2021 Virginia Gubernatorial Election
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The 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next
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 ...
. The election was concurrent with other elections for Virginia state offices. Incumbent Democratic governor
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 ...
was ineligible to run for re-election, as the
Constitution of Virginia 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 ...
prohibits governors from serving consecutive terms. Businessman
Glenn Youngkin Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 74th governor of Virginia since 2022. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he spent 25 years at the Private equi ...
won the Republican nomination at the party's May 8 convention, which was held in 37 polling locations across the state, and was officially declared the nominee on May 10. The Democratic Party held its
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 ...
on June 8, which former governor
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 ...
easily won. In the general election, Youngkin defeated McAuliffe by 63,688 votes in what was considered a mild upset because McAuliffe led over Youngkin in the polls until right before Election Day. Youngkin was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Virginia since
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. The economy, education, public health, and cultural issues were centerpieces of Youngkin's campaign. Youngkin promised to ban the teaching of
critical race theory Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...
within
state school A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...
s on "day one", push back against certain COVID-19 restrictions including vaccination mandates and mask mandates, and advocate for
small government Small means of insignificant size. Small may also refer to: Science and technology * SMALL, an ALGOL-like programming language * ''Small'' (journal), a nano-science publication * <small>, an HTML element that defines smaller text Arts and ...
within the state of Virginia. Democrats tried to portray Youngkin as a political ally of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
, 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 successfully able to appeal to both Republicans and independents. 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 Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
, with whom McAuliffe allied himself.Sargent, Greg (November 3, 2021)
Opinion: Why did the Democratic coalition fracture so quickly?
''The Washington Post''. Retrieved November 5, 2021.


Democratic primary


Candidates


Nominee

*
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 ...
, former governor of Virginia (2014–2018) and former chair of the
Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal executive leadership board of the United States's Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. According to the party charter, it has "general responsibility for the affairs of the ...
(2001–2005)


Eliminated in primary

*
Jennifer Carroll Foy Jennifer Denise Carroll Foy (born September 25, 1981) is an American politician and public defender serving in the Virginia Senate from the 33rd district since 2024. A Democrat, Carroll Foy previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates rep ...
, former state delegate for
Virginia's 2nd House of Delegates district Virginia's 2nd House of Delegates district is one of 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature. District 2 represents part of Arlington county. The seat is currently held by Democrat Ade ...
(2018–2020) *
Lee J. Carter Lee Jin Carter (born June 2, 1987) is an American former politician who represented the 50th district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he defeated Jackson Miller, the Republican House Major ...
, state delegate for
Virginia's 50th House of Delegates district Virginia's 50th House of Delegates district elects one of the 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature. The district is made up of most of Manassas City and some of Prince William County ...
*
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 ...
,
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 ...
*
Jennifer McClellan Jennifer Leigh McClellan (born December 28, 1972) is an American politician and attorney serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Democratic ...
, state senator for Virginia's 9th Senate district and former delegate for
Virginia's 71st House of Delegates district Virginia's 71st House of Delegates district is responsible for electing one of the 100 members of the Virginia House of Delegates, which is the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature.The 71st district is primarily located in the city of ...
(2006–2017)


Declined

*
Mark Herring Mark Rankin Herring (born September 25, 1961) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Attorney General of Virginia from 2014 to 2022. A Democrat, he previously served in the Senate of Virginia since a 2006 special election, ...
,
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 ...
(2014–2022) and former state senator for
Virginia's 33rd Senate district Virginia's 33rd Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Jennifer Boysko since a 2019 special election to replace fellow Democrat Jennifer Wexton, who ...
(2006–2014) ''( ran for re-election)''


Endorsements


Debates

McClellan opened the debate calling for a "nominee who will excite and expand our base. I've spent 31 years building this party and electing Democrats at the local, state and national level. It's not enough to give someone something to vote against. We've got to give people something to vote for," McClellan said. Foy said in her opening statement that she is presenting bold ideas that past politicians have failed to bring to Virginia. The pointed remark came before she went after the record of McAuliffe, the first criticism of the night directed at the presumptive frontrunner. Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax compared scrutiny of his sexual assault allegations to that of the cases of
George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd had used a counterfeit tw ...
and
Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African American youth, who was 14 years old when he was abducted and Lynching in the United States, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, ...
in the debate. McAuliffe mainly avoided directly responding to the attacks, focusing instead on his record as governor, the support he's received during his campaign and, stopping
Glenn Youngkin Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 74th governor of Virginia since 2022. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he spent 25 years at the Private equi ...
in November's general election. Later in the debate, Carter called McAuliffe out for mentioning Youngkin and Trump so often. "The debate that we're supposed to be having on this stage is a debate about the future of this commonwealth," he said. "It's about what we stand for and what we're going to fight for. And this is the first opportunity for the Democratic Party to define what it is going to be after Donald Trump is gone. And he is gone. So, we can't just be a party that is opposed to the other guys. We have to fight for something." Carter, a self-described socialist, reiterated his proposal to use tax revenue from the marijuana industry to fund
reparations Reparation(s) may refer to: Christianity * Reparation (theology), the theological concept of corrective response to God and the associated prayers for repairing the damages of sin * Restitution (theology), the Christian doctrine calling for re ...
.


Polling


Graphical summary


Results


Republican convention

The Republican nomination process for the 2021 elections was the subject of a lengthy and acrimonious debate within the
Republican Party of Virginia The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. It is based at the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond. As of May 2024, it controls all three statew ...
. On December 5, 2020, the state Republican Party voted to hold a convention instead of a primary by a vote of 39 to 35. State Senator
Amanda Chase Amanda Chase (née Freeman; born December 1, 1969) is an American politician. From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District and represented Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfie ...
initially indicated that she would run as an independent, but she later decided to seek nomination at the convention; on the day of the convention, she acknowledged that if she did not win the nomination, she may reconsider and run as an independent, although she eventually decided against this. Faced with pressure from the Chase campaign and activists to return to a primary, the state committee debated scrapping the convention on January 23, 2021. These efforts were unsuccessful and the party reaffirmed their decision to hold a convention. On February 9, 2021, the Chase campaign sued the Republican Party of Virginia, arguing that the convention is illegal under
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
-related executive orders signed by Governor
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 ...
. The Richmond Circuit Court dismissed the Chase campaign's lawsuit on February 19, 2021. The Republican Party of Virginia announced on March 26, 2021, that seven gubernatorial candidates had qualified to appear on the convention ballot. On April 11, 2021, the state Republican Party Rules Committee voted to tabulate the ballots by hand; three days later, however, the committee reversed itself and decided to use a vendor's software-based tabulation method. On April 20, 2021, five candidates (Amanda Chase, Kirk Cox, Sergio de la Peña, Peter Doran, and Glenn Youngkin) participated in a forum at
Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...
in Lynchburg. Two candidates, Octavia Johnson and Pete Snyder, did not attend the forum. The state Republican convention to select the party's nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general took place on May 8, 2021, in "unassembled" format, with ballots to be cast remotely at up to 37 locations statewide using
ranked-choice voting Ranked-choice voting may be used as a synonym for: * Ranked voting, a term used for any voting system in which voters are asked to rank candidates in order of preference * Instant-runoff voting (IRV), a specific ranked voting system with single-wi ...
. The complex process fueled internal party disputes. Up to 40,000 people were anticipated to become delegates, although not all would necessarily cast votes. Local Republican Party leaders control the application process to become a delegate, decide who can participate (voter registration in Virginia does not include a space to indicate party affiliation), and select the convention voting site. In the preceding Virginia Republican gubernatorial convention, 12,000 participated.
Orthodox Jewish Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully tra ...
Virginia Republicans asked the party to allow absentee voting for religious reasons (May 8 is on the
Jewish Sabbath Shabbat (, , or ; , , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Friday–Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical stories describing the cre ...
), but the State Central Committee initially voted down the request, failing to achieve the 75% supermajority needed to change the rules. However, the Virginia GOP ultimately reversed course and allowed those with religious objections to vote in the May 8 convention via absentee ballots. Republican candidates Kirk Cox, Peter Doran, and Glenn Youngkin had criticized the previous decision to not accommodate Orthodox Jews. Cox received crucial endorsements of
Bob McDonnell Robert Francis McDonnell (born June 15, 1954) is an American politician, attorney, businessman, academic administrator, and former military officer who served as the 71st governor of Virginia from 2010 to 2014. He is a member of the Republica ...
and George Allen, the former of which was the last statewide elected Republican (alongside
Bill Bolling William Troy Bolling (born June 15, 1957) is an American businessman, politician and educator who served as the 39th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2014. A member of the Republican party, he was elected twice to the position by ...
and
Ken Cuccinelli Kenneth Thomas "Cooch” Cuccinelli II ( ; born July 30, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security from 2019 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Pa ...
) in Virginia prior to 2022. He was regarded by some as the establishment favorite heading into the convention. Nonetheless, he finished fourth on the first voting round behind Glenn Youngkin, Pete Snyder, and Amanda Chase. Youngkin was nominated on the sixth round of voting.


Candidates


Nominated at convention

*
Glenn Youngkin Glenn Allen Youngkin (born December 9, 1966) is an American politician and businessman serving as the 74th governor of Virginia since 2022. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he spent 25 years at the Private equi ...
, former co-CEO of
The Carlyle Group The Carlyle Group Inc. is an American multinational company with operations in private equity, alternative asset management and financial services. As of 2023, the company had $426 billion of assets under management. Carlyle specializes in ...


Eliminated at convention

*
Amanda Chase Amanda Chase (née Freeman; born December 1, 1969) is an American politician. From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District and represented Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfie ...
, state senator for
Virginia's 11th Senate district Virginia's 11th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Democrat Creigh Deeds since its were borders were completely changed effective for the 2023 election as part of redistricting in Virginia ...
*
Kirk Cox Marvin Kirkland Cox (born August 17, 1957) is an American retired politician and educator. A Republican and a former high school teacher, he served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1990 to 2022, representing the 66th District. From 2018 ...
, state delegate for
Virginia's 66th House of Delegates district Virginia's 66th House of Delegates district elects one of 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the state's bicameral legislature. District 66 represents the city of Colonial Heights as well as part of Chesterfield Co ...
and former
Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates This is a complete list of the Speaker (politics), speakers of the Virginia House of Delegates. Elected by the members of the House, the Speaker is the presiding officer of that body. In addition to duties as chair, the adopted rules of the Hous ...
(2018–2020) *
Sergio de la Peña Sergio de la Peña is an American politician and retired United States Army colonel who was deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Western Hemisphere Affairs during the First presidency of Donald Trump, Trump administration. Career De la Pe ...
, former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...
Affairs *Peter Doran, former CEO of the Center for European Policy Analysis *Octavia Johnson, former sheriff of Roanoke City (2006–2013) *
Pete Snyder Pete Snyder (born August 5, 1972) is an American entrepreneur and marketing executive who is best known as the founder and former chief executive officer of New Media Strategies (NMS), a social media marketing agency that he started in 1999. Sny ...
, entrepreneur, marketing executive, and candidate for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...


Did not qualify

*Paul Davis *Merle Rutledge, small government activist *Kurt Santini,
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
veteran


Declined

* Charles William Carrico Sr., former state senator for Virginia's 40th Senate district and retired state trooper ''(endorsed Cox)'' *
Neil Chatterjee Indranil "Neil" Chatterjee (born July 16, 1976) is an American lawyer, political advisor, and government official. A member of the Republican Party, he served on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) from 2017 to 2021. He served as cha ...
, former chairman of the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...
*
Barbara Comstock Barbara Jean Comstock (née Burns; born June 30, 1959) is an American attorney and politician who served as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 10th congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, she was a member o ...
, former U.S. representative for
Virginia's 10th congressional district Virginia's 10th congressional district is a U.S. congressional district in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Situated in the suburbs and exurbs of Northern Virginia, the district includes the entireties of Loudoun, Fauquier, and Rappahannock c ...
*
Nick Freitas Nicholas J. Freitas (born August 29, 1979) is an American politician and social media influencer. A Republican, he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016. He unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for U.S. Senat ...
, state delegate for Virginia's 30th House of Delegates district, candidate for the U.S. Senate in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and nominee for
Virginia's 7th congressional district Virginia's seventh congressional district is a United States congressional district in the U.S. state, Commonwealth of Virginia. The district encompasses a vast swath of Northern Virginia, Northern and Greater Richmond Region, Central Virginia ...
in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
*
Emmett Hanger Emmett Wilson Hanger Jr. (born August 2, 1948, in Staunton, Virginia) is an American politician of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991, when he was unseated by Creigh Deeds. He then served a ...
, state senator for
Virginia's 24th Senate district Virginia's 24th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Republican Danny Diggs since 2024. Geography District 24 is based in the Virginia Peninsula, including all of Poquoson, York County, ...
* Bill Stanley, state senator for
Virginia's 20th Senate district Virginia's 20th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Republican Bill Stanley since 2012; prior to 2011 redistricting, Stanley represented the 19th district. Geography District 20 is base ...
*
Corey Stewart Corey Alan Stewart (born August 1, 1968) is an American retired politician who served four terms as at-large chair of the Board of Supervisors of Prince William County, Virginia from December 2006 to December 2019. Stewart was the Republica ...
, attorney, former chairman of the
Prince William Board of County Supervisors The Prince William Board of County Supervisors is the policy-making body for the government of Prince William County, Virginia Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the popul ...
, nominee for the U.S. Senate in
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
and candidate for governor of Virginia in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
''(endorsed Youngkin)''


Endorsements


Polling


Graphical summary

Without convention polling


Primary polling


Convention polling


Results


Other parties and independents


Candidates


Declared

*Princess Blanding (Liberation Party), teacher, former school administrator, activist, and sister of Marcus-David Peters


Did not qualify

*Frankie Bowers (Independent) *Brad Froman (Independent), business owner *Timothy Phipps (Constitution Party)


Declined

*
Amanda Chase Amanda Chase (née Freeman; born December 1, 1969) is an American politician. From 2016 to 2024, she was a member of the Virginia Senate for the 11th District and represented Amelia County, the city of Colonial Heights, and part of Chesterfie ...
, state senator for
Virginia's 11th Senate district Virginia's 11th Senate district is one of 40 districts in the Senate of Virginia. It has been represented by Democrat Creigh Deeds since its were borders were completely changed effective for the 2023 election as part of redistricting in Virginia ...
*
Denver Riggleman Denver Lee Riggleman III (born March 17, 1970) is an American businessman and former politician from Virginia who served as the United States representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district from 2019 to 2021. A former Air Force officer a ...
, former U.S. representative ( VA-05)


General election

On August 26, the
Republican Party of Virginia The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) is the Virginia chapter of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. It is based at the Richard D. Obenshain Center in Richmond, Virginia, Richmond. As of May 2024, it controls all three statew ...
filed a lawsuit to disqualify McAuliffe from appearing on the ballot in November. The suit alleges that McAuliffe did not sign his declaration of candidacy, which is needed to qualify in the primary and general election. It was found that the declaration of candidacy was missing his signature, although it includes two witnesses' signatures. The suit also alleges the witnesses violated state law by witnessing a signing that didn't occur.


Debates


Canceled debates

On July 12, Glenn Youngkin announced he would not take part in the July 24 debate hosted by the
Virginia Bar Association The Virginia Bar Association (VBA) is a voluntary organization of lawyers, judges and law school faculty and students in Virginia, with offices in Richmond, Virginia. Key elements are advocacy, professionalism, service and collegiality. It pro ...
because of a donation made by one of the moderators,
Judy Woodruff Judy Carline Woodruff (born November 20, 1946) is an American broadcast journalist who has worked in local, network, cable, and public television news since 1970. She was the anchor and managing editor of the ''PBS NewsHour'' through the end of 20 ...
. Woodruff had made a $250 donation to the
Clinton Foundation The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was e ...
relief fund after the
2010 Haiti earthquake The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (departm ...
. The foundation had been run by
Hillary Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...
and
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
, who are close allies to Terry McAuliffe. On July 28, after discovering that Youngkin would participate in an 'election integrity' rally at
Liberty University Liberty University (LU), known simply as Liberty, is a Private university, private Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical Christian university in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Conservativ ...
, McAuliffe declined a debate at the same university. On August 2, Youngkin declined participation in The People's Debate. The two candidates pledged to two debates; one on September 16 and one on September 28.


First debate

Youngkin and McAuliffe met at
Appalachian School of Law The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is a private law school in Grundy, Virginia. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and offers a three-year Juris Doctor degree to approximately 128 full-time students. The school was founded in 1994 ...
in
Grundy, Virginia Grundy is a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, Buchanan County, Virginia, United States, an area located within the Appalachian Mountains region. It is the county seat of Buchanan County. The town is home to the Appalachian School of Law. The pop ...
on September 16, 2021, one day before early voting began. The debate was hosted by ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'' Washington Bureau Chief,
Susan Page Susan Lea Page (born February 12, 1951) is an American journalist, political commentator, and biographer, and the Washington, D.C. bureau chief for ''USA Today''. Early life Page, a native of Wichita, Kansas, is a 1973 graduate of Northwestern ...
. The debate started with discussion over a recent COVID-19 mandate President
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
signed requiring federal workers, employees of large companies, and contractors to be vaccinated. Youngkin doubted if Biden had the power to authorize the mandate, and supported personal choice for receiving the vaccine. McAuliffe supported the mandate and accused Youngkin of spreading "anti-vax" rhetoric. Youngkin denied the claim. McAuliffe also supported requiring vaccines for students over the age of 12. McAuliffe has also repeatedly made false statements about
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
, often inflating the number of cases. The discussion moved to
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
, where Youngkin stated he would use all sources of energy to address climate change without "putting heentire energy grid at risk for political purposes." McAuliffe called for
clean energy Energy is sustainable if it "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Definitions of sustainable energy usually look at its effects on the environment, the economy, and s ...
in the state by 2035 and stressed the idea for the state to be a production hub. The discussion then moved to abortion, specifically the recent
Texas Heartbeat Act The Texas Heartbeat Act, Senate Bill 8 (SB 8), is an Statute, act of the Texas Legislature that bans abortion after the Six-week abortion ban, detection of embryonic or fetal cardiac activity, which normally occurs after about six weeks of p ...
signed by Texas governor
Greg Abbott Gregory Wayne Abbott ( ; born November 13, 1957) is an American politician, attorney, and jurist who has served since 2015 as the 48th governor of Texas. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served from 2002 to ...
(who endorsed Youngkin). When asked whether or not Youngkin would sign a similar bill, Youngkin stated that he would not sign the bill, and that he was
anti-abortion Anti-abortion movements, also self-styled as pro-life movements, are involved in the abortion debate advocating against the practice of abortion and its Abortion by country, legality. Many anti-abortion movements began as countermovements in r ...
and supports exclusions in cases such as rape, incest, and when the life of the mother is endangered. He also stated he supports a "pain-threshold" bill that would ban most abortions at the point when a fetus can feel pain, which proponents of this type of law define as 20 weeks. In addition, Youngkin stated McAuliffe was "the most extreme pro-abortion candidate in America today". In response to Youngkin, McAuliffe stated he was a "brick wall" on women's rights and would protect a woman's decision over abortion and supports reducing the number of doctors needed to certify a third-trimester abortion from three to one. The next discussion topic was over election integrity. After supporting an "Election Integrity Taskforce", Youngkin stated he does not believe there has been "significant fraud", and stated the issue of fraud as "a democracy issue". Youngkin stressed that he believes that "Joe Biden's our president" and criticized the withdrawal from Afghanistan. McAuliffe took note of Donald Trump's endorsement of Youngkin, calling him a "Trump wannabe". Both candidates stated they would concede the election if the other came out on top. The final discussion topic was over the economy. McAuliffe attacked Youngkin on his top economic advisor, Stephen Moore, who advised Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign. Youngkin defended Virginia's
right-to-work law In the context of labor law in the United States, the term right-to-work laws refers to state laws that prohibit union security agreements between employers and labor unions. Such agreements can be incorporated into union contracts to requir ...
.


Second debate

Youngkin and McAuliffe met at the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce on September 28, 2021. The event was hosted by
Chuck Todd Charles David Todd (born April 8, 1972) is an American television journalist who was the 12th moderator of NBC's ''Meet the Press''. During his time at NBC News between 2007 and 2025, Todd also hosted ''Meet the Press Now'', its daily edition ...
, moderator of
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
's ''
Meet the Press ''Meet the Press'' is a weekly American television Sunday morning talk show broadcast on NBC. It is the List of longest-running television shows by category, longest-running program on American television, though its format has changed since th ...
''. Less than a week before the debate, one of the panelists, Michael Fauntroy, withdrew from the debate after tweets against the
GOP The Republican Party, also known as the Grand Old Party (GOP), is a right-wing political party in the United States. One of the two major parties, it emerged as the main rival of the then-dominant Democratic Party in the 1850s, and the tw ...
and
Evangelicals Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of the Christian g ...
were found. On the discussion topic of COVID-19, Youngkin and McAuliffe reiterated their stances on the vaccines. Youngkin stated he believed in mandates for vaccines for diseases
measles Measles (probably from Middle Dutch or Middle High German ''masel(e)'', meaning "blemish, blood blister") is a highly contagious, Vaccine-preventable diseases, vaccine-preventable infectious disease caused by Measles morbillivirus, measles v ...
,
mumps MUMPS ("Massachusetts General Hospital Utility Multi-Programming System"), or M, is an imperative, high-level programming language with an integrated transaction processing key–value database. It was originally developed at Massachusetts Gen ...
and
rubella Rubella, also known as German measles or three-day measles, is an infection caused by the rubella virus. This disease is often mild, with half of people not realizing that they are infected. A rash may start around two weeks after exposure and ...
, but not for COVID-19, saying that "the data associated with those vaccines is something that we should absolutely understand the difference between this vaccine." Youngkin said people should get vaccinated against COVID-19. During the debate, Youngkin noted that Trump was regularly mentioned by McAuliffe, who again called Youngkin a "Trump wannabe." When asked, Youngkin stated he would support Trump if he were to become the Republican nominee in
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
. Approximately 15 minutes into the debate,
third party Third party may refer to: Business * Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller * Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party * Third-party insurance, such as a veh ...
candidate Princess Blanding, who was in the audience, disrupted the debate, screaming that her exclusion from the debate was "unfair" and claiming that McAuliffe would not win the election. After being escorted out by security, she claimed that being excluded from the debate was racist and sexist, and that it constituted "censorship". Youngkin asserted that McAuliffe had vetoed legislation that would have required schools to inform parents about sexually explicit content in educational materials. McAuliffe defended his veto, saying: "'I'm not going to let parents come into schools and actually take books out and make their own decision... I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach'". McAuliffe received criticism for these remarks, and Youngkin used his comments to create an attack ad. Following the election, ''Newsweek'' described McAuliffe's remarks as "a major factor in the race".


Predictions


Endorsements


Polling

Aggregate polls
Graphical summary


Fundraising


Results


By county and city

Independent cities have been italicized.


Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

*
Chesapeake Chesapeake most often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian *Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated places In Virginia * ...
(independent city) * Chesterfield (no municipalities) * Hopewell (independent city) * Montgomery (no municipalities) *
Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...
(no municipalities) * Prince Edward (no municipalities) * Radford (independent city) * Surry (no municipalities) *
Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...
(independent city)


By region and precinct


By congressional district

Youngkin won 6 of 11 congressional districts, including two that were held by Democratic U.S. representatives at the time. He also flipped which was previously won by Ralph Northam in 2017.


Analysis

Youngkin won the election, 50.6% to 48.6%. The margin of victory was the narrowest margin in a Virginia gubernatorial election since 1989. McAuliffe conceded the day after the election and congratulated Youngkin, saying he was "proud" to campaign "for the values we so deeply believe in". Republicans also flipped the lieutenant governor and attorney general races that were held concurrently, as well as took control of the
Virginia House of Delegates The Virginia House of Delegates is one of the two houses of the Virginia General Assembly, the other being the Senate of Virginia. It has 100 members elected for terms of two years; unlike most states, these elections take place during odd-numbe ...
. This election, as well as the concurrent elections for
lieutenant governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
and
attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...
, marked the first time since the 1969 gubernatorial election that a Republican won Virginia without
Loudoun County Loudoun County () is in the northern part of the Virginia, Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2020, the census returned a population of 420,959, making it Virginia's third-most populous county. The county seat is Leesburg, Virgi ...
, and the first time since the 1960 presidential election that a Republican won statewide without
Prince William County Prince William County lies beside the Potomac River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 482,204, making it Virginia's second most populous county. The county seat is the independent city of Manassas. A part ...
. This is the first time Surry County backed the Republican candidate since
John Warner John William Warner III (February 18, 1927 – May 25, 2021) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Republican Party, Republican United Stat ...
's largely uncontested re-election in 2002 and the first time Prince Edward County or Northampton County voted Republican since
2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...
. This is also the first time any Virginia statewide candidate has won without at least one of the three
Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several County (United States), counties and independent city (United States), independent cities in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. ...
counties of Loudoun, Prince William, Fairfax, or the independent cities therein. Over 3.28 million votes were cast, exceeding the 2017 gubernatorial election total by roughly 625,000 and exceeding all other previous Virginia gubernatorial elections by over a million. Youngkin's victory is attributed to the "Youngkin coalition" of largely Trump supporters and suburbanites which contributed to a Republican victory in the state.November 3, 2021
Glenn Youngkin's Big Win
''National Review''. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
The appeal to suburban voters, who have shifted away from the Republican Party as Donald Trump increasingly influenced it, was attributed to Youngkin's distancing from Trump and hesitancy to openly embrace him. Youngkin's performance in the suburbs near
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
were stronger than that of Trump's margins in the
2020 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic Party (United States), Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala H ...
. During the final days preceding the general election held on November 2, Youngkin campaigned in the
Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...
suburbs of Northern Virginia. Previous similar attempts to combine a coalition of Trump supporters and suburban voters, including
Ed Gillespie Edward Walter Gillespie (born August 1, 1961) is an American politician, strategist, and lobbyist who served as the 61st Chair of the Republican National Committee from 2003 to 2005 and was counselor to the President from 2007 to 2009 during th ...
's run for governor in
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, were met with failure.Geraghty, Jim (November 2, 2021)
What Happens If Glenn Youngkin Comes Close?
''National Review''. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
Youngkin's victory was consistent with gubernatorial candidates of the opposing party as the incumbent president usually winning in Virginia, with the notable exception of McAuliffe's victory in
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
.


Voter demographics

Voter demographic data was collected by
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
. The voter survey is based on
exit poll An election exit poll is a poll of voters taken immediately after they have exited the polling stations. A similar poll conducted before actual voters have voted is called an entrance poll. Pollsters – usually private companies working fo ...
s completed by voters in person as well as by phone.


See also

*
2021 United States gubernatorial elections United States gubernatorial elections were held on November 2, 2021, in two states, New Jersey and Virginia, and a recall election was held in California on September 14. These elections form part of the 2021 United States elections. The last g ...
*
2021 Virginia Attorney General election The 2021 Virginia attorney general election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next Attorney General of Virginia, attorney general of Virginia. Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Attorney General Mark Herring attempted to win ...
*
2021 Virginia elections The 2021 Virginia elections were held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. Republicans swept all three statewide races and won back control of the Virginia House of Delegates, House of Delegates in an upset. Primary elections were held on June 8, 2021 ...
*
2021 Virginia House of Delegates election The 2021 Virginia House of Delegates election for the 162nd Virginia General Assembly were held on November 2, 2021, to coincide with biennial 2021 Virginia elections, elections in the U.S. state of Virginia. All 100 Delegates are elected to tw ...
*
2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election The 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the next lieutenant governor of Virginia. Incumbent Democratic Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax was eligible to run for a second term, but instead uns ...


Notes

Partisan clients


References


External links

Official campaign websites
Princess Blanding (Liberation) for GovernorTerry McAuliffe (D) for GovernorGlenn Youngkin (R) for Governor
{{2021 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 ...
Virginia gubernatorial elections 2021 Virginia elections November 2021 in the United States Glenn Youngkin