I did,” she said “Not really actually expecting to win.”
But, as the legislative aide to Del. Wendy Gooditis (D-Clarke), Kelsey had an edge over 581 people who hoped to wear the pundit crown.
“I definitely have an advantage in that I have to pay attention to politics as part of my job,” she said.
Kelsey was one of many who correctly guessed the outcomes of the three closest congressional races: Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D) winning in Northern Virginia and Rep. Elaine Luria (D) losing in CD 2.
Her knowledge of the local issues in Northern Virginia helped her ace the toughest question, one that stumped 80% of contestants: She correctly predicted that Erika Ogedegbe would win the Leesburg District seat on the Loudoun County School Board.
But, she wasn’t surprised to miss the one question that eluded her – the Broad Run District seat on the same board.
“I knew it was a tossup,” she said of the race. Tiffany Polifko beat Nicholas Gothard by less than one percentage point.
At the end, Kesley was one of three contestants who correctly predicted 10 out of 11 answers.
The first tie-breaker (How many of six candidates endorsed by a parental rights group in Virginia Beach would win their races?) eluded all three. The correct answer was four.)
Kelsey clinched her win with the second tiebreaker, where contestants were asked to predict the statewide turnout of registered voters. Her guess – 47.65% – was just over a point shy of the actual turnout of 48.94%.
On Survivor, players rely on hard-earned advantages to get them further in the game. But for Kelsey, it was easy: she went to vpap.org.
“I definitely looked at the VPAP turnout from 2018,” she said. “I didn't think it would be as high as that, but I thought it would be pretty close, so I just went kind of randomly like a little bit under.”
Like the host of Survivor, she has some advice for fans like her who have longed to play the game.
“I have a friend who told me she always does the Pundit Contest in her head every time. She never submits it,” said Kelsey. “ I think those people should enter their picks!”
Dec. 2, 2022
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