It didn’t take long for the Republican Governors Association (RGA) to target former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who in his new bid to regain his old job convincingly crushed a field of rivals for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
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Voters casting ballots in last November s election. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
About 8 percent of registered voters turned out for Tuesday’s Democratic primary in Virginia, down about two points from 2017’s record.
But data from the Virginia Public Access Project show that percentage is still among the highest tallies for Democratic primaries since the early 1990s. In all, turnout dipped about 11% from 2017, to about 480,000 votes cast.
Former President Donald Trump caused record turnout in Virginia races during his term, a phenomenon that helped Democrats flip the General Assembly and hold on to statewide offices. The latest figures are seen as an early indicator of whether that strength will continue in November, when the Democratic gubernatorial nominee, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, will face off against Republican Glenn Youngkin – and in turn, in 2022, when Republicans will try to wrest back control of Congress.