Meet the 2019 VPAP Pundit
Even when making a shot in the dark, Jonathan Shields could still hit the target. After 12 years working in campaigns and issue advocacy, his instincts led him to be crowned the 2019 VPAP Pundit.
“This is kind of my gig,” said Shields, 31, who lives in Washington, D.C. by way of Danville.
Jonathan works for the Human Rights Campaign’s PAC which this year coordinated support on behalf of the LGBTQ community for several House of Delegates candidates.
“There are candidates I’ve come to know and like,” he said. “Part of it was mostly informed optimism about who I’d really want to win.”
Jonathan bested 1,031 hopefuls to win the 2019 Pundit Crown. He had the highest score, correctly predicting 20 out of 22 races.
“Some of my guesses were optimistic,” he said. “I kind of assumed I’d be wrong.”
Jonathan only missed twice: in Senate District 12, where Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant won re-election, and in House District 76, where Clint Jenkins unseated Del. Chris Jones.
He got a boost in Senate District 7. He picked Republican newcomer Jen Kiggans, an outcome that stumped three out of every four of contestants.
But even when Jonathan had “flat out no clue,” he still had a background in Virginia elections to rely on.
“I’ve always worked in Virginia politics, so I did a little bit by geography too. Just knowing there’s lower turnout in off-year elections in certain places.”
One more piece of his background may have contributed to his win.
“I’ve been a long time subscriber,” Jonathan said of VPAP and VaNews.
Now that campaign season is over, you might bump into Jonathan at Shenandoah National Park, where he likes to hike.
Though he’s been crowned the 2019 VPAP Pundit, he enjoys stepping away from politics in his free time.
“I don’t do election prognostication for fun!”
Written by Ali Mislowsky
Nov. 7, 2019
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