FEATURED IMAGE Collage shows Ralph Northam and Ed Gillespie, Photos :Rklear and Gage Skidmore /Wikipedia
After a tight Republican primary race, Virginians chose conciliatory candidates to contest November election for Governor of the state, as voters elected Democratic Ralph Northam and Conservative Ed Gillespie
The ouster of liberal Tomo Perrielo and Conservative Corey Stewart, who is chair of Prince William County of Supervisors, is being interpreted as a signal on part of Virginians that they want politics to be at the service of Americans and that they prefer performance over partisanship.
Gillespie, an experienced politician and former chair of Republican National Congress, won by a narrow margin, securing 43.72 % of votes against challenger Stewart, who put up an fiercely close fight with 42.53 % of the Republican votes.
The two had been neck and neck through the evening after polls closed. Stewart’s firebrand style suggests the popularity of President Trump’s populist politics among Conservative voters.
For Democratic Northam, it was a much easier sailing 55.9 % but Perrielo, who joined the race quite late, made a match of it with 44.1 % of the votes cast.
The two losing candidates had framed their campaigns around President Donald Trump’s policies – Perrielo adopting a scathing stance and Stewart following Trump on issues like immigration and health.
During much of the campaign, Gillespie managed to steer clear of controversies and did not express any overt support for some of the Administration policies.
The mood among Republican voters appeared to be divided between high-pitched populist politics and openness to bipartisan cooperation.
But, overall, the results represent the national political equation with the two parties, and possibly a foretaste of what is to come in 2018 midterm polls.
Northam, who has been serving as Lt. Governor of Virginia, highlighted his credentials with a long experience of service in various positions, and had support of leading Democrats.
Perrielo, on the other hand, was backed by left liberals including Senator Bernie Sanders.
The winner will replace Governor Terry McAauliffe, whose single term will conclude in 2018.
