The Post had positioned the Nov. 3 election as a bellwether to determine if gun-violence prevention would resonate with voters, noting the campaigns of Jeremy S. McPike, Kathleen J. Murphy, Jennifer B. Boysko and John J. Bell. These candidates swept the election; Ms. Boysko and Mr. Bell flipped seats in their districts. Those wins gave Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) veto-proof numbers in the House.

Dan Gecker lost, but his polling numbers were way down before the infusion of Everytown for Gun Safety money, and he outperformed expectations. In 2011, the Democratic candidate lost the District 10 Senate race by more than 13 points. Mr. Gecker lost by only 2 points. Polling nationally and in Virginia shows overwhelming public support for sensible gun-violence prevention measures such as background checks.

Spending by Everytown may have driven more gun-rights supporters to the polls, but it also drove folks to vote for candidates supporting stronger gun laws. Gun-violence prevention is a winning issue even though the gun lobby is expert at perpetuating myths to the contrary.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gun-control-voters-also-made-it-to-the-polls/2015/11/06/31d1d78a-83fd-11e5-8bd2-680fff868306_story.html