You might have seen the tents, flags, and lawn signs that bombarded The Rock yesterday. Such icons act as a precursor to the major ballots being cast inside McLean High School and other schools across the country for a variety of elections. Most prominent being the Virginia Governors Race, in large part because Virginia is a swing state and the election is being viewed a referendum to Trump’s presidential term as he approaches twelve months in office. The Governors race is marquee election on day that also features Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and even school board elections in Virginia.

“Voting in the gubernatorial election was really exciting because I had researched the election in class and felt well-versed on the campaign issues. I was even applauded by volunteers at the polling location because it was my first time voting.” senior Carolyn Brown-Kaiser said.

Candidates:

Ralph Northam(DNC):

• 58 years old
• Slight lead in early polls
• Lieutenant governor of Virginia
• Army veteran and pediatrician
• For greater gun control and abortion rights

Ed Gillespie(RNC):

• 56 years old
• Former RNC chairman
• Similar stance to Trump on many issues
• Wants first income tax rate cut since 1972
• Increase equal health care

Result: Ralph Northam Wins by a 9% margin

Impacts of Result: Illustrates Virginia’s discontent with Donald Trump’s policies and consolidates Democratic power in a swing state. Also capitalizes on the Democratic wins of Justin Fairfax for Lt. Governor, Mark Herring for Attorney General, and Phil Murphy for Governor of New Jersey. These big wins give Democrats momentum for 2018 midterm elections when valuable Senate and House of Representatives seats will be up for grabs.

To see more detailed analytics of the race in Virginia and around the country, click here.