In Rebuke Of Trump, Voters Give Dems Governorships, Lower Races

ALEXANDRIA, VA — Virginians chose Democrat Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday, Nov. 7, as the Commonwealth's next governor in one of the first statewide tests of voters' moods since the 2016 election of President Donald Trump. And the state made election history with the election of its first openly transgender elected state lawmaker and the second African-American to win a statewide office.

Democrat Danica Roem beat 13-term Republican Bob Marshall Tuesday night for the Prince William County seat in the Virginia House of Delegates. She's the first openly transgender elected official in Virginia and one of a handful in the nation.

Democrats claimed victories in two other statewide races; Justin Fairfax beat Republican Jill Vogel for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Mark Herring won re-election against Republican John Adams. Fairfax becomes the second African-American in Virginia's history to win the election for a statewide office.

Unofficial results with 99.6 percent of the votes tallied gave Northam a 9 percent lead over Republican Ed Gillespie with 53.87 percent of the votes cast for Northam and 44.95 percent for Gillespie. With more than 95 percent of precincts reporting in both Loudoun County and Prince William County, Northam had a 20-point lead in those two Northern Virginia counties. Northam had a 36 point lead in Fairfax County with 99 percent of votes reporting.

The Associated Press called the race for Northam at 8:12 p.m.; polls closed at 7 p.m.

Despite supporting preservation of controversial Confederate statues and airing anti-immigration ads by Gillespie to close the gap and win Trump's support, the president bashed the losing candidate late Tuesday night. Trump responded to Northam's victory via Twitter saying, "Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for. Don’t forget, Republicans won 4 out of 4 House seats, and with the economy doing record numbers, we will continue to win, even bigger than before!"

Northam thanked supporters for holding on to Virginia values and talking to neighbors about the issues to help the campaign win.

"Today, Virginians proved that we won’t be divided, we won’t be torn apart, and we won’t sit idly by. We will speak out against divisiveness, hatred, and bigotry in all its forms, and we will fight for Virginia values." Northam said in an email to supporters shortly after his victory.

Gillespie called Northam to concede and gave a speech in Richmond after the race was called. "Governor-elect Northam is a good man, and I appreciate his service to our country and our commonwealth, and I wish him nothing but the best success as our 73rd governor," he said.

Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez responded to Northam's victory saying, "It's a new day for Virginia and a new day for the Democratic National Committee."

A New York Times analysis said the governor's race would turn on several factors, including Virginia’s growing “urban crescent” from the Washington suburbs down to Richmond and east toward the Chesapeake Bay, which has become a Democratic stronghold. Northam held a lead with college-educated whites in polling ahead of the election, and African-American voters, who make up 19 percent of the population, are a key to a Democratic win.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said of the Democratic win, "People are saying enough with hate, enough with division."

Northam said in his victory speech: "Whether you voted for me or not, we are all Virginians. . .The Virginia way is to work together to get results. . . .It's going to take a doctor to heal the divide in Virginia (and) the doctor is in."

All 100 House of Delegates seats were up for grabs, and a Republican delegate told a New York Times reporter the party could lose over 10 seats. One notable victory came just before Northam's victory; Democrat Danica Roem defeated Republican Del. Bob Marshall and will become the first transgender elected official in the state. Roem will represent the 13th district, which includes parts of Prince William and Loudoun counties.

The president had tweeted earlier in the day to urge support for Gillespie, tweeting he "will totally turn around the high crime and poor economic performance of VA. MS-13 and crime will be gone. Vote today, ASAP!" Of Northam, the current lieutenant governor, Trump said, "Ralph Northam will allow crime to be rampant in Virginia. He’s weak on crime, weak on our GREAT VETS, Anti-Second Amendment and has been horrible on Virginia economy."

Gillespie is a former Republican National Committee Chairman and counselor in the George W. Bush administration. While his name wasn't on the ballot, Trump's presence still loomed large in this year's election to replace Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who can't run again because of term limits. The president was also a force to contend with in the nation's other top governor's race, in New Jersey, where outgoing Republican Gov. Chris Christie will be replaced by Democrat Phil Murphy, according to unofficial vote counts. CNN and NBC have predicted Murphy will win the seat, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno.

New Jersey politicos say voters have tuned out the issues raised in the governor's race — such as Guadagno's plan to deal with New Jersey's highest-in-the-nation property taxes or Murphy's effort to link the lieutenant governor to the infamous "Bridgegate" scandal that led to the convictions of three Christie aides — and are instead watching Trump battle with the media, Congress and foreign powers.

Watchdog groups reported misleading phone calls were going out to voters in Fairfax and Prince William counties Tuesday morning falsely telling residents their voting locations changed. Any voters who received the call or text should confirm their poll location at Vote.Virginia.Gov or call their local Election Office, authorities said. It remains to be seen how turnout will compare to the 43 percent in the 2013 election.

In Virginia's closely watched election, the opponents had key differences on taxes, guns, abortion and other issues, according to the Associated Press. Gillespie supports a cut in the state’s income tax rate, less gun control and more restrictions on abortions. Northam said he wants a tax overhaul that targets low-income Virginians, supports greater gun restrictions and abortion rights.

Northam had a 3.3 percentage point lead over Gillespie, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average up to Election Day. Most polls in recent days indicate Northam either ahead of or tied with Gillespie, although a Hampton University poll showed Gillespie with an eight-point lead.

The race has captured national attention at moments, with several high-profile politicos stumping for the candidates. Former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden have campaigned for Northam, while former President George W. Bush and Vice President Mike Pence have stumped for Gillespie. Trump has not appeared at any campaign events, although he tweeted in support of Gillespie, saying he is "strong on crime, he might even save our great statues/heritage!"

In the age of Trump, a Northam victory boosts morale for the Democratic Party after the upset in 2016 and set the stage for key 2018 races. On the other side, a Gillespie victory would have all but give Republicans full control in Richmond and Democrats another blow in a state that went for Hillary Clinton. Gillespie's challenge was capturing the enthusiasm of Trump voters after narrowly beating out the anti-establishment Corey Stewart in the June primary. Northam had vied for votes in the progressive wing of the party that choose Bernie Sanders-endorsed Tom Perriello in the primary.

A few factors had pointed toward a Northam victory. According to the Washington Post, Virginia has nearly always elected a governor of the opposite party from the president in recent history. On top of that, a Suffolk University poll released last week shows Trump with a 37 percent approval rating. Gillespie tried to appeal to Trump voters by talking about preserving Confederate monuments and cracking down on illegal immigration.

Analysis: Democrat Wins Virginia Governor Race

SEE ALSO:

• Virginia Governor's Race 2017: Confederate Monument Issue Looms
  
• Virginia Governor's Race: Northam And Gillespie On The Issues
  
• Massive Voter Turnout In Fairfax County For VA Governor's Race

Polling Times and Locations on Election Day

Polls close at 7 p.m. View sample ballots for the Democratic and Republican primaries and find your polling place. Check back with Patch as soon as polls close for live results. Virginia voters must have an acceptable form of photo identification when voting.

4 p.m. - In the last update before results come in, Alexandria reports 42,449 active voters, or 47 percent, have voted. Total voter turnout in 2013 was 50 percent.

3 p.m. - Fairfax County officials are receiving reports of fraudulent calls similar to those in Prince William County. Callers are falsely telling residents their voting locations changed. "If voters get this call or text, they should check/confirm their poll location at Vote.Virginia.Gov or call their local Election Office – in Fairfax County that is 703-222-0776," says county spokeswoman Lisa Connors.

With four hours to go, it remains to be seen how turnout will match the 43 percent statewide turnout in the 2013 election.

2 p.m. - Turnout continues to grow in Northern Virginia jurisdictions despite a rainy forecast. As of noon, City of Alexandria officials say 32,539 active voters had voted so far. This is a 36 percent turnout, higher than the 28 percent turnout at noon in 2013. The largest jurisdiction, Fairfax County, is reporting 30.6 percent turnout (without absentee) as of 2 p.m., which is higher than 28 percent during the same hour in 2013. Falls Church is reporting a 46.5 percent turnout (with absentee).

11. a.m. - The American Civil Liberties Union and NAACP say Democratic voters in the Prince William County area have received fraudulent calls about their voting locations changing. Calls are appearing to come from Gloucester, Va. and Adairsville, Ga. The ACLU and NAACP urges voters to check their official polling place on the Virginia Department of Elections website (Vote.Virginia.gov) and report these calls to the Voter Protection Hotline at 844-482-8683.

10 a.m. - Voter turnout is already strong in the early hours of the day. The City of Alexandria says 26,285 active voters (29 percent) have cast ballots in the general election. In the City of Falls Church, Registrar Dave Bjerke reported a 33 percent turnout. Fairfax County recorded a 15.9 percent turnout of more than 109,000 voters.

6 a.m. - Polls open across Virginia.

Campaigns Make Last Pitches To Virginia Voters

Candidates traveled across Virginia for last minute "Get Out the Vote" events and continued to rack up endorsements through Tuesday.

Gillespie, Vogel and Adams hit spots around the state, starting in Southwest Virginia and ending the day in Fairfax. The Republican ticket will spend election night in Richmond. Northam, Fairfax and Herring campaigned in Roanoke, Richmond and Norfolk and will spend election night in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria.

Democrats have the advantage in early voting, according to ballots counted a day before the election. As of Tuesday morning, the Department of Elections counted 35,390 Democratic and 18,091 Republican absentee ballots that have been returned.

— Includes reporting by Patch Editors Skip Wood, Dan Taylor, Dan Hampton and The Associated Press

Ralph Northam image via Bonnie Jo Mount/The Washington Post via Associated Press

Ed Gillespie image via Steve Helber, Associated Press