美国国家公共电台 NPR A Single Vote Has Flipped Control Of Virginia's House Of Delegates

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Around election time you often hear that every vote counts, but it's rare that turns out to be literally¹ true. However, Republicans have lost control of Virginia's statehouse after a recount in a race where the winning Democrat² got 11,608 votes and her opponent got 11,607 votes. Now the Virginia House of Delegates is split 50-50. Mallory Noe-Payne from member station WVTF has more.

MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, BYLINE³: Going into the recount, Democrat Shelly Simonds was short 10 votes. But after hours of meticulous⁴ work by election officials, Simonds pulled past her opponent, Republican David Yancey, by just one vote.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SHELLY SIMONDS: I think landslide⁵ Shelly sounds great. (Laughter). You can call me anything. Just call me delegate. (Laughter).

NOE-PAYNE: Speaking with reporters at the end of the day, Simonds says she was in awe⁶ of the process and what can happen when Democrats⁷ show up at the polls.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SIMONDS: And I think this victory really showed that when the nation pays attention to states, we're going to make a lot of progress.

NOE-PAYNE: The loss is just one in a series of electoral blows for Republicans. In November, Virginia Democrats turned out in huge numbers, electing a new governor and decimating the GOP supermajority in the state legislature.

QUENTIN KIDD: This just gives you a sense of how big the wave was in this last election.

NOE-PAYNE: Quentin Kidd is a political science professor at Christopher Newport University. He says Virginia hasn't had a split legislature since 1997.

KIDD: This is really going to be a test for both parties' ability to work the way voters want parties and politicians to work, and that is across lines and compromising.

NOE-PAYNE: There are still two recounts pending⁸. Democrats are hoping they may even gain the majority, making it possible for them to easily raise the minimum wage or expand Medicaid. But Charniele Herring, chair of the House Democratic Caucus⁹, sees a chance for bipartisanship.

CHARNIELE HERRING: I'm optimistic that we can actually be a model for the nation.

NOE-PAYNE: In a statement, Republican leaders say they're ready to govern alongside their colleagues. Votes in the race are expected to be certified¹⁰ later today. For NPR News, I'm Mallory Noe-Payne in Richmond, Va.

1 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 meticulous   

adj.极其仔细的，一丝不苟的

参考例句：

• We'll have to handle the matter with meticulous care.这事一点不能含糊。
• She is meticulous in her presentation of facts.她介绍事实十分详细。

5 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

6 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

7 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 pending   

prep.直到，等待…期间；adj.待定的；迫近的

参考例句：

• The lawsuit is still pending in the state court.这案子仍在州法庭等待定夺。
• He knew my examination was pending.他知道我就要考试了。

9 caucus   

n.秘密会议；干部会议；v.（参加）干部开会议

参考例句：

• This multi-staged caucus takes several months.这个多级会议常常历时好几个月。
• It kept the Democratic caucus from fragmenting.它也使得民主党的核心小组避免了土崩瓦解的危险。

10 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。