Virginian voters went to the polls today and decided the fate of an important election. As the first test in the era of Trump politics, the lieutenant governor, Ralph S. Northam, won by a decisive margin and clinched the post as the newly elected governor of Virginia.
Northam won 53.9 percent of the votes while his Republican counterpart, Ed Gillespie, managed with a total of 45 percent. Northam was able to overcome a racially charged campaign that featured Trump-style campaign appeals.
This is the first major victory for the Democratic Party since losing the presidential election last November. The Democrats in the following days will capitalize on today’s election results , according to the New York Times.
“The campaign between a pair of low-key, establishment politicians was brought to life by national wedge issues, from immigration to Confederate iconography, and Mr. Northam’s win offered a momentary catharsis for Democrats beyond Virginia’s borders, who have been hungry to find political success this year.”
Even though Gillespie utilized hardship-oriented politics, it did not yield the kind of results he had hoped for. Ultimately, it cost him the office of governor, according to the Times report.
Trump became the first U.S. president not to make an appearance for a gubernatorial candidate for Virginia dating back to 2001.
DAILY KOS BIG BOARD 9:30 pm 20 Blue Checks 2 Red Checks https://t.co/AAnmhefAfA pic.twitter.com/V0J0GcprOF
— David Beard (@dwbeard) November 8, 2017
The different polls compiled from the middle of October showed the race tightening between Northam and Gillespie. For example, the polling data collected by Monmouth, Fox News , and the Polling Company had Northam lead by just two or three percentage points. The margin of victory for the governor’s post was a different story altogether.
Meanwhile, President Trump was busy visiting five Asian countries. Upon receiving the news of the elections, he immediately took to Twitter and provided the reasons for Gillespie’s defeat.
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!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 8, 2017
As previously reported, Trump did not make an appearance during this election. On the other hand, former President Barack Obama returned to the campaign trail to vouch for Northam which probably paid off in a big way for the Democrats.
Before Northam was officially declared the next elected governor of Virginia, U.S House editor of the Cook Political Report Dave Wasserman had projected in advance for the Democrat to win the seat.
Projection: Ralph Northam (D) has been elected next governor of VA, defeating Ed Gillespie (R). #VAGOV
— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 8, 2017
https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/videos/10155200361060950/
Finally, The Washington Post reported that while Republicans were looking to snatch Virginia away, it would still remain as the only Southern state that voted for Hillary Clinton last year.
[Featured Image by Steve Helber/AP Images]
