But Democrats have a clear agenda — gun control, no-excuse absentee voting, tax relief for­ ­lower-income Virginians — that they may be able to leverage at the polls if Republicans defeat it during the session, according to University of Mary Washington political scientist Stephen Farnsworth.

“Very effective D effort to set the stage for the 2019 elections in #Virginia,” Farnsworth tweeted. “Republicans may block much of this agenda, but if so Democrats will use these measures to frame the commonwealth’s midterm elections.”