Virginia Elections, 2017
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Statewide and municipal elections were held in the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
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 election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...
s for the House of Delegates and the governor were held on June 13, 2017.
Ralph Northam Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
(D) was elected to become the 73rd
governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The Governor (United States), governor is head of the Government_of_Virginia#Executive_branch, executive branch ...
,
Justin Fairfax Justin Edward Fairfax (born February 17, 1979) 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 ...
(D) was elected to become the 41st
lieutenant governor of Virginia The lieutenant governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is a constitutional officer of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The lieutenant governor is elected every four years along with the governor and attorney general. The office is currently held ...
, and Mark Herring (D) was reelected as the 47th
attorney general of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an Executive (government), executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a United State ...
.


Governor

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 Terence Richard McAuliffe (born February 9, 1957) is an American businessman and politician who served as the List of governors of Virginia, 72nd governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
, was not eligible to run for re-election due to
term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...
established by the
Virginia Constitution The Constitution of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the document that defines and limits the powers of the state government and the basic rights of the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Like all other state constitutions, it is supreme ...
.
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
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. Ralph Northam won the election to become the 73rd governor of Virginia with 53.7% of the popular vote.


Lieutenant governor

The Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election of 2017 took place on November 7, 2017. The incumbent lieutenant governor, Democrat
Ralph Northam Ralph Shearer Northam (born September 13, 1959) is an American physician and former politician who served as the 73rd governor of Virginia from 2018 to 2022. A pediatric Neurology, neurologist by occupation, he was an officer in the Medical Co ...
, 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.


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.


House of Delegates elections

All 100 seats were up for election in November. Notable races * The election in the 94th district was an exact tie between Republican David Yancey and Democrat Shelly Simonds, which was eventually decided by a random drawing. This race had added significance, as Yancey's win gave the Republicans 51 total seats in the 100-seat house, and thus a majority for the following term. * Danica Roem became the first openly transgender candidate elected to a state legislature in the United States, unseating socially conservative incumbent Bob Marshall. * Chris Hurst, whose girlfriend was murdered on live TV in 2015, was elected to the House of Delegates, defeating incumbent Joseph Yost. * House Majority Whip Jackson Miller was defeated by Lee Carter, a 30-year-old Marine veteran endorsed by the
Democratic Socialists of America The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is a political organization in the United States and the country's largest Socialism, socialist organization. Sitting on the Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left of the politic ...
. *
Elizabeth Guzmán Elizabeth Rosalina Guzmán is an American politician and social worker who served as a member of the Virginia's House of Delegates for the 31st district from 2018 to 2024. She was first elected in 2017 after defeating incumbent Republican Sc ...
and Hala Ayala became the first Latina members of the House. * Kathy Tran became the first Asian American woman delegate after defeating Republican Lolita Mancheno-Smoak. * Dawn Adams became the first openly lesbian state lawmaker after defeating Republican incumbent, G.M. "Manoli" Loupassi.


Local elections

In an April 18, 2017 special election, Jacqueline Smith was elected Prince William County Clerk of Circuit Court. The fact that she won with an eight-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. Democratic state senator Jeremy McPike argued that Smith's victory boded well for Democratic turnout in the state election. 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 had gone to a Democrat.


References

{{2017 United States elections
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...