Latest news with #VirginiaPrimary
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ghazala Hashmi declares victory in Democratic primary for Virginia lieutenant governor
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi declared victory Tuesday night in the Democratic primary for Virginia lieutenant governor, leading the six-person race with 27.5% of the vote. The next closest candidate, former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, conceded the race Wednesday morning with 26.7% of the vote. State Sen. Aaron Rouse finished in third with 26.1% of the vote and conceded the race Tuesday night. Three other Democrats trailed, each earning less than 10% of the vote, according to unofficial results from the state Department of Elections. The Associated Press called the race for Hashmi on Wednesday morning. 'Today, we've made history yet again, not just by winning this primary, but by declaring with one voice that Virginia is not going to be bullied or broken or dragged backwards by the chaos that's unfolding in Washington,' Hashmi said Tuesday night, addressing a group of about 50 supporters at a condo complex's clubhouse in Richmond. Hashmi is the first Muslim and South Asian-American elected to the state senate and would be the first Muslim on a statewide ticket in Virginia. She took office in 2020 and said she was initially inspired to run in reaction to anti-Muslim rhetoric from President Donald Trump. 'Now, we don't have time for small plans or soft voices,' she added, nodding to her critics who have described her as too soft spoken. 'We need spines of steel. We're facing a pivotal moment in our history, and while MAGA-driven Republican ticket might try to take our state backwards, I'm running, and you're running with me with the unshakable belief in what Virginia can be.' Stoney initially said Tuesday night he would wait for all the votes to be counted. The vote counts are still unofficial, but he subsequently exited the race. If the race is within a percentage point, candidates can request a recount that they pay for; if the totals are within 0.5%, the state will pay for a recount. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee for governor, posted her congratulations to Hashmi on social media Tuesday night. 'As a proven leader in the Virginia Senate, Senator Hashmi has passed legislation that's delivered economic investment, improved schools, protected healthcare, and defended reproductive freedom,' Spanberger wrote. The winner of Tuesday's Democratic primary election will become the nominee for lieutenant governor and will face the Republican nominee, conservative radio host John Reid, in the general election for the position in November. Reid is the first openly gay person on the state's ticket. With DEI under attack, here's how Virginia's diverse slate of candidates talk about identity At time of writing, about 480,000 votes had been counted. That's comparable to the 2021 statewide primary, where about half a million people voted in the Democratic primary, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. It was an expensive race. VPAP reported that Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor cumulatively raised about $7.6 million. Stoney raised about $2.1 million, and Rouse and Hashmi each raised about $1.8 million. Hashmi currently serves as chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. Before she was a legislator, she was a college professor at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College. She was endorsed by abortion rights and climate groups. Originally from York County, Stoney served as the mayor of Richmond from 2017 through 2024. Before that, he was secretary of commonwealth in Gov. Terry McAuliffe's administration. Stoney said previously that those roles prepared him well to run as lieutenant governor and touted his decision to remove Confederate monuments on city property after the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. The former mayor received criticism after city police tear gassed those same protesters. And, critics blamed Stoney for January's water crisis that left much of the city without drinkable water just days after he left office. On the campaign trail, Stoney deflected some of the blame to his predecessor Dwight Jones, according to reporting from the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Virginia primary election results Stoney pulled some big name endorsements, including McAuliffe, former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and actor Levar Burton. Rouse is a state senator representing Virginia Beach, from where he originally hails. A former professional football player and Virginia Beach City Council member, Rouse took office in 2023 after a special election. He was preceded by Rep. Jen Kiggans, a Republican. This legislative session, Rouse sponsored the Senate version of the Save Local Pharmacies Act, which realigns the state's Medicaid pharmacy benefit under a single state-contracted pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). That law takes effect July 5. Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, had raised just over $300,000 between January and June of this year. John Curran, who failed to qualify for the ballot but is running a write-in campaign for lieutenant governor, had raised more than $1 million. In Virginia, the lieutenant governor and governor are elected separately, meaning they do not run on a shared ticket and it's possible — though rare — for two different parties to occupy those positions. Current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for governor, has not yet appeared alongside Reid, though the Republicans did not hold a primary this year. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kateseltzer@
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scenes of Primary Election Day in Hampton Roads
Election Day for Virginia's primary races is here. The polls are open through 7 p.m. Tuesday. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, several House of Delegates seats, and local races are on the ballot in Hampton Roads. View who is on the ballot here. View our full Election Guide to learn more about the candidates here. On a rainy Election Day morning, voters started arriving as early as 6 a.m. at polling stations across Hampton Roads to cast ballots for their picks in Virginia primary races. But with more than 200,000 people across the state having opted to vote early, in-person voter foot traffic was slow Tuesday at many precinct polling places. While Chesapeake Central Library is often one of its city's busiest Election Day spots with voters rotating in and out of its front doors, only five Chesapeake residents cast ballots at the library by 7:30 am. About 9,600 Chesapeake voters cast ballots during the early voting period May 2 through June 14, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. And just 21 Norfolk residents as of 8:23 a.m. had cast in-person ballots at Norview Middle School. With 5,106 registered voters, Norview is the second-largest precinct in the city. Patricia Ferris, 63, voted and walked out of the middle school around 8 a.m. and into a light drizzle. 'I know Jay Jones personally. I used to work with him at Willcox & Savage,' she said, headed back to her parked vehicle. 'He's a great guy. So that's the biggest reason that I'm here.' Jones, a Hampton Roads attorney, and Shannon Taylor, the Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney, are vying for the Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general. Ferris said that when she once asked Jones to give her son some guidance, the lawyer changed her family's life, encouraging her son to consider attending Tidewater Community College, where he ultimately earned a welding certificate. 'We didn't spend a dime, and my son now has a career at Newport News Shipbuilding,' she said. ___ This article will be updated throughout the day. Check back later at and
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Scenes of Primary Election Day in Hampton Roads
Election Day for Virginia's primary races is here. The polls are open through 7 p.m. Tuesday. Anyone in line at 7 p.m. will be allowed to vote. Candidates for lieutenant governor, attorney general, several House of Delegates seats, and local races are on the ballot in Hampton Roads. View who is on the ballot here. View our full Election Guide to learn more about the candidates here. On a rainy Election Day morning, voters started arriving as early as 6 a.m. at polling stations across Hampton Roads to cast ballots for their picks in Virginia primary races. But with more than 200,000 people across the state having opted to vote early, in-person voter foot traffic was slow Tuesday at many precinct polling places. While Chesapeake Central Library is often one of its city's busiest Election Day spots with voters rotating in and out of its front doors, only five Chesapeake residents cast ballots at the library by 7:30 am. About 9,600 Chesapeake voters cast ballots during the early voting period May 2 through June 14, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. And just 21 Norfolk residents as of 8:23 a.m. had cast in-person ballots at Norview Middle School. With 5,106 registered voters, Norview is the second-largest precinct in the city. Patricia Ferris, 63, voted and walked out of the middle school around 8 a.m. and into a light drizzle. 'I know Jay Jones personally. I used to work with him at Willcox & Savage,' she said, headed back to her parked vehicle. 'He's a great guy. So that's the biggest reason that I'm here.' Jones, a Hampton Roads attorney, and Shannon Taylor, the Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney, are vying for the Democratic nomination for Virginia attorney general. Ferris said that when she once asked Jones to give her son some guidance, the lawyer changed her family's life, encouraging her son to consider attending Tidewater Community College, where he ultimately earned a welding certificate. 'We didn't spend a dime, and my son now has a career at Newport News Shipbuilding,' she said. ___ This article will be updated throughout the day. Check back later at and
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
In Virginia's primary election, voters to decide statewide Democratic nominees
RICHMOND — Polling places opened at 6 a.m. across Virginia on Tuesday for this year's primary races to pick Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general, with a handful of localities also selecting a House of Delegates nominee from one or both major parties and some choosing candidates for local offices. Democrats have a nominee for governor — former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger — and Republicans are set with their full ticket: Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, talk-radio host John Reid for lieutenant governor and Attorney General Jason S. Miyares seeking reelection. Virginia's 45-day early voting period ended Saturday and saw a heavy turnout compared with past primary contests, but it remains to be seen how may people will show up at the polls on what is expected to be a hot day with rainstorms across parts of the state. National Democrats are particularly interested in Virginia's off-year elections, hoping that a showing of enthusiasm will serve notice that the party is strong after losing the White House in the fall and create a road map for next year's congressional midterms. In addition to the statewide contests, all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are on the ballot this fall, but only a handful are on the primary ballot. Democrats hope to widen their 51-49 majority in the House, while Republicans would like to build on the record of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) and try to take back the House as a balance against the state Senate, which is also controlled by Democrats and is not up for election this year. Youngkin, like all Virginia governors, is prohibited by the state constitution from seeking a consecutive second term. Democrats are choosing among six candidates for lieutenant governor: state Sens. Ghazala F. Hashmi (Richmond) and Aaron R. Rouse (Virginia Beach); former Richmond mayor Levar Stoney; Babur B. Lateef, a Northern Virginia eye surgeon and chairman of the Prince William County School Board; Alex Bastani, a retired economist and lawyer at the U.S. Labor Department and former union president; and Victor Salgado, a former federal prosecutor. The two Democrats vying to take on Miyares for attorney general are former Norfolk delegate Jerrauld C. 'Jay' Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor. At an election-eve rally Monday night at her high school alma mater, Spanberger sought to project a unified Democratic statewide ticket even before her two running mates are selected. She said she will set off Saturday on an eight-day, 40-stop 'Span Virginia Bus Tour' — with her ticket mates joining her at least part of the way. 'From the New River Valley to Newport News, and from Fairfax to Farmville, we'll be hitting the road with the lieutenant governor and attorney general nominees ... and we will be hearing directly from our fellow Virginians,' she told hundreds of people at J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico County. Earle-Sears was planning to host a rally Tuesday night 'as she turns the page from a spirited primary campaign to the general election in the race for Virginia governor,' according to a notice from her campaign. Her running mates were not expected to attend. The campaign did not publicly announce the location, but the Service Employees International Union, warning against potential federal cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, said Monday that it has plans to protest outside.
Washington Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- Washington Post
Big turnout for Democrats in Virginia's early primary voting gives party hope
RICHMOND — Early voting was strong across Virginia this year in the 45 days leading up to Tuesday's primary elections, in which voters will choose Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general and, in a handful of districts, candidates from both parties for the House of Delegates and local offices.
