The 2017 Virginia Governer Election is next Tuesday, Nov. 7 and this election matters a lot more than people think. It’s always important to get out and vote but Virginia residents hold more power than they may know with this one.
The Commonwealth of Virginia is a swing state in any election. Meaning that it can make or break things for either party. A Democratic win would be the first for the party in the Commonwealth since Trump took office and a Republican win would add more fuel to the Trump fire that’s been raging across this country.
VA is currently a democratic state, Hilary won the election by 5 percentage points here and current Governor, Terry McAuliffe, has been fighting to expand healthcare and keep abortion rights legal for Virginia woman. These are things democratic candidate Ralph Northam endorse as well.
Northam is the current Lt. Governor of Virginia and is also a pediatrician. He served as an Army doctor and takes standard liberal stands on issues such as taxes, healthcare, and education. He’s running with Justin Fairfax as his Lt. Governor and Mark Herring as Attorney General.
Northam and his party support abortion rights, moving Confederate monuments in capital cities to museums, and increasing the minimum wage.
Source: PhotoPin (Northam, Center)
Virginia has been moving to a more liberal side with the massive amounts of immigrants who have been moving to the Northern areas outside of D.C., according to the New York Times. This is good for Northam because typically immigrants identify Republicans with Trump and his comments and immigrant bans don’t make him too popular in that community.
The dislike for Trump is something that the democratic party is hoping will carry them to a win this election. Northam has been backed by the Obama and Clinton administrations, the former President even campaigned with Northam in Richmond earlier this year. However, Northam failed to get support from Bernie Sanders which could hurt his chances among younger liberals who fully support Sanders.
The Republican candidate, Ed Gillespie, served as the Chair of the Republican National Committee and was a counselor to former President George W. Bush during his administration. He is running with Jill Vogel as his Lt. Governor and John Adams as his Attorney General.
Gillespie and his party stand for pro-life, a larger military budget, and keeping confederate monuments while they oppose same-sex marriage, sanctuary cities, and the Affordable Care Act.
Source: PhotoPin
Gillespie has been back by the Trump administration. Trump himself took to Twitter, in his usual fashion, to express his support for the candidate.
“Ed Gillespie will turn the really bad Virginia economy #’s around, and fast. Strong on crime, he might even save our great statues/heritage!” said Trump in a tweet on October 26.
After the events in Charlottesville in August, there’s no denying that Virginia certainly has its conservative roots that lie in the more rural areas of the state. Voting in the off-year typically has lower turnouts according to the New York Times which could be beneficial to Republicans because they hold more loyal voters.
No matter what party wins the election on Tuesday it will have a greater effect than just inside the Virginia State lines. So make sure you follow the simple instructions below and go vote!