https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/election-results-virginia-new-jersey-n818406
Nov 7 2017, 8:27 pm ET
Democrat Ralph Northam Wins Virginia Governor Race, NBC News Projects
by Alex Seitz-Wald
FAIRFAX, Va. — Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor race on Tuesday, according to an NBC News projection.
With 65 percent of the vote in, Northam had 51 percent and Gillespie trailed with 48 percent.
Both national parties have spent millions of dollars in Virginia and are closely watching it as the first major barometer of the political climate since Donald Trump's unexpected victory last year.
Northam, an Army veteran and pediatric neurologist who serves as the state’s lieutenant governor, struggled to capitalize on his ad-ready biography as the race descended into a nasty culture war. Popular Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe is term-limited.
Gillespie is a former lobbyist and Republican National Committee chairman who seemed surprisingly adept at navigating the troubled waters of the Trump-era GOP, with a message aimed at the president's voters and a biography that has helped keep establishment Republicans on board.
After nearly losing in the primary to a Trump-like far-right candidate, Gillespie pivoted from tax cuts to cultural issues as the centerpiece of his campaign, with an ad defending Confederate monuments and others attacking Northam for allegedly being soft on Latino gangs and pedophiles.
In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy bested Republican Kim Guadagno in the governor's race on Tuesday, according to an NBC News Projection — letting the door hit Gov. Chris Christie on his way out of office as one of the least popular governors in the country.
Both parties expected Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Obama-era ambassador to Germany, to prevail, largely because Christie's anemic 14 percent approval rating dragged down Guadagno, his lieutenant governor.
Guadagno struggled throughout the campaign to escape Christie's shadow, along with lingering questions about the Bridgegate scandal, although she saw some positive movement in recent polls after adopting a sharper tone on immigration that echoed President Donald Trump.
Murphy's victory gives Democrats complete control of New Jersey government, where Christie often battled with the opposition-controlled state Legislature. That makes the state one of just seven nationwide where Democrats now control the governor's mansion and both chambers of the legislature, compared to a whopping 26 for Republicans.
Nov 7 2017, 8:27 pm ET
Democrat Ralph Northam Wins Virginia Governor Race, NBC News Projects
by Alex Seitz-Wald
FAIRFAX, Va. — Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie in the Virginia governor race on Tuesday, according to an NBC News projection.
With 65 percent of the vote in, Northam had 51 percent and Gillespie trailed with 48 percent.
Both national parties have spent millions of dollars in Virginia and are closely watching it as the first major barometer of the political climate since Donald Trump's unexpected victory last year.
Northam, an Army veteran and pediatric neurologist who serves as the state’s lieutenant governor, struggled to capitalize on his ad-ready biography as the race descended into a nasty culture war. Popular Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe is term-limited.
Gillespie is a former lobbyist and Republican National Committee chairman who seemed surprisingly adept at navigating the troubled waters of the Trump-era GOP, with a message aimed at the president's voters and a biography that has helped keep establishment Republicans on board.
After nearly losing in the primary to a Trump-like far-right candidate, Gillespie pivoted from tax cuts to cultural issues as the centerpiece of his campaign, with an ad defending Confederate monuments and others attacking Northam for allegedly being soft on Latino gangs and pedophiles.
In New Jersey, Democrat Phil Murphy bested Republican Kim Guadagno in the governor's race on Tuesday, according to an NBC News Projection — letting the door hit Gov. Chris Christie on his way out of office as one of the least popular governors in the country.
Both parties expected Murphy, a former Goldman Sachs executive and Obama-era ambassador to Germany, to prevail, largely because Christie's anemic 14 percent approval rating dragged down Guadagno, his lieutenant governor.
Guadagno struggled throughout the campaign to escape Christie's shadow, along with lingering questions about the Bridgegate scandal, although she saw some positive movement in recent polls after adopting a sharper tone on immigration that echoed President Donald Trump.
Murphy's victory gives Democrats complete control of New Jersey government, where Christie often battled with the opposition-controlled state Legislature. That makes the state one of just seven nationwide where Democrats now control the governor's mansion and both chambers of the legislature, compared to a whopping 26 for Republicans.
Loser!@#0
