As votes were still being counted on election night in 2017, then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said the blue wave would finally sweep Medicaid expansion through the General Assembly.
When that prediction came true Wednesday night, members of the big Democratic freshman class of 2018 were some of the last people left on the floor of the House of Delegates, savoring the moment and sharing the news on their phones.
“We all ran on it,” said Del. Schuyler VanValkenburg, D-Henrico. “To get that accomplished and then the benefits that come from that, more money for K-12 spending, more money in the rainy day fund. ... It’s pretty amazing.”
They weren’t in the thick of negotiations among the General Assembly’s top budget-writers, but the 15 first-term Democrats who flipped GOP-held seats may be just as responsible for the outcome. As House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, made his final pitch for the budget Wednesday, he acknowledged that the “more narrowly oriented” chamber helped set the 51-49 GOP majority on a path to Medicaid expansion.
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The House voted 67-31 to pass the budget, with almost 20 Republicans joining the Democrats.
“Things take time. They happen in steps here,” Gov. Ralph Northam told reporters after the vote. “The makeup of the House certainly changed.”
For many Democratic freshmen, Wednesday’s budget vote was the payoff to the effort they and their supporters poured into the 2017 campaigns.
Del. Debra Rodman, D-Henrico, choked up as she described how it felt to see one of her top campaign issues become reality.
“People came out. They worked hard. They knocked doors. They voted. They made their voice heard,” Rodman said. “And I’m so honored to be able to push the button ‘yes’ today.”
“I made Medicaid expansion the centerpiece of my campaign because I refused to believe that depriving hundreds of thousands of working Virginians access to health care was the will of the people,” Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, D-Prince William, said in a statement.
Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, said it proves the adage that elections have consequences.
“Yes they do,” Roem said. “Medicaid expansion is a direct consequence of the 2017 election.”
Multiple Democratic freshmen credited McAuliffe and other expansion advocates who have worked on the issue for years for laying the groundwork for 2017.
Because of a malfunction with her voting button, freshman Del. Kathy Tran, D-Fairfax, almost didn’t get to officially record her vote for Medicaid expansion. After her Democratic colleagues asked for a do-over, her name lit up green on the voting board.
“This moment feels extremely incredible,” Tran said. “In my election in 2017 it was clear that expanding access to health care was the No. 1 priority for voters.”
As House Minority Leader David Toscano, D-Charlottesville, walked out of the chamber Wednesday night, he offered a brief explanation for the outcome.
“The power of 49,” he said.