Republicans, meanwhile, were given a choice between the old GOP era in Mr. Gillespie, who was a counselor to President George W. Bush, and the new GOP in Mr. Stewart, who was pushing immigration crackdowns well before Mr. Trump and had been chairman of the Trump campaign in Virginia.
RICHMOND, Va. - After a surprisingly close race, Ed Gillespie clinched the Republican nomination for governor, reports the Associated Press.
Primary night in Virginia was supposed to show a competitive race amongst Democratic - and a blowout amongst Republican - gubernatorial candidates, but voters had a different idea.
Backed by virtually every Virginia Democrat in state and federal office - including outgoing Gov. Terry McAuliffe and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren of MA and Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont endorsed Perriello, but Northam dominated in state leadership endorsements. Northam received 55.9 percent of the vote in a two-way race with former congressman Tom Perriello, defeating the progressive by more than 64,000 votes.
In November, Virginia will be one of only two states electing a governor, and the commonwealth's race has always been seen as the first indicator of the national mood after a presidential election the year before.
Voters are also choosing candidates for lieutenant governor and several state House seats. "I don't know about you, but I am inspired to keep fighting tonight".
Perriello made a surprise entrance into the race in January and faced an uphill climb from the beginning. Observers initially expected it to be an easy win for Gillespie, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Some viewed the close battle as a pitting of the Sanders wing of the party, as channeled by Perriello, against the Clinton wing of the party, represented by Northam.
Ten man France prove that England are still in the dark ages
England were breached a second time when they were hit on the break just before half-time as Dembele burst forward. France were fitter, fresher and much, much faster.
"Initial takeaways are that Northam performed strongly in the Urban Crescent- Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads-and that was all he had to do in the end", says Geoffrey Skelly of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.
In the Republican primary, Gillespie beat Stewart 44 percent to 42 percent with Frank Wagner earning 14 percent of the vote.
On the Republican side, Gillespie, a moderate Washington insider, is trying to fend off under-funded but spirited campaigns from Wagner and Stewart, an avid Trump supporter.
Mr. Perriello congratulated Mr. Northam in a phone call before taking the stage at his election night party, vowing to support his rival in the November election.
At 9 a.m. Tuesday, 3 percent had cast ballots, the same overall voter turnout for the Democratic primary four years ago, James City voter registrar Dianna Moorman said.
McAuliffe, who, like U.S. senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, backed Northam, is barred from seeking a consecutive term. All six being challenged this year have big fundraising leads over their opponents. Trump's approval rating in Virginia, in public and private polls, is now about 35 percent, creating headwinds for Gillespie and other Republicans. Now the critical question is whether Stewart supporters will turn out for Gillespie in November.
"I see this as the midterm of the midterms", said Felty, who voted for Trump and remains steadfast in his support. Gillespie, who vastly outspent his opponents, wound up with about 160,000 votes, nearly 80,000 votes fewer than the loser in the Democratic primary. "I think it has bigger consequences than people imagine".
Northam essentially had been campaigning for years, making key contacts with influential power brokers like prominent African-American politicians and religious leaders, and building up a large cash advantage that let him outspend Perriello on TV advertising in the closing weeks of the race.
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