David Graham, The Atlantic: “Last night’s elections were fantastic news for the Republican Party, disastrous for the Democratic Party – and a mixed verdict for Donald Trump. In winning the Virginia gubernatorial race, Republican Glenn Youngkin – and other successful GOP candidates in the Old Dominion and elsewhere – nodded toward the kinds of themes that the former president has accentuated. After all, it’s his party now. But in winning while keeping Trump at arm’s length, Youngkin also showed the possibility of a party that isn’t Trump’s any longer… Youngkin was not eager to have Trump rally for him. Youngkin managed a nuanced act of not snubbing Trump voters while also modulating his message in a way that would win over suburban moderates.”

Will Saletan, Slate: “Youngkin’s victory doesn’t vindicate the national GOP, either. In the CBS News poll, 70 percent of McAuliffe voters said they were backing him to support the national Democratic Party, while only 63 percent of Youngkin voters said they were backing him to support the national Republican Party. Half of McAuliffe’s independent voters said they were siding with him to support the Democrats, but only 40 percent of Youngkin’s independent voters said they were siding with him to support the GOP. In the exit poll, 15 percent of Virginia voters said the GOP wasn’t conservative enough, but 45 percent said it was too conservative. McAuliffe wasn’t wrong to tie Youngkin to Trump. He was right, but it wasn’t enough. The real miscalculation is coming now, as Trump and his sycophants in the GOP misread the results. If they seriously believe that the former president was an asset – and are thinking of featuring him in other states in 2022 – Democrats should encourage them.”