Robert Creigh Deeds is an American lawyer and politician serving as a member of the Senate of Virginia representing the 25th district since 2001. Previously,he was the Democratic nominee for Attorney General of Virginia in 2005 and Governor of Virginia in 2009. He was defeated in both of those races by Republican Bob McDonnell. Deeds lost by just 360 votes in 2005,but was defeated by a wide margin of over 17 percentage points in 2009. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2001.
Mark Rankin Herring is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat,he previously served in the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election,representing the 33rd district,made up of parts of Fairfax and Loudoun counties. In 2021,Herring lost re-election for a third term to Republican challenger Jason Miyares.
The Democratic Party of Virginia is the Virginia affiliate of the Democratic Party based in Richmond,Virginia.
The 2009 Virginia gubernatorial election took place in Virginia on November 3,2009. The incumbent governor,Democrat Tim Kaine,was not eligible to run due to term limits established by the Virginia Constitution,though others in the state's executive branch were not restricted. Republican Bob McDonnell was elected as governor as part of a Republican sweep. Republican Bill Bolling was reelected as lieutenant governor,and Republican Ken Cuccinelli was elected as attorney general. The winners were inaugurated on January 16,2010,and served until January 11,2014.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 3,2009,in the states of New Jersey and Virginia,as well as in the U.S. commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands on November 7,2009. Both state governorships were previously held by Democrats elected in 2005,and both were won by Republicans in 2009;the local Covenant Party maintained control of the governorship of the Marianas. These elections formed part of the 2009 United States elections. As of 2024,this is the last election after which the Democratic party held a majority of governorships.
The politics of Virginia have followed major historical events and demographic changes in the commonwealth. In the 21st century,the northern region has become more liberal in attitudes and voting,constituting a reliable voting bloc for Democrats and joining with population centers in the Richmond Metropolitan and Hampton Roads areas to dominate the state. Political orientation varies by region,with the larger cities and suburban areas generally voting Democratic and the rural areas voting Republican. The southern,rural regions have remained Republican. Until 2021 when the GOP swept all statewide offices,Virginia was shifting more Democratic and now is considered a swing state again by most pundits.
Ralph Shearer Northam is an American physician and politician who was the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric neurologist by occupation,he was an officer in the U.S. Army Medical Corps from 1984 to 1992. Northam,a member of the Democratic Party,was the 40th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 before winning the governorship against the Republican nominee Ed Gillespie in the 2017 election. Prohibited by the Virginia Constitution from running for a consecutive term,Northam left office in January 2022 and was succeeded by the Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Shannon Rutter Valentine is an American politician who served as the Secretary of Transportation for Virginia from 2018 to 2022.
Jennifer Leigh McClellan is an American politician and attorney who has served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party,she represented the 9th district in the Virginia State Senate from 2017 to 2023 and the 71st district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2009 to 2017. She ran in the Democratic primary for governor of Virginia in the 2021 election,losing to former governor Terry McAuliffe.
Terence Richard McAuliffe is an American businessman and politician who served as the 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party,he was co-chairman of President Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign,co-chairman of the 1997 Presidential Inaugural Committee,chairman of the 2000 Democratic National Convention,chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005 and chairman of Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.
The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 2009 general election:
Creigh Deeds was the 2009 Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia. He has been a Virginia State Senator since 2001 and was the Democratic Party's nominee for Attorney General of Virginia in 2005. He announced his candidacy for governor on December 13,2007,in an online video. His primary opposition for the Democratic nomination was former Virginia House of Delegates member Brian Moran and former DNC chairman Terry McAuliffe. Deeds won the nomination by a large margin,taking about 50 percent of the vote in the June 9,2009 Democratic primary. However,Deeds lost the gubernatorial race held on November 3,to Bob McDonnell,41.25% to 58.61%.
The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 5,2013 general election.
The 2013 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election took place on November 5,2013,to elect the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. The incumbent Lieutenant Governor,Republican Bill Bolling,had originally planned to run for Governor of Virginia in the 2013 gubernatorial election,but withdrew upon the entry of Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli.
The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7,2017. Incumbent Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe was unable to run for re-election,as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officeholder from serving consecutive terms;he later ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 2021.
United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2,2021,in two states,New Jersey and Virginia,and a recall election was held in California on September 14. These elections form part of the 2021 United States elections. The last gubernatorial elections for New Jersey and Virginia were in 2017,and the last regular gubernatorial election for California was in 2018. Going into the elections,all three seats were held by Democrats.
The 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 2,2021,to elect the next governor of Virginia. The election was concurrent with other elections for Virginia state offices. Incumbent Democratic governor Ralph Northam was ineligible to run for re-election,as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits governors from serving consecutive terms. Businessman Glenn Youngkin won the Republican nomination at the party's May 8 convention,which was held in 37 polling locations across the state,and was officially declared the nominee on May 10. The Democratic Party held its primary election on June 8,which former governor Terry McAuliffe easily won.
The 2021 Virginia elections were held on Tuesday,November 2,2021. Republicans swept all three statewide races and won back control of the House of Delegates in an upset. Primary elections were held on June 8,2021. It was the first state gubernatorial and legislative election to be held since the passage of several voting rights bills into law by the Democratic trifecta in the 161st Virginia General Assembly,including expansions of early voting,designation of Election Day as a paid state holiday,legalization of automatic and same-day voter registration,the Voting Rights Act of Virginia,and repeal of Voter ID laws.
The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on November 4,2025. Incumbent Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin will be ineligible to run for re-election,as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the state's governors from serving consecutive terms. Primary elections will take place on June 17,2025.
The 2023 Virginia Senate election was held on Tuesday,November 7,2023,concurrently with elections for the Virginia House of Delegates,to elect senators to all 40 seats in the Senate of Virginia for the 163rd and 164th Virginia Assembly. Nomination primaries held through the Department of Elections were held June 20,2023. These were the first elections held following redistricting as a result of the 2020 census. The Democrats retained control of the Senate.
