On Tuesday night in Virginia, former journalist Danica Roem, a Democrat, knocked off 13-term Republican state Del. Bob Marshall. Roem's win quickly became a huge national news story she became the first openly transgender person elected to a a state legislature in the US. What's more, her victory came against Marshall, who has called himself the state's 'chief homophobe.' For more on Roem and the race she ran, I reached out to Fenit Nirappil, who covered the race for The Washington Post. Our conversation, conducted via email and lightly edited for flow, is below.
Tuesday night was very big for Democrats as the party won the governors' races in Virginia and New Jersey and scored a series of other victories from Maine to Washington State that suggests the forces opposed to President Donald Trump turned up in large numbers to send a message that they weren't happy with how he is doing the job.
Congressional negotiators have rejected the House's plan to create a new "Space Corps" -- omitting the proposal for a new military branch under the umbrella of the Air Force from the final version of a nearly $700 billion bipartisan defense policy bill called the National Defense Authorization Act.
The US government announced additional sanctions and travel restrictions on Cuba Wednesday, following up on an announcement by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
The woman nominated to replace John Kelly as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen, faced senators who will vote on whether to confirm her for the first time on Wednesday, largely pledging to carry on her predecessor's legacy.
The blue wave that crashed Virginia's suburbs on Tuesday could also -- if it extends into the 2018 midterm elections -- carry Democrats into control of the House.
Besides their politics, New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie and his elected Democratic successor, Phil Murphy, have one big difference on a matter of great importance to New Jerseyans: Christie prefers Bruce Springsteen and Murphy prefers Jon Bon Jovi.
Democrat Ralph Northam's convincing 54%-45% victory over Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor's race underscores the challenge that many GOP candidates may face in urban and suburban communities in the midterm elections next year, especially if President Donald Trump's popularity continues to sag.
Joseph Mifsud, the academic suspected of being a link between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, was once a regular on the foreign policy circuit, attending conferences the world over.
Ed Gillespie's resounding loss in Tuesday's Virginia governor's race -- coupled with a series of other losses in lower-profile races around the country -- will likely take what was bubbling concern among Republicans about their prospects in the 2018 midterms and transform it into a frothing cauldron of panic.
Former President Barack Obama was among the Democrats celebrating their party's electoral wins Tuesday night, congratulating Ralph Northam and Phil Murphy.
A former news anchor just elected to Virginia's House of Delegates said it was too painful to continue at a Roanoke TV station after his girlfriend's fatal shooting during a live TV broadcast.
Former television anchor and Democrat Chris Hurst, whose girlfriend Alison Parker was killed on live television in 2015, has won the race for the 12th district of Virginia's House of Delegates.
House Speaker Paul Ryan said Wednesday that sweeping Democratic victories on election night won't lead Republicans to shift course on their tax overhaul strategy.
Rep. Scott Taylor, R-Virginia, told CNN's "New Day" that Tuesday night's Democratic win in his state was a referendum on President Donald Trump, criticizing what he said was the President's rhetoric for hurting the party.
Democrats have won key races in Virginia and New Jersey, CNN projects, their first major wins during the tenure of President Donald Trump and a boost heading into the 2018 midterms, when control of US House and Senate will be up for grabs.
