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]

Contents

Governor

Incumbent Democrat, Terry McAuliffe was term-limited and could not seek re-election. McAuliffe.jpg
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]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Ralph Northam 1,409,175 53.90 +6.15
Republican Ed Gillespie 1,175,73144.97–0.26
Libertarian Cliff Hyra27,9871.07–5.45
Write-in 1,3890.05
Total votes2,614,282 100.00
Democratic hold

Lieutenant governor

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]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Justin Fairfax 1,368,261 52.72 –2.40
Republican Jill Vogel 1,224,51947.18+2.64
Write-in 2,4460.09
Total votes2,595,180 100.00
Democratic hold

Attorney General

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]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
Democratic Mark Herring (incumbent) 1,385,389 53.34 +3.43
Republican John Donley Adams 1,209,33946.56–3.31
Write-in 2,4860.10
Total votes2,597,214 100.00
Democratic hold

House of Delegates elections

All 100 seats were up for election in November.

Notable Races

Local elections

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.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Herring</span> American lawyer and politician

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Virginia elections</span>

The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 2009 general election:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Virginia elections</span>

The following offices were up for election in the United States Commonwealth of Virginia in the November 5, 2013 general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 8, 2016, in 12 states and two territories. The last regular gubernatorial elections for nine of the 12 states took place in 2012. The last gubernatorial elections for New Hampshire, Oregon, and Vermont took place in 2014, as Oregon held a special election due to the resignation of Governor John Kitzhaber, while the governors of New Hampshire and Vermont both serve two-year terms. The 2016 gubernatorial elections took place concurrently with several other federal, state, and local elections, including the presidential election, Senate, and House elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Virginia gubernatorial election</span> Election for the governorship of the U.S. state of Virginia

The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe was unable to run for reelection, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officeholder from serving consecutive terms, although he later ran unsuccessfully for a second term in the 2021 election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Virginia Attorney General election</span>

The Virginia Attorney General election of 2013 took place on November 5, 2013, to elect the Attorney General of Virginia. The incumbent Attorney General, Republican Ken Cuccinelli, did not run for re-election. He was instead his party's nominee in the 2013 gubernatorial election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 7, 2017, in two states: Virginia and New Jersey. These elections formed part of the 2017 United States elections. The last regular gubernatorial elections for these two states were in 2013. Both incumbents were term-limited, so both seats were open. Democrats held the governorship in Virginia and picked up the governorship of New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 United States elections</span>

The 2017 United States elections were held, in large part, on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. This off-year election featured gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as state legislative elections in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature and in the Virginia House of Delegates. Numerous citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections also occurred. Special elections were also held for one seat of the U.S. Senate, representing Alabama, and six seats of the U.S. House of Representatives. The Democrats picked up the governorship in New Jersey and the Alabama Senate seat that was up for a special election. The governorship in Virginia and the six House seats that were up for special elections did not change party hands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election</span>

The 2017 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. After the party primary elections were held, the major party nominees were Jill Vogel (Republican) and Justin Fairfax (Democrat). The incumbent Lieutenant Governor, Democrat Ralph Northam, declined to run for re-election in order to run for Governor. In the general election on November 7, 2017, Democratic nominee Justin Fairfax defeated Republican state Senator Jill Vogel to become the 41st Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Virginia Attorney General election</span> 2017 Virginia Attorney Generals election

The 2017 Virginia Attorney General election was held on November 7, 2017. The incumbent attorney general, Democrat Mark Herring, was expected to run for governor, but announced he would run for re-election instead. As only Herring and Republican John Adams qualified for their respective party primaries, the two automatically became their parties' nominees. In the general election, Herring defeated Adams to win a second term as Attorney General of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia</span> 2018 Virginia congressional elections

The 2018 United States House of Representatives elections in Virginia were held on November 6, 2018, to elect the 11 U.S. representatives from the state of Virginia, one from each of the state's 11 congressional districts. The elections coincided with other states' elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. Primary elections took place on June 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Fairfax</span> Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022

Justin Edward Fairfax is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the second African-American elected statewide in Virginia, following Douglas Wilder. In 2019, he faced sexual assault allegations dating to 2000 and 2004, which he denied. In 2021, he was a Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary with 3.54% of the vote.

Jerrauld C. C. "Jay" Jones is an American politician and attorney serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 89th district. In July 2020, Jones announced his candidacy for attorney general of Virginia in the 2021 election. Jones lost the Democratic primary to incumbent Mark Herring, despite receiving an endorsement from Governor Ralph Northam. In December 2021, Jones announced his resignation to focus on family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 United States gubernatorial elections</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 United States elections</span>

The 2021 United States elections were held in large part on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. This off-year election included the regular gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia. In addition, state legislative elections were held for the New Jersey Legislature and Virginia House of Delegates, along with numerous state legislative special elections, citizen initiatives, mayoral races, and a variety of other local elections. Six special elections to the United States House of Representatives also took place on November 2 or earlier as a result of either deaths or vacancies. The first of these was held on March 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Virginia political crisis</span> February 2019 Virginia political scandals

Over the course of one week in February 2019, all three of Virginia's statewide elected executive officials became engulfed in scandal, and were consequently the subjects of nationwide bipartisan calls for resignation or removal from office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Virginia Attorney General election</span> Election for Commonwealths Attorney General

The 2021 Virginia attorney general election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next attorney general of Virginia. Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring attempted to win a third term. Herring initially planned to run for governor, but decided to run for re-election. Herring faced Republican nominee Jason Miyares in the general election. Herring conceded defeat at 5:02 PM EST the following day, November 3. Miyares became the first Cuban-American and Hispanic to be elected to statewide office in Virginia. Miyares was later sworn in on January 15, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Virginia elections</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Virginia House of Delegates election</span>

The 2021 Virginia House of Delegates election for the 162nd Virginia General Assembly were held on November 2, 2021 to coincide with biennial elections in the U.S. state of Virginia. All 100 Delegates are elected to two-year terms in single-member constituencies. Primary elections took place on June 8. This election coincided with the 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial election, the Lieutenant Gubernatorial election, and lastly, the Attorney General election, all of which were won by Republicans. The upper house of the Virginia General Assembly, the Senate of Virginia, will hold its next election on November 7, 2023.

References

  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.