Current Virginia Lt. Governor, Ralph Northam defeated his democratic opponent, Tom Perriello yesterday in the Virginia Gubernatorial primaries. Northam won the primary easily with 57 percent of the Democratic vote. The turnout rate for Democrats also skyrocketed to nearly 170 percent more than the last contested primary in 2008.
Northam is now entering the general election favored over the GOP primary winner, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie. Gillespie, who was the strongly favored Republican candidate, narrowly won his party’s nomination against his opponent, Corey Stewart.
In Northam’s victory speech, he pledged to win back the House and to stand up to “hate” from President Donald Trump. Northam’s TV ads were infamous for being anti-Trump, where he branded the President a “narcissistic maniac”- which Northam, a pediatric neurologist, has insisted is the President’s medical diagnosis. Northam also campaigned on other popular democratic issues, such as support on gun control and same-sex marriage.
Tonight, we're one step closer to building a Virginia that works for everyone—no matter who you are, no matter where you're from. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/xPA2n8P7aB
— Ralph Northam (@RalphNortham) June 14, 2017
Northam secured the support of Virginia’s current Democratic establishment, including Governor Terry McAuliffe, Senator Tim Kaine, and Senator Mark Warner. While his opponent, Tom Perriello had been endorsed by more progressive democrats, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
About to take the stages w/ @RalphNortham. Congrats on the victory & looking forward to a great campaign in the fall #progressive pic.twitter.com/3FjoaOl30F
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) June 14, 2017
For more information about Ralph Northam, Virginia’s official Democratic candidate for the November 2017 Gubernatorial race, you can check out his official website, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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