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Terry McAuliffe conceded Wednesday in Virginia's governor's race, a loss that is a worriesome sign for Democrats ahead of next year's midterm election.

'While last night we came up short, I am proud that we spent this campaign fighting for the values we so deeply believe in,' McAuliffe said in a statement.

He congratulated Republican Glenn Youngkin on his victory. Youngkin, 54, is the state's first red Governor since 2009. He was leading by 2.1 points with 99 per cent of the vote counted. 

Republicans hadn't won statewide in Virginia since 2009. That year Bob McDonnell was able to capitalize on a backlash against Barack Obama's presidential win to take the state. His victory preceeded a GOP wave that gave Republicans control of the House.

And a shattered Joe Biden arrived back at the White House in the early hours of Wednesday morning following his COP26 climate change trip to Europe to find a party in disarray after the GOP's Virginia win and dismal performances for top Democrats across the country. 

Another shocker could be on the cards in New Jersey where GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli has taken a narrow lead over Democrat Governor Phil Murphy with 88 percent of votes counted. Both candidates held off declaring victory overnight as they wait for 'every vote' to be tallied.

The ballots are widely viewed as a referendum on Biden's presidency, and Democrats are already in a panic and have started pointing figures with just 12 months until the 2020 midterms,  

Biden won by 10 points in Virginia and by 16 points in New Jersey in the presidential election just a year ago. 

The President looked tired and worn down as he arrived at Andrews Air Force Base, in a dark grey overcoat, before he was seen walking up the White House lawn. There is no public events on his schedule for Wednesday although he will be in private meetings and receive his national security briefing.

It was a different atmosphere over in the Youngkin camp where raucous celebrations took place as the former investment banker was joined on stage by his wife Suzanne and their children. 

'Alrighty Virginia we won this thing,' Youngkin shouted to the crowd. 

'Our kids can't wait,' Youngkin said. 'On day one we're going to work ... We work in real people time, not government time.' 

Terry McAuliffe conceded Wednesday morning in the Virginia's gubenatorial race

President Joe Biden arrives at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., early Wednesday, right, and walked up the South Lawn after the devastating Democratic defeat in Virginia 

Glenn Youngkin kisses his wife Suzanne as he celebrates victory on stage with his children in Chantilly, Virginia

It was a different atmosphere over in the Youngkin campaign camp where celebrations look set to continue through the night after his shock win

Youngkin shoots an autographed basketball into the crowd with his family at an election-night rally

A glum-looking Biden arrived back at the White House in the early hours of Wednesday morning following his COP26 climate change trip to Europe to find a party in disarray and a thundering win for the Republicans

President Joe Biden salutes a Marine Corps honor guard as he arrives at the White House early Wednesday 

Youngkin and his wife embrace on stage after the stunning victory - becoming the first Republican Governor of Virginia since 2009

Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin greets supporters at an election night party in Chantilly early on Wednesday

Republican Glenn Youngkin pulled off a stunning upset in Virginia to beat out Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the Associated Press projected around 1am on Wednesday morning. 'Alrighty Virginia we won this thing,' Youngkin shouted in his victory speech

Youngkin (2-L) thanks his family after giving his victory speech at the Westfields Marriott Hotel in Chantilly, Virgina, USA, 03 November  POOL

Virginia has now elected its first Republican governor since 2009. 'Alrighty Virginia we won this thing,' Youngkin shouted in his victory speech 

He opened his victory address much as he did his campaign remarks, by focusing on education. 'Our kids can't wait,' Youngkin said. 'On day one we're going to work. We're going to restore excellence in our schools. We will invest largest education budget in history of commonwealth.'

Youngkin won white women and suburbs - a worriesome sign for Democrats.

Exit polls showed white women went for Youngkin after Biden carried them in the 2020 presidential election. Black turnout was down even as overall voter turnout was up. 

White voters made up 74% of Virginia's electorate this year compared to 67% in the 2020 election.

And they backed Youngkin over McAuliffe, 60% to 40%. Youngkin did even better among white voters than Trump did: the former president only won 53% of white voters in Virginia last year.

Also helping the Republican, Youngkin won 57% of the female vote this year compared to McAuliffe's 43%. The Republican gubernatorial candidate made gains in that area over Biden, who won white wome in Virginia by 50% in 2020 compared to Trump's 49%.  

Additionally, Youngkin flipped the suburbs in Republicans favor, a group that helped Biden win the presidency in 2020.

Youngkin carried the suburbs 53% to McAuliffe's 47%. In 2020, Biden carried those same suburbs 53% to Trump's 45%.  

Moreover, McAuliffe's support in key areas was downed compared to how Biden did in those same areas last year.

For example, in the heavily blue Northern Virginia area, McAuliffe's support margin was by 26 points compared to Biden's 38 points. In Richmond, the margin was 3 points for McAuliffe compared to 16 for Biden.

Loudoun county, just outside of Washington, D.C.,  went for McAuliffe by about 11 points - but Biden carried it by 25 last year.

And Youngkin outperformed Trump in some of the red areas of the state. His margin in the Tidewater area, for example, was 28 points compared to Trump's 16 points last  year. 

After he was declared the winner, congratulations poured in from the GOP top brass including Nikki Haley who tweeted: 'Congratulations to @GlennYoungkin! He is a rockstar and I have full confidence that he will make Virginia proud!'

Former Vice President Mike Pence said: 'Congratulations to Governor @GlennYoungkin on a HUGE victory! Glenn will serve the people of Old Dominion well with common sense Conservative policies that will benefit parents, families, and hard-working Virginians! The Conservative Comeback is HERE!'  

Despite the national significance of his race Youngkin kept it local in his victory speech, avoiding mention of former President Trump or veering away from attacks on Democrats.

'The spirit of Virginia is coming together like never before, of Virginia taking our commonwealth back,' he told the adoring fans.

Youngkin then turned to his plans for tax cuts, and supporting law enforcement  and reestablishing 'trust' between police officers and communities. 

'We will reduce our cost of living ... We're going to eliminate the grocery tax, suspend the most recent hike in the gas tax ... We are going to save Virginia families $1500 year one. We are going to keep our communities safe.' 

Youngkin said his campaign had attracted people of 'all races, all political ideologies and it turned into a movement.'

Virginia also elected its first black woman to statewide office in the state's history, Winsome Sears, to the office of lieutenant governor as a Republican.  

'Its a historic night yes,' Sears said of her win. 'But I didn't run to make history, I just wanted to leave it better than I found it.'  

Hours earlier, McAuliffe had refused to concede the race when he took the stage at 10:20pm, saying: 'We're going to continue to count the votes because every single Virginian deserves to have their vote counted.' 

Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel put out a statement declaring Youngkin victorious and congratulating him on the win.  

'The red wave is here! Congratulations to Republicans Glenn Youngkin, Winsome Sears, and Jason Miyares on their incredible campaigns and hard fought victories.'

'A Republican wave is coming in 2022, and Virginia is just the start,' she said.  

Jason Miyares, a Republican, is projected to win his race for attorney general, in a GOP sweep in the Old Dominion, where Republicans also flipped the House of Delegates in their favor. 

Republicans have not won a statewide race in Virginia in 12 years, and President Joe Biden carried the state by 10 percentage points. 

Youngkin kisses his wife Suzanne as they finish speaking onstage stage at an election-night rally at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles

McAuliffe has not yet admitted defeat in the race. Hours earlier, McAuliffe had refused to concede the race when he took the stage at 10:20pm, saying: 'We're going to continue to count the votes because every single Virginian deserves to have their vote counted'

Youngkin supporters cheer in delight as he is declared Governor-elect of Virginia 

Supporters of Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia Glenn Youngkin react as Fox News declares Youngkin has won his race against Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe

Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin greets supporters at an election night party in Chantilly, Va., early Wednesday 

McAuliffe departs after speaking during his election night event at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner on November 02

Gun-toting former Marine Winsome Sears defeats Democrat Hala Ayala is to become Virginia's first female black lieutenant governor 

Gun-toting former Marine Winsome Sears has defeated Democrat Hala Ayala to become Virginia's first female black lieutenant governor. 

Unofficial results showed Sears, 57, with 1,591,434 votes, or 51.4 percent, with Democratic candidate Hala Ayala, 48, at 1,501,533 or 48.5 percent, CNN reported. 

The job of the state's lieutenant governor is frequently tipped as a launching pad to the governor's mansion. Half of the past 10 lieutenant governors went on to become governor.  

Sears is a former Marine who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica as a child and vaulted to victory in a crowded primary on the enthusiasm generated by a campaign photo of her posing with a military rifle.

Sears, a gun-loving former Marine, will not only make history as the first woman to hold office, but also as the first woman of color

She had a brief stint in electoral politics 20 years ago as a one-term delegate in the General Assembly, representing parts of Hampton roads. Her return to politics after a two-decade absence began when she served as national chairperson for Black Americans to Re-Elect President Trump. 

During the primary, Sears ridiculed mask mandates put in place by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, posting a video in which she pulled a mask off a cardboard cutout of Northam and stomped it into the sand, with the Virginia Beach boardwalk in the background.

Until now, Sears may have be the most unconventional candidate on the statewide ballot this year. She speaks in a stream-of-consciousness style and loves to tell the story of her first campaign for office, when someone superimposed her face onto a pornographic photo.

'I looked good!' she jokes to the audience.

But the story is emblematic, she says, of the obstacles she faced as a Black Republican who was taking on an establishment that expects Blacks to vote Democratic.

'The other side wants to use the problems of the past to define us and we shouldn't let them,' she told a crowd in rural Chesterfield County earlier this month. 'It is time for them to find another victim. ... Yes, we know that there are problems, but we can fix them.'

When she served in the legislature, she earned top ratings from anti-abortion and gun-rights organizations. She touted that record in her successful primary campaign, but has revised her website during the general election to remove those references. 

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Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, chair of the Republican Governors' Association, also congratulated Youngkin. 'The RGA is thrilled to congratulate Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin on winning a hard-fought race that many wrote off as unwinnable for Republicans.' 

If the margin of the final count is within 1%, a candidate can request a recount. If the margin is 0.5% or less, the state will pay for it. 

Former President Trump released a statement declaring Youngkin the winner as votes rolled in:

'It is looking like Terry McAuliffe's campaign against a certain person named 'Trump' has very much helped Glenn Youngkin. All McAuliffe did was talk Trump, Trump, Trump and he lost! What does that tell you, Fake News? I guess people running for office as Democrats won't be doing that too much longer. I didn't even have to go rally for Youngkin, because McAuliffe did it for me. Thank you to the MAGA voters for turning out big!'

A Republican win is sure to cause a panic among the Democrats and could sway voters across the country in what is a bellwether election for an administration mired by mounting problems, including inflation and supply chain issues.

Even Kamala Harris noted the consequences the Virginia race could spell for Democrats. Four days ago, while campaigning in Virginia for McAuliffe, she said: 'What happens in Virginia will in large part determine what happens in 2022, 2024, and on.' 

McAuliffe, 64, previously served as Virginia's governor from 2014 to 2018. Due to the commonwealth's unusual election laws, governors can only serve one consecutive term. He would become the first governor of Virginia in nearly half a century to be elected to two non-consecutive terms. 

During his term as governor, he issued a record 120 vetoes, mostly concerning social issues like abortion and LGBTQ rights, and touted his record fighting against the GOP legislature on the campaign trail. 

McAuliffe nationalized the race by invoking former President Trump's name perhaps more than any other figure running for office.  

Youngkin, 54, is a political newcomer and wealthy businessman who previously served as CEO of the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm. Though he won Trump's endorsement, Youngkin has distanced himself from the former president, who faired poorly in Virginia in 2020. 

Trump held an 11th-hour tele-rally for the Virginia race, but Youngkin said he did not participate.  

Youngkin's personal wealth launched him into the spotlight, as he provided $5.5 million to his own campaign. The Republican has sought to mobilize voters by tying the race to school choice and education issues, holding Parents Matter rallies where he hit out against teachings like critical race theory. 

And in what could spell trouble for McAuliffe, over 80% of voters in an NBC exit poll said parents should have a say in what their children are taught in schools.  Fifty-three percent said parents should have 'a lot' of say, 31% said 'some.' 

McAuliffe said during a debate in late September, 'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.' 

Voters began lining up at polling places across Virginia on a rainy Tuesday morning to cast their ballot for governor in a heated contest coming down to a nine tenths-of-a-point. 

In one county, turnout was so high that elections officials had to print off ballots and dole them out as voters waited at the polls.

Albemarle election officials said a majority of the county's 30 precincts needed excess emergency ballots from the voter registration office, which began printing them off at lightning speed.

'We just got a turnout far in excess of what we expected,' registrar Jake Washburne said, according to the Daily Progress. He said the printer-paper ballots would have to be counted by hand. 

Biden had signaled on Tuesday that he believed McAuliffe would be the next governor of Virginia in his nail-biting election with Republican Glenn Youngkin and insisted mounting problems and his poor performance in the polls will have nothing to do with the result.

'We're gonna win,' Biden said in a hushed tone while grinning and leaning into the microphone on stage at the United Nations Climate Change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, while polls showed the race at a dead heat before state voting booths closed at 7pm.

'I think we're gonna win in Virginia,' he continued. 'The race, it's very close. It's about who shows up, who turns out.'

The president was responding to a question on if he feels McAuliffe losing in the state Biden won by 10 points in 2020 would be a rebuke on his presidency and spell disaster for Democrats going into the 2022 midterms.

'Granted I did win by a large margin [in Virginia], but the point of the matter is I think that this is going to be – what we all knew from the beginning – it's going to be a tight race. And it is tight.' 

Biden then insisted that his successes or failures as president cannot be attributed to the outcome of local and congressional elections, even though they are being seen as an indicator of how his administration is performing.

Although there is a gubernatorial race in New Jersey, two congressional races in Ohio and several mayoral contests, the nation has turned its attention to Virginia as a loss for Democrat Terry McAuliffe would be catastrophic for the Party as Joe Biden's approval dwindles ahead of the 2022 midterms. 

Republican Glenn Youngkin (left) and Democrat Terry McAuliffe (right) continued to campaign on Tuesday after a full day of cross-state rallies on Monday. The two are only .9 percentage points apart going into the election on Tuesday – with Youngkin in the lead

Winsome Sears is the first black woman elected to a statewide office in Virginia's history

Supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gather for an election night party in Chantilly, Va.,Tuesday

Cruz is pictured above at an election night party for Youngkin at a hotel in Chantilly, Va. 

Sen. Ted Cruz made a guest appearance at Youngkin's campaign headquarters watch party 

 Supporters of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin gather for an election night party in Chantilly, Va.,Tuesday

'I've not seen any evidence that whether or not I am doing well or poorly, whether or not I've got my agenda passed or not is going to have any real impact on winning or losing,' Biden said.

The career politician added that even if his Build Back Better agenda were passed in time for elections, that it wouldn't be able to be attributed to Democrats winning at a higher rate.

Biden added: 'The off-year is always unpredictable especially when we don't have a general election going at the same time.' 

'Go vote, Virginia and New Jersey!' President Biden tweeted on Tuesday morning.

Biden said while overseas in Scotland for COP26 conference that he thinks the more people who turn out to vote in Virginia, the better chances are for Democrats to win and for McAuliffe to be the next governor.

Youngkin's camp thinks that the GOP candidate can come out victorious in Virginia if he improves in some areas of the state where former President Donald Trump suffered to garner voters in the 2020 election.

Specifically, Youngkin wants to top Trump's numbers by 5 per cent in Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Virginia Beach and Richmond.

If he does that, he is predicting he will have the votes state-wide needed to win the governorship.

All three counties are largely urban or suburban and were dominated by Biden - except for Virginia Beach where Biden only beat Trump by 5.4 per cent. Youngkin has tried to earn voters in these increasingly bye areas distancing himself from Trump's political style, which puts them off.

Virginia has become a battleground area where Republicans feel they can gain more political control after Biden won the state by 10.1 percentage points in the 2020 presidential election.

In Monday's polling average from FiveThirtyEight, McAuliffe and Youngkin remain just under 1 percentage point apart, with the GOP candidate pulling ahead in the days leading up to the election.

While 47.9 per cent of voters say they will cast their ballot for Youngkin, another 47 per cent say they will vote for McAuliffe. Back in August there was a near 7 per cent split in favor of McAuliffe. 

One of the areas most vital to the election is Loudoun County, which Biden won by 25 percentage points in 2020. The wealthy area, while veering more blue recently, could easily turn red as Republican candidate Glenn Youngkin promises to give parents more control over their childrens' education.

Loudoun is the richest county in the U.S., with an average household income of $142,299.

'It's no longer Republicans against Democrats,' Youngkin told Fox News on Tuesday morning. 'It's parents from all political perspectives, from all walks of life coming together and standing up for their children.'   

'Virginia and New Jersey Democrats—it's Election Day! You must turn out and vote for @TerryMcAuliffe, @PhilMurphyNJ, and Democrats down the ballot,' Vice President Kamala Harrris tweeted on Tuesday.

Youngkin's rally crowds the day before the election significantly out-showed those who came out for Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who is a former governor of the Old Dominion State.

McAuliffe tried desperately to tie Youngkin's campaign to rump in an effort to make the candidate seem more far-right and deter independent voters from turning out for him.

'Guess how Glenn Youngkin is finishing his campaign?' McAuliffe said at his final Monday night campaign rally outside a brewery in Fairfax. 'He is doing an event with Donald Trump here in Virginia.'

But Youngkin did not do an event with Trump, instead holding his own rally 30 miles away from McAuliffe at the Loudoun County Fairgrounds with a crowd many times the size of his Democratic challenger.

In fact, Youngkin did not mention Trump once during his Monday night rally, but was careful not to alienate his potential voters who also support the former president.

Trump did not travel to Virginia nor campaign with Youngkin in the race. He did, however, hold a brief long distance tele-rally making the case for the GOP candidate on Monday evening and sent several statements endorsing him.

When asked about McAuliffe linking Youngkin's campaign to Trump, the Republican launched into a defense of the group effort mentality his Party took to get voters to turn out for this election.

'Listen, it was great that the president took time out of his busy schedule to hold a tele-town hall last night,' Youngkin told Fox News on Tuesday morning.

In his final pitch ahead of Election Day, Youngkin promised Virginians in Loudoun County that he would ban critical race theory teachings in schools and give parents more power over their children's education. 

Youngkin took the stage Monday night in the battleground county, which has been the state's epicenter of anger regarding school curricula and policies - in particular, the teaching of critical race theory and rules regarding transgender students.

'We decide that we're going to take the power of our children's education,' he told the crowd of rally-goers.

'This is a defining moment to the future of our commonwealth. A defining moment where we can stand up and say no to this progressive liberal agenda taking over.'

Youngkin passes an autographed basketball into the crowd with his family at his election night rally at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles

Youngkin at his election night rally at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles

Attendees wait to take a photo with Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin

Former cop Eric Adams becomes New York's second black mayor 

Former cop Eric Adams will be the next mayor of New York City, after the Democrat defeated radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa.

He was on course to easily beat Sliwa with a lead of 66 percent to 29 percent after more than half of projected votes were counted.

Adams, 61, is the second black person to be elected New York mayor, after David Dinkins, who led the city from 1990 to 1993.

Adams, 61, is the second black person to be elected New York mayor, after David Dinkins, who led the city from 1990 to 1993.

He rode to victory on pledges to cut wasted government spending and made public safety a central tenet of his campaign following a year of record crime increased in the Big Apple amid the pandemic.

In a victory speech, Adams said: Tonight, New Yorkers have chosen one of their own. I am you.'

He added: 'Today, we take off the intramural jersey and we put on one jersey, Team New York ... Tonight is not just a victory over adversity, it is a vindication of faith. It is the proof that the forgotten can be the future.' 

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Tensions are rising over trans issues in the area after the Loudoun County School Board voted Wednesday evening to allow transgender students access to school facilities and groups that match their gender identities, including on sports teams.

As the issue has become central to the election, DailyMail.com revealed on Tuesday that the mother of a boy who dressed in a skirt and raped a female classmate in the girl's bathroom and sexually assaulted another girl months later does not actually identify as female. 

The mother defender her son, saying he did not dress in a disguise to get in the women's restroom and was just a hormonal, heterosexual teen who had consensual sex with the girl twice before the alleged rape.

'He's a 15-year-old boy that wanted to have sex in the bathroom, with somebody that was willing,' she said . 'And they're twisting this just enough to make it a political hot button issue.'

The story exploded when Scott Smith, the father of the rape victim, was dragged out of a school board meeting with a bloodied mouth on June 22 after listening to school officials deny that a girl had been sexually assaulted in the bathroom after his daughter had reported the rape.

The case became the searing tip of a raging debate in Loudoun County over transgender students' rights and parents' freedom of speech.

While Youngkin held his rallies Monday and focused on education issues, including the issue of trans students, McAuliffe held his own rally Monday evening where he criticized his Republican contender for his unsolicited endorsement from Trump.

'Guess how Glenn Youngkin is finishing his campaign? He is doing an event with Donald Trump here in Virginia. I'm here with you and they've got Trump over there,' he said.

'Donald Trump wants to win here tomorrow night so he can next day announce for president of the United States of America. Well, we're going to put an end to Donald Trump's future plans right here in Virginia. I've beaten Trump twice in Virginia, tomorrow we go 3 and 0.'

Youngkin, who did not mention the former president during his Monday night rally, remained focused on the issues that polls show to be of high importance amongst Virginia's voters. 

'We have to have a moment where the power shifts away from the marble halls of Richmond to the kitchen tables,' Youngkin told his supporters. 

'What can happen tomorrow can be a statement, a statement that can be heard across this country because America needs us to vote tomorrow as well.'

He continued: 'America's watching. Why? Because all across this country families are having the same discussions that you all have. 

'I get notes all day long, 'Glenn stand up for our kids too. Stand up for the rights of our children because we can't vote this year.'  

He promised that the state's schools would not be faucets for political agendas. 

'What we won't do is teach our children to view everything through a lens of race where we divide them into buckets and one group is an oppressor and the other is a victim and we pit them against each other and we steal their dreams,' Youngkin said. 

Youngkin also argued that Tuesday's election was the 'moment for Virginians to push back on this left, liberal, progressive agenda,' citing alleged McAuliffe agenda items that would put increase taxes and put the government between schools and families.

McAuliffe - who has repeatedly accused his opponent of using Virginia's children 'as pawns' in his campaign - has denied the existence of critical race theory in the state's education system and argued that he doesn't 'think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.'

However, at a campaign rally Sunday, the Democrat did address the hotbed topic of education, alleging that there were too many white educators in the state.

'We've got to diversify our teacher base here in Virginia. Fifty percent of students at Virginia schools — K-12 — 50 percent are students of color, and yet 80 percent of the teachers are white,' he said. 

McAuliffe promised to diversify the state's teacher base and become the first state to pay college tuition and housing for minority educators.

'We all know what we have to do in a school to make everybody feel comfortable in school,' he argued.

'So, here's what I'm going to do. We'll be the first state in America — if you'll teach for five years here in Virginia in a high-demand area, whether that be geographic or course work, we will pay room, board, tuition, at any college, any university, any HBCU [historically black colleges and universities] here in the commonwealth of Virginia.'   

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks during an election-night rally at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles on November 02, 2021 in Chantilly, Virginia

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin claps after learning that polling numbers indicated that he was ahead in the Virginia Gubernatorial race Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles on November 02, 2021 in Chantilly, Virginia

Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin hugs his family including his wife Suzanne (2R) and son Thomas after learning that polling numbers indicated that he was ahead in the Virginia Gubernatorial race

Suzanne Youngkin, wife of Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Glenn Youngkin and his children react as they arrive to interact with the crowd during an election night party at a hotel in Chantilly, Virginia

Youngkin watches results come in on election night at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles on November 02, 2021 in Chantilly, Virginia

Attendees wait to take a photo with Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin at Youngkin's election night rally at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles

EXCLUSIVE: It was the woke cover-up that electrified the Virginia governor's race, now on election day the mother of skirt-wearing teen who raped a female classmate in girls' bathroom says he is a troubled boy who identifies as male and just wanted sex 

The mother of the 15-year-old boy who dressed in a skirt and raped a female classmate in the girl's bathroom and was then charged with sexually assaulting another girl months later says her son doesn't identify as a female, and it wasn't just some disguise to slip into the girl's bathroom.

Speaking exclusively with DailyMail.com, the mother, who asked not to be identified for the sake of her underage son, defended his actions as that of a heterosexual, hormonal teen who, in the case of the rape, had consensual sex with the girl twice before.

'He's a 15-year-old boy that wanted to have sex in the bathroom, with somebody that was willing,' she declared, sitting in an empty kitchen in her townhouse in Loudoun County, Virginia. 'And they're twisting this just enough to make it a political hot button issue.'

The story exploded when Scott Smith, the father of the rape victim, was dragged out of a school board meeting with a bloodied mouth on June 22 after listening to school officials deny that a girl had been sexually assaulted in the bathroom after his daughter had reported the rape.

The case became the searing tip of a raging debate in Loudoun County over transgender students' rights and parents' freedom of speech.

The parents of a teen girl who alleges she was raped by a 15-year-old boy in a dress victim's parents were ridiculed by the left after her father Scott Smith (left) was pictured being dragged out of a school board meeting on June 22

Scott Smith, the victim's father, was pictured with a bloody mouth, being dragged out of a school board meeting on June 22 - a month after the attack - after listening to school officials say no one had been sexually assaulted in the bathrooms when that's what his daughter had reported the previous month

The school board has been routinely accused of pushing an ultra-liberal agenda on kids and parents and silencing those who disagree with them.

The scandal even entered Virginia's race for governor, giving life to the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin who accused the Loudon school board of a coverup while warning, 'What tragedy next awaits our children?'

Despite his androgynous style and declaration that he's 'pansexual,' the boy's mother insisted he isn't the gender fluid boogeyman in a culture war about transgender policies.

'He would wear a skirt one day and then the next day, he would wear jeans and a t-shirt, a Polo or hoodie,' she explained. 'He was trying to find himself and that involved all kinds of styles. I believe he was doing it because it gave him attention he desperately needed and sought.'

At the same time, she concedes her son is deeply troubled, acknowledging his extensive history of misbehavior that included sending nude photos of himself to a girl in fifth grade.

She reached her own breaking point with the him in early October when he phoned her from the juvenile detention center following his second arrest.

'He asked me how I was doing, and I said, ''I'm broken, I'm shattered, you shattered me,'' the mom recalled. ''Do you have any idea what you've done to me, what you've done to your family?

'And his response was, ''No, what did I do?'' she said.

She had been his primary point of contact, with his dad living in New Jersey.

'At that point, I was like, 'You know what? I love you, I always will, I will do everything I can to always be there for you in any capacity possible,' she said. 'But I told him - 'You need to call your father for now on. Do not call me. I need to heal, and I need you to figure this out for yourself.'

That was Sunday, October 10. She did show up for his juvenile court appearance last Monday. She sat in the gallery while fuming at the boy's father who defied her wishes by showing up with his wife.

'He'd asked about bringing his wife and I said ''she's the reason you have been absent in (our son's) life. I hate her, I don't want her in the courthouse,'' she recalled telling him. 'I'm in the mix every day dealing with three probation officers, detectives, the Commonwealth and I don't know how many lawyers, and you're in your own little safety bubble in New Jersey.'

'And he didn't listen to me,' the mother told DailyMail.com, shaking her head and adding, 'They even brought a friend.'

On October 25, the teen was found guilty for the May 28 sexual assault at Stone Bridge High School. The judge 'substantiated' charges of forcible sodomy and forcible fellatio, the juvenile equivalent of a conviction.

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