Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Line color represents winner
Northam
Gillespie
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Arlington
Line color represents winner
Charlottesville
Northam
Gillespie
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Arlington
Line color represents winner
Alexandria
Northam
Gillespie
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Winchester
Arlington
Alexandria
Line color represents winner
Harrisonburg
Northam
Gillespie
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
Clinton strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
2013
2017
64
Democrat
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
2013
2017
66
Republican
Republican
58
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
Republican
58
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
Republican
58
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
58
Republican
53
Democrat
Republican
39
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Majority minority
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Percent of vote
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
26
Republican
24
Republican
Predominantly white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
2013
2017
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
26
Republican
24
Republican
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
26
Republican
24
Republican
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
57
Republican
38
Democrat
Democrat
35
26
Republican
24
Republican
College educated
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Percent of vote
2013
2017
63
Democrat
53
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
High school
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
2013
2017
55
Republican
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
10th district
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
Ralph Northam (D) beat Ed Gillespie (R) in the Virginia governor's race by almost nine points. He outperformed his predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, as well as Hillary Clinton, pushing Virginia toward a reliable blue.
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
The victory came in a familiar way for Democrats: a surge of support in urban areas around Richmond and Hampton Roads and a giant Northern Virginia margin of 260,000 votes, double McAuliffe’s win in the D.C. suburbs four years ago.
Gillespie may have won more than twice as many counties as Northam, and Republicans increased somewhat their winning margins across a broad western and southern swath of rural and small-town Virginia. But there was little sign of the Donald Trump surge that swept across GOP strongholds just a year ago and raised Republican hopes statewide.
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
High division, high turnout
Comparing Election Day precinct results with 2013 shows how neighborhoods shifted the governor's race in different directions in Virginia’s largest urban centers compared with other areas. Bigger 2017 wins for Democrats are shown as blue lines tilted left, while bigger wins for Republicans are red lines tilted right.
Democrats bettered their showing by 12 percentage points or more in about 30 percent of the state's precincts. Republicans did so in about 20 percent of precincts.
[An enthusiastic, more polarized electorate gave Northam the win]
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Line color represents winner
Northam
Gillespie
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Arlington
Line color represents winner
Charlottesville
Northam
Gillespie
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Arlington
Line color represents winner
Alexandria
Northam
Gillespie
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Angle is change in margin
from 2013 governor race
Winchester
Arlington
Alexandria
Line color represents winner
Harrisonburg
Northam
Gillespie
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
The Trump effect
Both Northam and Gillespie significantly built up their party's neighborhood strongholds, much the way that Trump and Clinton did last year.
Where Trump performed far better than Mitt Romney, Gillespie grew the Republican margin by almost eight percentage points compared to the 2013 governor's race. Northam beat his predecessor by more than 10 points in similar areas. Tuesday exit polls suggest Trump was likely a factor in both. More than 1 in 3 voters said they voted to show opposition to the president, while almost 1 in 5 say they did it in support.
Clinton strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
2013
2017
64
Democrat
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
2013
2017
66
Republican
Republican
58
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
Republican
58
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
Republican
58
53
Democrat
39
Republican
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
Clinton strongholds
Trump strongholds
Precincts where Clinton
outperformed Obama
by 12 points or more
Precincts where Trump
outperformed Romney
by 12 points or more
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
64
Democrat
66
Republican
58
Republican
53
Democrat
Republican
39
35
Republican
35
Democrat
33
Democrat
A racial divide
A key component of the surge for Democrats was the voters in minority neighborhoods, where Northam won three-quarters of the votes overall and more than 80 percent in African-American neighborhoods. Margins grew by 10 points in Hispanic neighborhoods.
In predominantly white neighborhoods, the large political divide remained about the same, with Democrats and Republicans dividing up the votes that went to third-party candidates back in 2013.
Majority minority
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Percent of vote
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
26
Republican
24
Republican
Predominantly white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
2013
2017
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
26
Republican
24
Republican
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
Republican
57
38
Democrat
35
Democrat
26
Republican
24
Republican
Majority minority
Predominantly white
Precincts where less than half
of the population is white
Precincts where the population
is at least 80 percent white
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
75
Democrat
Democrat
69
60
Republican
57
Republican
38
Democrat
Democrat
35
26
Republican
24
Republican
Widening polarization by education
Neighborhoods where most adults have a college degree showed one of this election's largest shifts. Northam increased the Democratic win to 63 percent, up by almost 10 points. Gillespie gained five points in neighborhoods where most adults stopped their education at high school.
According to statewide exit polls, Clinton lost the white college-educated demographic in Virginia by four points last year, while Northam won it by three.
College educated
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Percent of vote
2013
2017
63
Democrat
53
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
High school
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
2013
2017
55
Republican
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
College educated
High school
Precincts where most
adults have a college degree
Precincts where most
adults have only
a high school diploma
Percent of vote
Percent of vote
2013
2017
2013
2017
63
Democrat
55
Republican
53
Democrat
50
Republican
44
Democrat
44
Democrat
40
Republican
36
Republican
What does all this means for 2018?
Tuesday's signs of growing enthusiasm among Democrats in the Trump era could herald challenges next year for Republicans in swing areas. In Virginia's 10th Congressional District, for example, Republican Barbara Comstock last year won another term, but Clinton finished ahead of Trump there. On Tuesday, seven Republican incumbents in the state legislature with districts touching Comstock's were defeated by Democrats. In Loudoun County, the heart of the 10th District where Gillespie three years ago narrowly won running for U.S. Senate, he lost Tuesday by more than 23,000. Precincts across the 10th District gave Northam a win of more than 55 percent on Election Day, significantly more than in the race four years ago, and built upon the same political trends seen in precincts statewide.
Fewer voters
More
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
10th district
Arlington
Richmond
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Fewer voters
More
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Arlington
Mostly Republican
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Blacksburg
Roanoke
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Fewer
voters
More
voters
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia
Beach
Norfolk
Danville
Fewer
voters
More
voters
10th district
Mostly Democratic
About even
Winchester
Mostly Republican
Arlington
Alexandria
Harrisonburg
Fredericksburg
Charlottesville
Richmond
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Petersburg
Blacksburg
Newport News
Virginia Beach
Norfolk
Martinsville
Emporia
Danville
Kevin Uhrmacher and Chiqui Esteban contributed to this report.
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Virginia Election 2017: Results, maps, analysis, complete updates
Your one stop for the latest on the Virginia races, including the latest news and political analysis on the race for governor.
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