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2017 Virginia elections

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Statewide and municipal elections were held in the U.S. state of Virginia on November 7, 2017. The main election being held in Virginia was the state's gubernatorial election. In addition, all of Virginia's House of Delegates seats were up for re-election. Primary elections for the House of Delegates and the governor were held on June 13, 2017. Ralph Northam (D) was elected to become the 73rd Governor of Virginia, Justin Fairfax (D) was elected to become the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and Mark Herring (D) was reelected as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia.[1]

Governor

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Incumbent Democrat, Terry McAuliffe was term-limited and could not seek re-election.

The Virginia gubernatorial election of 2017 took place on November 7, 2017. Primaries took place on June 13, 2017. The incumbent governor, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, was not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits established by the Virginia Constitution. Virginia is the only state that prohibits its governor from serving consecutive terms.

The primary elections took place on June 13, 2017. Virginia utilizes an open primary, in which registered voters are allowed to vote in only one party's primary election.[2]

Ralph Northam won the election to become the 73rd Governor of Virginia with 53.7% of the popular vote.

2017 Virginia gubernatorial election[3]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Ralph Northam 1,409,175 53.90 +6.15
Republican Ed Gillespie 1,175,731 44.97 –0.26
Libertarian Cliff Hyra 27,987 1.07 –5.45
Write-in 1,389 0.05
Total votes 2,614,282 100.00
Democratic hold

Lieutenant governor

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The Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election of 2017 took place on November 7, 2017. The incumbent lieutenant governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, did not seek re-election in order to run for governor.

Justin Fairfax won the election to become the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia with 52.7% of the popular vote.

2017 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election[4]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Justin Fairfax 1,368,261 52.72 –2.40
Republican Jill Vogel 1,224,519 47.18 +2.64
Write-in 2,446 0.09
Total votes 2,595,180 100.00
Democratic hold

Attorney General

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The Virginia Attorney General election of 2017 took place on November 7, 2017. The incumbent attorney general, Democrat Mark Herring, ran for re-election to a second term.

Mark Herring was reelected as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia with 53.3% of the popular vote.

2017 Virginia Attorney General election[5]
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Democratic Mark Herring (incumbent) 1,385,389 53.34 +3.43
Republican John Donley Adams 1,209,339 46.56 –3.31
Write-in 2,486 0.10
Total votes 2,597,214 100.00
Democratic hold

House of Delegates elections

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All 100 seats were up for election in November. This election was notable for being

Notable Races

Local elections

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In an April 18, 2017 special election, Jacqueline Smith was elected Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court.[7] That she won with an 8-point margin of victory after having been outspent seven-to-one by a politician with greater name recognition was viewed by Republicans as a sign of Democratic momentum.[8] Democratic state senator Jeremy McPike argued that Smith's victory boded well for Democratic turnout in the state election.[9]

In a special election in Chesterfield County on November 7, Jenefer Hughes defeated Republican incumbent Tim McPeters with over 55% of the vote to become the county's next Commissioner of Revenue, marking the first time in over 37 years the post has gone to a Democrat.

References

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  1. ^ "2017 November General". results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  2. ^ "Virginia gubernatorial election, 2017". Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "2017 November General". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  4. ^ November 2017 General Election: Lieutenant Governor: Official Results Archived 2017-11-08 at the Wayback Machine, Virginia Department of Elections.
  5. ^ "2017 November General". Archived from the original on November 8, 2017. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  6. ^ Vyse, Graham (November 8, 2017). "How a Socialist Beat One of Virginia's Most Powerful Republicans". newrepublic.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  7. ^ "Democrat Jacqueline Smith beats long odds, big money in special election for court clerk". Fauquier.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  8. ^ "Prince William Clerk of Court Race Loss is Warning for November - Bearing Drift". Bearingdrift.com. April 19, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Alex Koma. "Democrats emboldened by win; Jackie Smith 'ready to get to work'". Insidenova.com. Retrieved May 25, 2018.