2021 Virginia gubernatorial election

← 2017 November 2, 2021[1] 2025 →
Turnout54.9% Increase 7.7[2]
 
Nominee Glenn Youngkin Terry McAuliffe
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,663,158 1,599,470
Percentage 50.58% 48.64%

Governor before election

Ralph Northam
Democratic

Elected Governor

Glenn Youngkin
Republican

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,[3] and was officially declared the nominee on May 10.[4] The Democratic Party held its primary election on June 8,[5] which former Governor Terry McAuliffe easily won.[6]

In the general election, Youngkin defeated McAuliffe by nearly 64,000 votes in what was considered an upset because McAuliffe led over Youngkin in the polls until right before election day.[7] Youngkin was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia since 2009. The economy, education, public health, and cultural issues were centerpieces of Youngkin's campaign.[8][9][10] Youngkin promised to ban the teaching of critical race theory within state schools on "day one", push back against certain COVID-19 restrictions including vaccination mandates and mask mandates, and advocate for small government within the state of Virginia.[11][12][13]

Democrats tried to portray Youngkin as a political ally of Donald Trump, who lost Virginia in 2020, and Trump did indeed express support for Youngkin. Walking a fine line between welcoming the endorsement and demonstrating independence, Youngkin was able to successfully appeal to both Republicans and independents.[14] Political analysts believe that the main reason for the Democratic Party's defeat in Virginia was that voters were not satisfied with the performance of President Joe Biden, with whom McAuliffe allied himself.[15]

Democratic primary

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Candidates

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Nominee

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Eliminated in primary

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Polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Jennifer
Carroll Foy
Lee
Carter
Justin
Fairfax
Terry
McAuliffe
Susan Platt Undecided
Roanoke College June 1-6, 2021 800 (LV) 22% 12% 18% 40% 7% 1%
Quinnipiac May 26-June 1, 2021 1087 (LV) 20% 9% 15% 42% 6% 8%
VCU May 19-27, 2021 1002 (LV) 19% 10% 17% 36% 8% 10%

Results

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Democratic primary results[16]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Terry McAuliffe 307,367 62.10%
Democratic Jennifer Carroll Foy 98,052 19.81%
Democratic Jennifer McClellan 58,213 11.76%
Democratic Justin Fairfax 17,606 3.56%
Democratic Lee J. Carter 13,694 2.77%
Total votes 494,932 100.00%

Republican convention

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Candidates

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Nominated at convention

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Eliminated at convention

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Polling

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Primary polling

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Poll source Date(s)
administered
Sample
size[a]
Amanda
Chase
Kirk
Cox
Pete
Snyder
Glenn
Youngkin
Undecided
Trafalgar Group June 2–6, 2021 750 (LV) 26% 21% 15% 38% 0%
Emerson May 28-June 3, 2021 850 (LV) 30% 20% 15% 35% 0%
Suffolk University May 24-31, 2021 800 (RV) 28% 22% 18% 32% 0%

Results

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Virginia GOP Convention, Governor Nominee[20]
Candidate Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Round 6
Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes % Votes %
Glenn Youngkin 4131.80 32.9% 4140.55 33.0% 4148.91 33.0% 4331.93 34.5% 5311.43 42.3% 6869.22 54.7%
Pete Snyder 3241.61 25.8% 3243.84 25.8% 3249.71 25.9% 3502.91 27.9% 4078.25 32.5% 5684.78 45.3%
Amanda Chase 2605.89 20.8% 2611.54 20.8% 2619.83 20.9% 2859.39 22.8% 3164.32 25.2% Eliminated
Kirk Cox 1693.58 13.5% 1698.13 13.5% 1705.90 13.6% 1859.77 14.8% Eliminated
  1. ^ "Republican Glenn Youngkin is leading in Virginia governor race. Here's the latest". NPR. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  2. ^ SUMMARY OF VIRGINIA REGISTRATION & TURNOUT STATISTICS (Report). Virginia Department of Elections. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  3. ^ Wilson, Patrick (March 12, 2021). "After months of fighting, Va. Republicans appear to have finalized nomination process". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  4. ^ Gabriel, Trip (May 11, 2021). "Glenn Youngkin Wins G.O.P. Nomination for Virginia Governor". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  5. ^ Kilgore, Ed (December 14, 2020). "Is Terry McAuliffe the Best Virginia Democrats Can Offer for Governor?". Intelligencer. Archived from the original on December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
  6. ^ "Virginia Primary Election Results". The New York Times. June 8, 2021. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 8, 2021.
  7. ^ Silver, Nate (November 2, 2021). "Who's ahead in the Virginia governor's race?". FiveThirtyEight. Archived from the original on July 17, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  8. ^ Ariel Edwards-Levy (November 2, 2021). "Independent voters favor Youngkin as he clinches victory in Virginia, CNN exit poll shows". CNN. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  9. ^ Prokop, Andrew (November 3, 2021). "What Glenn Youngkin's Virginia win means for Democrats". Vox. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  10. ^ Graham, David A. (November 2, 2021). "Tonight Is a Test of What Trumpism Could Be Without Trump". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "In Virginia, Republicans see education, curriculum fears as a path to victory". NBC News. October 17, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  12. ^ "Glenn Youngkin targets education in Virginia Gov. race, says he'd ban CRT". Newsweek. October 24, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  13. ^ Barrabi, Thomas (November 2, 2021). "Virginia governor-elect Youngkin's economic plan includes lower taxes, less regulation". FOXBusiness. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
  14. ^ "Republican political amateur wins Virginia governor election, President Biden's political and governance prospects are worrisome". VOA. November 3, 2021. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  15. ^ Manchester, Julia; Samuels, Brett (July 23, 2021). "Biden hits trail for McAuliffe in test of his political brand". The Hill. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  16. ^ "2021 June Democratic Primary". Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Vozzella, Laura (January 11, 2021). "Political newcomer with ability to self-fund to enter race for Virginia governor". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  18. ^ Mattingly, Justin (February 17, 2020). "Chesterfield Sen. Amanda Chase announces run for governor". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  19. ^ Lilly, Shannon (November 17, 2020). "Kirk Cox announces run for Governor of Virginia". CBS 6 News Richmond. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  20. ^ "Virginia GOP Convention, Governor Nominee Ranked Choice Voting Election Results Visualization". rcvis.com. RCVis. May 11, 2021. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.


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