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Turnout | 47.6% 4.6[1] | ||||||||||||||||
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Northam: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Gillespie: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Tie: 40–50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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Elections in Virginia |
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The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe was unable to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officeholder from serving consecutive terms; he later ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 2021.
Primary elections took place on June 13, 2017. Virginia utilizes an open primary, in which registered voters are allowed to vote in either party's primary election.[2] Democrats nominated incumbent lieutenant governor Ralph Northam and Republicans nominated former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie. Libertarians nominated Clifford Hyra by convention on May 6, 2017.[3]
In the general election on November 7, 2017, Northam defeated Republican Gillespie, winning by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1985. Northam assumed office as the 73rd Governor of Virginia on January 13, 2018.[4] The election had the highest voter turnout percentage in a Virginia gubernatorial election in twenty years, with over 47% of registered voters casting their ballot.[1] As of 2024, this is the last time a Democrat was elected Governor of Virginia.