McAuliffe, Ayala, Herring Win: VA Primary Election Results

VIRGINIA — Former Virginia governor and longtime fixture as a national Democratic Party leader Terry McAuliffe won the state's Democratic nomination for a second term as governor in Tuesday's primary election, the Associated Press reported at 7:44 p.m.

In the two other statewide races, the lieutenant governor's contest was called by AP for Del. Hala Ayala. In the attorney general race, Del. Jay Jones conceded to incumbent Mark Herring.

Polls closed at 7 p.m. in Virginia for Democratic primary elections deciding candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, certain House of Delegates seats, and some local offices. Unofficial results can be found on the Virginia Department of Elections site.

(See live results from the state election office at the bottom of this story.)

McAuliffe thanked voters in a tweet for his primary win.

"I am running for governor: To create great paying jobs. To reduce health care costs. To build the best education system in the country," McAuliffe said. "Together, we can move Virginia forward and lift everyone up."

McAuliffe, who served as governor from January 2014 to January 2018, was the frontrunner for the nomination going into Tuesday's election. Before becoming governor, McAuliffe was co-chair of President Bill Clinton’s 1996 campaign, chairman of the Democratic National Committee and chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since leaving office, McAuliffe continued to campaign on behalf of Democrats seeking office in Virginia.

The former governor will face political newcomer Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin, former CEO of The Carlyle Group, in the November general election.

Youngkin, who has never run for political office before, welcomed McAuliffe to the race and said he will "look forward to presenting our competing ideas for Virginia’s future."

"Voters from across the political spectrum agree that we need a new kind of leader to bring a new day to Virginia," Youngkin said. "Get ready, because Terry McAuliffe will default to the same political games he’s played his entire life. I’m confident that voters will not choose a recycled, 40-year political insider and career politician who pretends to be a businessman, who talks big but doesn’t deliver, and who failed Virginians the first time he was governor. I am looking forward and moving beyond the politics of the past to bring people together around our shared values and rebuilding Virginia into the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family."

In an email to supporters, McAuliffe said the general election is "going to be close."

"That’s bad news because my Trump-endorsed opponent, Glenn Youngkin, has a BIG head start," McAuliffe said. "He’s been the Republican nominee for weeks, and he’s outraised us, outspent us, AND pledged to spend up to $75 million of his own money buying the governor’s office."

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Democratic Field Reacts

Other candidates seeking the nomination were Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Sen. Jennifer McClellan (9th District), Del. Lee Carter (50th District) and former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy (2nd District).

In a statement released shortly after 9 p.m., Carroll Foy said she called McAuliffe to congratulate him on winning the nomination.

"And I also want to take the time to thank Jennifer McClellan, Justin Fairfax, and Lee Carter on a hard-fought race here this year," Carroll Foy said. "Because no matter our differences or our perspectives, at the end of the day, we are all Democrats. So we have to galvanize and come together and support each other, and support our nominee."

Carroll Foy strongly hinted she plans to remain involved in politics.

"I want to be unequivocally clear, I am going nowhere. I pledge to stay in this fight to uplift marginalized communities, people who need the help," she said. "So let's keep pushing. Let's support Terry McAuliffe in the gubernatorial nomination. Let's do everything we have to do. Let's get in the trenches. Let's do the work because at the end of the day, we must win in November."

McClellan, who represents Richmond in the state Senate, also congratulated McAuliffe on his victory in the primary.

"Although tonight did not go the way we wanted it to, we made history," McClellan said. "Like Maggie Walker and Shirley Chisholm before me, we put more cracks in the glass ceiling that one day a Black woman will shatter. And I hope I have inspired her to find her voice and demand her seat at the head of the table."

McClellan said she looks forward to working with McAuliffe, if he wins the general election in November, on issues such as universal child care, transforming the state’s justice system and building a health care safety net for the state’s residents.

"Virginians have a clear choice this November between progress and the past," she said. "We’ve come so far on voting rights, civil rights, reproductive rights, health care, education and an inclusive economy — we cannot afford to let Glenn Youngkin turn back the clock."

Carter responded to his losses in the governor's race and the 50th House of Delegates District race.

"This job has made me miserable for the last 4 years," Carter said in a tweet. "I made a lot of people's lives objectively better, but the constant assassination threats and harassment were terrible for my family and my health. I'm relieved to say that I've done my part, and now it's someone else's turn."

Ayala Aims To Make History

Ayala thanked voters, her family, residents of the 51st House of Delegates District, and the other lieutenant governor candidates.

"I understand the struggles so many Virginia families face because I’ve lived them, and that experience is why I worked with my colleagues to expand Medicaid for over 500,000 Virginians, fight for gun violence prevention, raise teacher pay, and ratify the Equal Rights Amendment," said Ayala.

"And while we have made tremendous progress, there is still so much work left to do," she continued. "We need to rebuild our local economy stronger than before, create jobs, and support our small businesses and workers. We need to expand access to health care and lower prescription drug costs. We need to invest in our infrastructure, like broadband, and bridge the digital divide facing our rural communities. We need to support and improve our school systems from Pre-K to post-secondary and give our students and teachers the tools they need to succeed. And we need to continue reforming our criminal justice system for a more equitable Commonwealth so that every Virginian can feel safe in their community."

With the matchup set between Ayala and Republican lieutenant governor nominee Winsome Sears, Virginia is poised elect its first female lieutenant governor, and a person of color, either way.

The other candidates for lieutenant governor included Del. Mark Levine (45th District), Del. Sam Rasoul (11th District), Norfolk City Council member Andria McClellan, former Fairfax County NAACP president Sean Perryman, and small business owner Xavier Warren.

Jones congratulated Herring, as well as McAuliffe and Ayala, on their primary wins. He plans to work with Democrats to help candidates win in the November general election. Jones did secure a win in the House of Delegates 89th District, which he currently represents.

"Tonight’s result is disappointing, but we will not let it deter us from continuing the fight to bring true reform to Virginia," Jones said. "We must elect leaders who will be proactive, not reactive and rise to meet this moment in our history. As we enter the new Virginia decade, we cannot afford to rest on our laurels. I look forward to working in the House of Delegates to build on the progress we have made towards a Virginia that guarantees justice for every community."

Attorney General Race

Herring will face Republican attorney general nominee Del. Jason Miyares (82nd District) in the general election.

In Virginia, governors cannot serve consecutive terms, which means Gov. Ralph Northam cannot seek re-election this year. However, the lieutenant governor and attorney general of Virginia can serve consecutive terms.

Roanoke College released poll results on the Democratic primaries just a few days before the election. Based on a poll of 637 likely Democratic voters between May 24 and June 1, 49 percent support McAuliffe in the gubernatorial race and 49 percent support Herring in the attorney general race. As for the lieutenant governor race, Ayala garnered 16 percent, followed by Rasoul with 11 percent. However, 45 percent of participants were undecided. Ayala had better support in the Tidewater and Northern Virginia regions while Rasoul did better in Southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. The poll's margin of error was 3.9 percent.

As for the most important issues to voters, the economy took the top spot at 18 percent. Another 14 percent said COVID-19 was the most important, followed by 8 percent each for education and health care, 7 percent for economic inequality, 6 percent each for race relations and climate change, and 5 percent for gun control. A total of 48 percent prefer a candidate who best represents their interests, while 44 percent prefer one who can win in the November general election.

While all 100 House of Delegates seats are up for grabs in the November general election, primaries were held for races with multiple candidates in a political party. Political parties also had the option of holding a convention in place of a primary.

In Northern Virginia, House of Delegates primaries included the 2nd District, 31st District, 34th District, 36th District, 38th District, 45th District, 49th District, 50th District, and 86th District.

According to the Virginia Department of Elections, 115,284 absentee ballots were returned for the Democratic primary statewide. In Fairfax County, the most populous locality in Virginia, turnout at 4 p.m. was 4.67 percent. Arlington County, which also had local elections, had around 9 percent turnout at 5 p.m. The City of Alexandria, another locality with local elections, had 11.75 percent turnout at 4 p.m.

Related:

• Meet The Candidate: Pete Snyder Seeks Nomination For Governor
• Meet The Candidate: Glenn Youngkin Seeks Nomination For Governor
• Meet The Candidate: Kirk Cox Seeks Nomination For Governor
• Meet The Candidate: Terry McAuliffe Seeks Nomination For Governor
• Youngkin Wins GOP Nomination For Governor, Trump's Endorsement
• Meet The Candidate: Jennifer Carroll Foy Runs For VA Governor
• Meet The Candidate: Andria McClellan For Virginia Lt. Governor
• Meet The Candidate: Sean Perryman For Virginia Lt. Governor

Patch editors Liam Griffin, Mark Hand and Michael O'Connell contributed to this story.

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