Jackson wins hard-fought Senate battle
June 8, 1867
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA (Richmond Examiner) - Today, one of the closest Senate battles in Virginia history has come to a close with the certification of Alexander Jackson's win over Michael Gray to succeed John S. Mosby's Senate seat.
As the results were coming in last week, it soon became apparent that the race would slightly favor Jackson over Gray, and in the end, Jackson scored a shock win over Gray with 54% of the vote. Gray received 44%, and Longstreet received 100 write-in votes. Jackson was certified as the winner by the Secretary of State today.
John S. Mosby, the holder of the seat since its creation, had originally thrown his hat into the presidential contest, before withdrawing from the race citing low polling in Virginia. He later announced he would resign his Senate seat in favor of securing a job at the Richmond Examiner, which triggered a special election for the seat.
Mayor of Yorktown and member of the newly formed Conservative Party Daniel Gray first announced he would be running for the seat amidst popularity within the state and within his new party. Next, Lieutenant-General Alexander Jackson soon announced his run for the seat, running on a ticket with the Freedom Party.
Mr. Mosby later announced his endorsement of Gray, saying "I have known what qualities one must have to hold this high office, through my years of experience. And I can say Mayor Daniel Gray is uniquely qualified to serve the great state of Virginia."
While the campaign was hard-fought, in the end, Jackson eked out a win by securing Richmond's suburbs from Gray, who instead heavily carried Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and Roanoke. Jackson also won the pivotal suburbs of Washington, D.C., a heavily Unionist area, by winning the Unionist vote 59-41.
This could have wide-ranging implications for the newly-founded Freedom Party, given they now have representation in the nation's Senate, which could bolster their presidential ticket. However, the Conservatives also could benefit from the exposure given by the campaign. Latest polls taken by the
Examiner show a rise in support for both parties in the state.
Gray made his concession speech today after the certification of the vote, however, Gray did not rule out a future run for political office. Jackson, on the other hand, will take his new seat in the Senate in 1868.
OOC: In real life, I don't think this article could be written because of a conflict of interest
