The question for Virginia voters this fall is whether they’ll favor a former governor with decades of high-level political experience - Mr. But this primary more closely approximated last year’s presidential primary, when a coalition of moderate whites and Black Democrats rallied to the moderate candidate they knew. His rivals hoped the contest would mirror the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, when former President Barack Obama emerged as the next-generation hope of the party and defeated the standard-bearer of the old guard, Hillary Clinton, whose campaign Mr. And with all four of the other candidates remaining in the race to the end, none of them were able to coalesce what opposition there was to Mr. The once and potentially future governor also helped himself by claiming early and broad support from the state’s Democratic establishment, including a number of leaders in the Black community. McAuliffe’s rivals were starved of political oxygen. Trump refusing to acknowledge defeat and the country only recently starting to fully emerge from the pandemic, though, the primary was obscured and Mr. Carroll Foy, Jennifer McClellan, a state senator, and Lt. McAuliffe’s primary rivals are Black: Ms. The former governor’s opponents, particularly Jennifer Carroll Foy and Lee Carter, ran to his left, arguing that a 64-year-old wealthy white man with pro-business inclinations was out of step with the party. McAuliffe’s easy victory also highlighted the enduring strength of the Democrats’ moderate wing in a state that has turned a deeper shade of blue in the last decade. Youngkin and going viral with dance moves that were more enthusiastic than artful. The exuberant former fund-raiser and national party chair could barely conceal his glee before Tuesday, as he barnstormed Virginia in the days leading up to the primary by ignoring his Democratic opponents, lacerating Mr. Biden, for now at least, to try to reclaim the governorship four years after leaving Richmond with some of his plans stymied by a statehouse then controlled by Republicans. McAuliffe, who deferred his presidential ambitions to Mr. McAuliffe, once called for his resignation. Northam, underscoring his political recovery in a party whose leaders, including Mr. The results also marked a moment of vindication for Mr. McAuliffe’s most important supporter in the primary, appearing with him in television commercials and on the campaign trail. And just two years after a blackface scandal that nearly drove him from office, Mr. The president carried the state by 10 points last year. Northam, who by state law cannot succeed himself, and Mr. Trump, who remains beloved among party activists but is despised by the broader electorate.įurther complicating matters for Republicans here, both Mr.
Not only are they shut out of every statewide office, but, like in other Democratic-leaning states, they are also struggling with how to navigate the dominating presence of Mr. Virginia Republicans, however, are at a low ebb. About 500,000 Virginians cast a ballot, a number far closer to the 2017 primary, when Democrats won the governorship, than in 2009, when they were routed. McAuliffe was never at serious risk, turnout Tuesday was robust.
In one promising sign for Democrats after what was a fairly sleepy primary, during which Mr. Warning Democrats not to be complacent, the former governor said “there are 75 millions reasons why Glenn Youngkin could win,” a reference to the amount of money the Republican could spend on the race. Trump and outlining his conservative views on cultural issues. McAuliffe devoted a significant part of his victory speech to attacking his opponent, linking the financier to former President Donald J. Northam to argue that Virginia Democrats have taken a moderate state sharply to the left since gaining total control of the State Capitol. Youngkin is poised to make Virginia the most competitive election in the country this fall. Positioning himself as a political outsider and having already spent $12 million of his own fortune, Mr. McAuliffe will face the Republican Glenn Youngkin, a former private-equity executive and first-time candidate, in November.