'We Won This Thing': Youngkin Defeats McAuliffe For VA Governor

Falls Church VA

02 November, 2021

7:00 PM

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This story was updated at 1:25 a.m. Wednesday VIRGINIA — Republican businessman and political newcomer Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe for Virginia governor Tuesday, making him the first Republican to win statewide office in Virginia since 2009. He pledged that on his first day in office he will empower parents and slice taxes. Youngkin, who has never held political office, won with 51 percent of the votes to McAuliffe with 48.3 percent of the votes as of 12:35 a.m. Wednesday. That breaks down to 1,623,188 votes for Youngkin and 1,540,426 votes for McAuliffe. "Together, we will change the trajectory of this commonwealth," Youngkin told supporters, "and friends, we are going to start that transformation on day one. There is no time to waste, our kids can't wait, we work in real people time, not government time, so on day one we're going to work." Among the actions Youngkin said he will take on Day 1 in office is to declare the largest tax refund in the history of Virginia. His economic plans include eliminating the grocery tax, suspending the most recent hike in the state's gas tax, and doubling everyone's deduction. "It's time for Virginia to be the place where everyone wants to live, not leave," Youngkin said. CNN, ABC and NBC all declared Youngkin the projected winner about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday and the Associated Press called the race at 12:37 a.m. Another priority for Youngkin, and a key campaign issue, was giving parents a greater say in local schools. He pledged to invest in teachers, facilities, and special education, along with introducing choice in the public school system, starting with charter schools. "We're going to embrace our parents, not ignore them," Youngkin said. Youngkin was elected governor a year after President Joe Biden easily won Virginia in the 2020 presidential election against incumbent Donald Trump. Since becoming the GOP's nominee for governor, Youngkin, who retired as co-CEO of private equity firm The Carlyle Group in 2020, worked to keep his distance from Trump without alienating the former president's followers. The Republican candidates for lieutenant governor and attorney general also easily defeated their Democratic rivals. McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014 to 2018 entered the race for governor last December and easily won the Democratic primary for governor earlier this year. "Let's count all these votes but let me thank each and every one of you," McAuliffe told supporters in a speech at a campaign party in McLean around 10:20 p.m. Tuesday that he did not concede the election. He noted issues he wants Virginia to continue to lead on, including expanded health care and a woman's right to determine reproductive choices. "We are going to continue that fight tonight and every day going forward," McAuliffe said. Virginia voters also showed a strong preference for the Republicans in the other statewide races. National political observers are seeing the Virginia returns as a possible signal of President Joe Biden's weakness ahead of next year's midterm elections. (See live results from the Virginia Department of Elections at the bottom of this story.) On the ballot for lieutenant governor are Republican Winsome Sears, a former member of the House of Delegates, and Democrat Hala Ayala, a member of the House of Delegates. For attorney general, incumbent Mark Herring, a Democrat, is running against Republican Jason Miyares, a member of the House of Delegates. With 76 percent of the votes counted, Sears is leading with 1,310,748 votes compared to 1,112,137 votes for Ayala. In the attorney general's race, Miyares is leading with 1,299,401 votes compared to 1,122,485 for Herring. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (right) kisses his wife, Dorothy, as he makes an appearance at an election night party in McLean Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steve Helber) Republicans won their first statewide race since 2009, when Bob McDonnell was elected governor, an office he held from 2010 to 2014. Seeking his second term as governor, McAuliffe preceded Democrat Ralph Northam as governor in the only state that does not allow its governor to serve consecutive terms. According to the final poll released by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University, McAuliffe held a slim one-point edge — 49 percent to 48 percent among likely voters in Virginia — over Youngkin. A Washington Post-Schar School poll also showed 49 percent of likely voters favoring McAuliffe and 48 percent favoring Youngkin. What Governor's Race Signifies On this year's ballot for governor are Youngkin, McAuliffe and Princess Branding, the Liberation Party nominee for governor and the first Black woman to make it on the ballot for statewide office in Virginia. In its final poll before the election, Roanoke College had McAuliffe up by one percentage point over Youngkin, 47 percent to 46 percent, with 6 percent undecided. A FOX 5 DC/InsiderAdvantage poll, released Monday, had Youngkin with a 2 percentage point advantage over McAuliffe, 47 percent to 45 percent, with Blanding at 2 percent and undecided at 6 percent. Virginia's race for governor is a toss-up as Tuesday's election draws near, with 49 percent of likely voters favoring Democrat Terry McAuliffe and 48 percent favoring Republican Glenn Youngkin, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. A Fox News poll released last Thursday found that 53 percent of likely voters are backing Youngkin, with 45 percent in favor of McAuliffe. The margin of error among likely voters is plus or minus 3 percentage points. RELATED: VA Election 2021: McAuliffe, Youngkin Nearly Tied In Final Poll Lt. Governor Will Make History Either candidate for lieutenant governor would become the first woman and first woman of color to become lieutenant governor. Ayala told Patch she is the lieutenant governor candidate who can "bring the voter's voice to the table." "We'll fight for workers and families, we'll fight for COVID recovery, we'll make sure broadband is a part of this conversation, giving teachers pay above the national average and making sure we protect an individual's right to choose," said Ayala. Ayala sees COVID-19 as the number one issue for voters, along with the "she-cession" that has particularly impacted working women of color. "We have to continue to not only navigate this COVID pandemic but also making sure we defeat it and this is being vigilant," said Ayala. "We want to see what a post-COVID world looks like, and this means getting vaccinated, following the science, but also getting families back to work, children back to school, and we all have to do our part." House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (left) and Democratic Lieutenant Gov. nominee Hala Ayala campaigned Tuesday afternoon at the West Springfield High School precinct. (Emily Leayman/Patch) Ayala perceives the general election as a test for Democratic priorities such as Medicaid expansion, teacher pay raises, reproductive rights, and getting families back to work. "We have a lot of priorities and conversations that we started in the two years Democrats have been in control moving us forward light years ... we have more work to do, so I want to build off those progresses," Ayala said. At a polling place at Herndon High School Tuesday afternoon, Ayala said that voters seemed very enthusiastic. "They don't want to roll back the progresses that we have made, and that's a concern," Ayala said. "Our health care for 550,000 Virginians is on the line, it's on the ballot today. Reproductive health care, getting women and families back to work, though, and making sure we send our children and teachers back to school safely," she said. Herring, a resident of nearby Loudoun County and an incumbent Democrat, said that after serving eight years as Virginia's top prosecutor, there was much he'd still like to do as attorney general. "We want to continue to protect the gains that we've made," Herring said at the Herndon High School polling place. "We've done so much to protect people's health care. We've gone to court over and over to defend the Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court and defend a woman's right to choose and fight for LGBTQ equality, racial justice on issue after issue." Youngkin, who retired as co-CEO of private equity firm The Carlyle Group in 2020, embraced Trump during the Republican nominating process earlier in 2021. But since becoming the party's nominee, he has tried to keep his distance from Trump without alienating the former president's followers. Earlier this year, the political newcomer latched onto well-organized campaigns by conservative groups to target public school systems that opted to use remote learning during the worst part of the pandemic. In recent months, Youngkin aligned himself with these same conservative groups' attacks on elected school boards. Throughout the general election, McAuliffe has worked to link Youngkin to Trump, hoping that the state's voters, who overwhelmingly voted for Joe Biden in 2020, will reject Youngkin a year later. What Virginia Voters Have To Say Arlington resident Craig Colgan said Youngkin inspired him to come to the central library polling place on Tuesday. "I think this is a different kind of candidate," he said. "This is a candidate that Virginia needs. I think he's excited a lot of people. I think he's excited a lot of centrists. I think he's excited a lot of Democrats. That's a new kind of candidate for the state. I think the state can benefit from somebody like that who can bring people together." A Falls Church City voter, a public school teacher at Marshall High School in Fairfax County, said the state's economy and education were big issues for him in the election. "I'm a young man, I have a family, and we're considering moving because it's so expensive to live here," he said. "Being able to get some reassurance on where Virginia is going in terms of the economy was important and making sure that people can sustain a family." Youngkin's campaign strategy to focus on what public schools are teaching students "was a good move," the teacher said. "Youngkin sounds like he's trying to be the people's governor. He's trying to make sure that everybody who is the low man on the totem pole — your common people — are looked out for," he said. Alexandra Tillmann, also of Falls Church, said that in Loudoun County and other jurisdictions across the country where elected school board members are under attack, some parents are trying to "manipulate the school systems and teachers" into teaching a narrow view on certain topics. "Working in the best interests of our students and our teachers is about making sure that our schools are diverse and equitable and that students have a diverse understanding of our nation's history and future," she told Patch. "That's the only way we can build a strong system of democratic governance for years to come." State Sen. Bosko Jennifer Bosko (center) snaps a selfie Tuesday afternoon outside the Herndon High School polling place with fellow Democrats Mark Herring and Hala Ayala, who are running for attorney general and lieutenant governor, respectively. (Michael O'Connell/Patch) Jordan Dixon of Arlington said reproductive rights and negotiating cheaper prescription drugs were her two biggest issues at the state level and why she voted for McAuliffe for governor. "With the governor's election, there was one candidate who wanted to propose an abortion ban, and I'm really big on female reproductive rights — my body, my choice," Dixon said. She fears Virginia could be headed in the same direction as Texas in terms of making it almost impossible for women to get an abortion with Youngkin as governor and if Republicans gained control of the General Assembly. In 2019, Democrats gained a slim majority in the Virginia Senate, giving the party control of the governorship, Senate and House. Over the past two General Assembly sessions, Democratic lawmakers succeeded in turning Virginia into one of the most progressive states by passing laws that make it easier to vote, increased spending on education, raised the minimum wage, abolished the death penalty and legalized marijuana. Over 1.1 million out of the state's 5.9 million registered voters cast a ballot early this year, according to state data published by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project. That number marks a dramatic increase compared with the 195,634 early votes cast during the last gubernatorial cycle before voting reforms were instituted. On Tuesday, polls were open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Patch editors Emily Leayman and Michael O'Connell contributed to this article. Return to Patch tonight for the latest vote tally. Subscribe to free News Alerts for election results. RELATED: Meet The Candidate: Princess Blanding For Virginia GovernorMeet The Candidate: Winsome Sears For VA Lieutenant GovernorMeet The Candidate: Jason Miyares For Virginia Attorney General