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Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021

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Governor of Virginia
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 25, 2021
Convention: May 8, 2021
Primary: June 8, 2021
General: November 2, 2021
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Gov. Ralph Northam (D)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Virginia
Race ratings
Cook Political Report: Toss-up
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Lean Republican
Inside Elections: Toss-up
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2021
Impact of term limits in 2021
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2021
Virginia
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general

Glenn Youngkin (R) defeated Terry McAuliffe (D) in the general election for governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021, becoming the first Republican to win a statewide election in the state since 2009. Incumbent Gov. Ralph Northam (D) was unable to seek re-election due to term limits.[1]

The Los Angeles Times' Janet Hook called the race "the first big test of strength between parties since Biden was elected" and said it "could set the tone for the 2022 midterm election."[2] The outcome of this election, in addition to the state's House of Delegates elections, also determined Virginia's trifecta status. Virginia became a Democratic trifecta in 2019, for the first time since 1994. Youngkin's victory switched Virginia to a split government.

McAuliffe was governor of Virginia from 2014 to 2018 and chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.[3][4] He emphasized his previous term as governor, saying he "brought 200,000 good paying jobs to the Commonwealth, drove unemployment down, and raised personal income."[5] He compared Youngkin to former President Donald Trump (R), saying, "[Youngkin] is nothing more than a Trump loyalist, dead set on advancing an extreme agenda here in Virginia."[6][7][8]

Youngkin was a former co-CEO and president of The Carlyle Group, a global investment firm, where he worked from 1995 to 2020.[9] In a Candidate Connection survey submitted to Ballotpedia, Youngkin said, "We need a governor with real-world experience who can create jobs, keep businesses from leaving, put an open-for-business sign on Virginia, and create a rip-roaring economy that lifts all Virginians."[10] Read his full survey responses here. He described McAuliffe as "a recycled, 40-year political insider and career politician who pretends to be a businessman."[11]

Princess Blanding (Liberation) and Paul Davis (I) also ran in the election. Blanding appeared on the general election ballot. Davis ran as a write-in candidate.

At the time of the election, Democrats had won four of the five most recent gubernatorial elections and all thirteen statewide elections in Virginia since 2012. Joe Biden (D) won the state in the 2020 presidential election, receiving 54% of the vote to Donald Trump's (R) 44%.

Youngkin, Blanding, and Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey. Read their responses here.

Click on candidate names below to view their key messages:


McAuliffe
Youngkin


This page focuses on Virginia's general gubernatorial election. For more in-depth information on Virginia's Democratic primary election and the Republican gubernatorial convention, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

See also: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021

Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (June 8 Democratic primary)

Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021 (May 8 Republican convention)

General election

General election for Governor of Virginia

Glenn Youngkin defeated Terry McAuliffe, Princess Blanding, and Paul Davis in the general election for Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Glenn Youngkin
Glenn Youngkin (R) Candidate Connection
 
50.6
 
1,663,596
Image of Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe (D)
 
48.6
 
1,600,116
Image of Princess Blanding
Princess Blanding (Liberation Party) Candidate Connection
 
0.7
 
23,125
Image of Paul Davis
Paul Davis (Independent) (Write-in) Candidate Connection
 
0.0
 
0
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
2,593

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,289,430
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia

Terry McAuliffe defeated Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, Jennifer McClellan, Justin Fairfax, and Lee Carter in the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe
 
62.1
 
307,367
Image of Jennifer D. Carroll Foy
Jennifer D. Carroll Foy
 
19.8
 
98,052
Image of Jennifer McClellan
Jennifer McClellan
 
11.8
 
58,213
Image of Justin Fairfax
Justin Fairfax
 
3.6
 
17,606
Image of Lee Carter
Lee Carter
 
2.8
 
13,694

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 494,932
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Governor of Virginia

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Glenn Youngkin in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,555
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[12]

Terry McAuliffe

Image of Terry McAuliffe

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: 

Biography:  McAuliffe received a bachelor's degree from The Catholic University of America and a law degree from the Georgetown University Law Center. Following his graduation, he began a career in banking, investment, and real estate development. McAuliffe served as the finance director on three Democratic presidential campaigns—Jimmy Carter's (1980), Dick Gephardt's (1988), and Bill Clinton's (1996)—and as the national chairman of Hillary Clinton's (D) 2008 presidential campaign. McAuliffe chaired the Democratic National Committee from 2001 to 2005.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

McAuliffe compared Youngkin to Donald Trump (R). In a campaign ad, McAuliffe said that he “has always stood up to the extreme right Republicans, and he’s won … We can’t let the extreme right take us backwards."

McAuliffe said he chose to run for governor "because we need to think big and be bold to move the Commonwealth forward," which he said he would accomplish using his previous experience as governor.

McAuliffe said he supported creating a buy-in to Medicaid. He emphasized that, as governor, he signed the bill expanding Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

Show sources

Sources: YouTube, "Virginia Forward," May 11, 2021, YouTube, "Why Glenn's Running," May 19, 2021, Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, "About," accessed April 6, 2021, Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, "Issues," accessed April 6, 2021, Richmond Times-Dispatch, "McAuliffe emphasizes health care with pitch for Medicaid buy-in plan," June 15, 2021, Twitter, "Terry McAuliffe," June 15, 2021; Leaders Magazine, "Financing the Road to the White House," July 2007, VoteSmart, "Terry McAuliffe," accessed April 6, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Virginia in 2021.

Glenn Youngkin

Image of Glenn Youngkin

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "I’m a homegrown Virginian who has worked in business for 30 years. I’m running for governor to rebuild Virginia into the best place to live, work and raise a family."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Virginia’s economy has stalled while neighboring states thrive. Virginia’s businesses are drowning in high costs and red-tape . We need a governor with real-world experience who can create jobs, keep businesses from leaving, put an open-for-business sign on Virginia, and create a rip-roaring economy that lifts all Virginians.

I will protect and defend Virginians’ Constitutional rights and personal liberties, which are being threatened like never before.

The cost of living in Virginia is too high and continues to rise making the American dream un-attainable for too many Virginians. Virginia should be the best place to raise live, work and raise a family. and that starts with more jobs and lower costs, including taxes, fees and healthcare costs.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Virginia in 2021.

Princess Blanding

Image of Princess Blanding

WebsiteFacebookTwitter

Party: Liberation Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "Princess Blanding, an educator for over 13 years here in the Commonwealth and a grassroots activist, has a history of fighting to elevate the voices and concerns of every day, working-class Virginians and for increased accountability from our local and state elected officials to address the inequities in our Black and most marginalized communities. "

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

Liberation is a human right, not a privilege.

Fighting for working class Virginians.

Empowering and supporting courageous leadership that will put people over profit and politics.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Governor of Virginia in 2021.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021: General election polls
Poll Date McAuliffe Democratic Party Youngkin Republican Party Blanding Independent[13] Davis Independent[13] Undecided/Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
Washington Post-Schar School[14] Oct. 20-26, 2021 49% 48% 1% - 2%[15] ± 4.0 918 N/A
Fox News[16] Oct. 24-27, 2021 45% 53% - - 2%[17] ± 3.0 1,015 N/A
Christopher Newport University[18] Oct. 17-25, 2021 49% 48% 1% - 1%[19] ± 3.5 944 N/A
Suffolk Univresity/USA Today[20] Oct. 21-24, 2021 46% 45% 2% - 7%[21] ± 4.4 500 N/A
Emerson College/Nexstar Media[22] Oct. 22-23, 2021 48% 48% 1% - 3%[23] ± 3.2 875 N/A

Ballotpedia Power Index

See also: The Ballotpedia Power Index

The Ballotpedia Power Index (BPI) is an election forecasting tool that factors in polling averages from RealClearPolitics and share prices on PredictIt to project the overall chances of an outcome occurring in an election. The chart below shows the Ballotpedia Power Index for Virginia's gubernatorial election between the major party candidates. In other words, a 60% score for Candidate A and a 40% score for Candidate B would mean that, according to the combination of polling averages and PredictIt prices, there was a 60% chance of Candidate A winning the election. We update the chart weekly.

Campaign finance

The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. Learn more about this data here.

Satellite spending

See also: Satellite spending

Satellite spending, commonly referred to as outside spending, describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[78][79][80]

This section lists satellite spending in this race reported by news outlets in alphabetical order. If you are aware of spending that should be included, please email us.

  • Axios' Lachlan Markay reported that Accountability Virginia PAC had spent over $25,000 on digital ads opposing Youngkin as of September 27. Markay described the PAC as "[a] group tied to prominent Democratic strategists ... posing as a conservative outfit to try to drive a wedge between [Youngkin] and his core voters," specifically on the issue of gun ownership.[81]
  • American Principles Project spent a total of $285,500 opposing McAuliffe beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Americans for Prosperity spent a total of $942,410 supporting Youngkin beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Americas PAC spent $183,835 on radio advertisements supporting Youngkin on Oct. 25, 2021.[82]
  • CatholicVote.org spent $10,000 on peer-to-peer messaging opposing McAuliffe on September 23.[82] CatholicVote President Brian Burch said, "We are targeting [Catholics who attend mass in Virginia] with digital advertising direct to their devices ... [b]ut we ultimately believe the most effective way to turn them out to vote is a friendly one-on-one conversation with a fellow Catholic."[83]
  • Family Foundation spent a total of $1,713 supporting Youngkin beginning in September 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • FreedomWorks for America spent $17,015 and $33,030 on text messaging campaigns supporting Youngkin and opposing McAuliffe, respectively, on Oct. 21, 2021.[82]
  • On Oct. 21, 2021, CBS News' Aaron Navarro and Ed O'Keefe reported that Free to Learn Action launched a $1 million advertisement campaign opposing McAuliffe.[84] The group's president, Alleigh Marré, said, "The fact that many parents no longer feel like their child is entrusted to a safe school environment erodes the most basic expectation between a parent and the education system."[84]
  • Humane Society of the US spent $7,701 on direct mail supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 18, 2021.[82]
  • The International Brotherhood of Teamsters spent $16,830 on postcards supporting McAuliffe on October 5.[82]
  • The Lincoln Project spent a total of $17,100 supporting McAuliffe and $304,210 opposing Youngkin beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • MeidasTouch spent $19,055 on a text messaging campaign supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 15, and $24,535 on television advertisements opposing Youngkin on Oct. 19, 2021.[82]
  • MoveOn.org spent $56,467 on digital advertisements supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 26, 2021.[82]
  • NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia spent $3,035 on direct mail supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 20, 2021.[82]
  • National Right to Life spent a total of $64,152 supporting Youngkin beginning in September 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Our First Principles Fund spent $31,298 on radio ads and direct mail supporting Blanding and opposing McAuliffe on Oct. 26, 2021.[82]
  • Postal Workers of America spent $710 on direct mail supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 22, 2021.[82]
  • Restoration PAC spent a total of $1,942,000 opposing McAuliffe beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Strike PAC spent a total of $31,500 opposing Youngkin beginning in June 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Virginia Society for Human Life spent a total of $4,331 supporting Youngkin and $14,703 opposing McAuliffe beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]
  • Voters First Victory Fund spent $1,727 on a text messaging campaign supporting McAuliffe and opposing Youngkin on Oct. 20, 2021. The group also spent $2,008 on text messages supporting McAuliffe on Oct. 25.[82]
  • Women Speak Out Virginia spent a total of $39,572 supporting Youngkin and $114,163 opposing McAuliffe beginning in October 2021. Click [show] on the table below to view specific expenditures.[82]

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement McAuliffe (D) Youngkin (R) Blanding (Liberation)
Newspapers and editorials
The Washington Post[85] ✔
Elected officials
U.S. President Joe Biden (D)[86] ✔
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (D)[87] ✔
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)[88] ✔
U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)[89] ✔
Gov. Ralph Northam (D-Va.)[90] ✔
Del. Lee Carter (D-Va.)[91][92] ✔
Individuals
Frmr. U.S. President Barack Obama (D)[93] ✔
Frmr. U.S. President Donald Trump (R)[94] ✔
Frmr. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence (R)[95] ✔
Frmr. U.S. Sec. of State Hillary Clinton (D)[96] ✔
Frmr. Gov. George Allen (R-Va.)[97] ✔
Frmr. Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-Va.)[97] ✔
Frmr. Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-Va.)[97] ✔
Commentator Bill Kristol[98] ✔
Organizations
Tidewater Democratic Socialists of America[99] ✔


Timeline

2021

Campaign advertisements

See also: Virginia gubernatorial general election campaign advertisements, 2021

This section shows the three most recent advertisements released by candidates in this race by category. Ads released by satellite groups are also embedded or linked below. Click here to view all advertisements collected by Ballotpedia for this race.

Democratic Party McAuliffe

Supporting McAuliffe

"Better Future" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 31, 2021
"Ideas" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 29, 2021
"For" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 22, 2021

Opposing Youngkin

"Our Voice Matters" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 29, 2021
"Wrong" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 27, 2021
"Better Way" - McAuliffe campaign ad, released Oct. 19, 2021

Republican Party Youngkin

Supporting Youngkin

"Glenn Youngkin's Bus Tour Day 8!" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 31, 2021
"Our Moment" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 30, 2021
"The Great Virginia Promise" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 24, 2021

Opposing McAuliffe

"After talking about Trump more than anything else, McAuliffe suddenly says 'this isn't about Trump'" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 31, 2021
"Social Warrior" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 30, 2021
"Terry McAuliffe Failed Virginia Teachers" - Youngkin campaign ad, released Oct. 30, 2021

Satellite group ads

Debates and forums

October 19 candidate interviews

On October 19, 2021, WJLA 7News DC released interviews of McAuliffe and Youngkin conducted by reporter Nick Minock.[152]

  • Click here to view the interviews and transcripts.

September 28 debate

On September 28, 2021, McAuliffe and Youngkin participated in a debate hosted by NBC Washington and the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce at Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia.[153]

Official debate recording, livestreamed Sept. 28, 2021


Use the links below for summaries of the debate from:

September 25 candidate forum

On September 25, 2021, McAuliffe, Youngkin, and Blanding participated in a candidate forum hosted by local chapters of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.[154]

September 16 debate

On September 16, 2021, McAuliffe and Youngkin participated in a debate sponsored by the Appalachian School of Law and the Virginia Association of Broadcasters at the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia.[156]

Official debate recording, livestreamed Sept. 16, 2021


Use the links below for summaries of the debate from:

September 12 candidate forum

On September 12, 2021, McAuliffe, Youngkin, and Blanding participated in a candidate forum hosted by the Northern Virginia chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.[157]

August 12 candidate forum

On August 12, 2021, McAuliffe, Youngkin, and Blanding participated in a candidate forum hosted by The Arc of Virginia covering topics relating to the Developmental Disability community.[159] The statewide forum also included candidates form lieutenant governor and attorney general.[159] Forum partners included The Arc of Northern Virginia, Rev Up Virginia, The Autism Society Central Virginia, The Autism Society Tidewater, The Autism Society Northern Virginia, and Virginia Board for People with Disabilities Training Alumni Association.[163]

The Arc of Virginia forum recording, released Aug. 15, 2021

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Terry McAuliffe

Campaign website

McAuliffe's campaign website stated the following:

“

This year has been incredibly difficult for Virginians across the Commonwealth as we fight to get this pandemic under control and begin our economic recovery. But it has also shown us the best of who Virginians are and it has given us a big opportunity to address the challenges facing our future. Terry is running for governor because we need o think big and be bold to move the Commonwealth forward and create a better future for all Virginians.

Terry believes that now is the time to push Virginia forward to build a stronger and fairer post-COVID economy. As Virginia's next Governor, Terry will continue the fight for civil rights and voting rights, attract businesses to create the best jobs and raise wages, ensure all Virginians have access to quality affordable healthcare, build a clean energy economy to address climate change, and address the affordable housing crisis our communities are facing. Most importantly, Terry will make and unprecedented investment in education. The time is now to ensure a world-class education for every Virginia child. Our future and our children cannot wait.

Ensuring an Equitable, World-Class Education for Every Child

Raising Teacher Pay, Expanding Pre-K, and Getting Every Student Online So All Virginia Students Can Learn & Thrive.
Read Terry's Full Plan
Read the One-Pager
Terry will also fight to make Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education. Read his big, bold plan for STEM-H education here
The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will ensure that every student has access to an equitable, world-class education. His plan will invest a record $2 billion annually in education, which will raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia history, give every 3 and 4-year-old in need access to pre-k, and get every student online. Terry will also address Virginia’s educator shortage and diversify our educator workforce through his Lucy Simms Educator Program. The Lucy Simms Program will cover education costs for students who commit to teaching for five years in one of Virginia’s public schools after graduation.
"Every Virginia student - no matter their background or zip code - deserves equitable access to a world-class education. Our children and our future cannot wait."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry invested a record $1 billion in Virginia’s K-12 system, redesigned the high school experience with an eye toward workforce readiness, and eliminated five SOLs. To prepare students for jobs of the future, Terry expanded pre-k to thousands of students and signed the first law in the U.S. mandating computer science education for all K-12 students. Terry and his wife Dorothy also fought tirelessly to combat childhood hunger, and as a result, nearly 13 million school meals were served each year.
The Work Ahead
  • Pay educators what they deserve and raise teacher pay above the national average for the first time in Virginia’s history.
  • Ensure the more than 41,000 3 and 4-year-olds in need get access to pre-k
  • Get every student online by making a $75 million per year investment in broadband to expand access and lower monthly costs.
  • Address modern-day segregation in schools and create an Education Equity and Innovation Commission, Fund, and a school integration officer.
  • Make Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education by integrating these skills and principles across grade levels and subject areas.
  • Promote career readiness with investments in Career and Technical Education and building internships and apprenticeships into curricula.

Creating Good-Paying Jobs and a Thriving Economy for All Virginians

Good Jobs, Raising the Minimum Wage, and Paid Sick Days for All Virginians
Read Terry's Full Plan
Read the one-pager
Read Terry's entrepreneurship plan
The Plan
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the pervasive inequities in our systems and disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities when it comes to education, minority-owned businesses, housing and health care. Terry’s plan will rebuild our economy again so that all Virginians can prosper.
As Governor, Terry will work to keep Virginians safely back at work and in schools, rebuild our thriving network of small businesses, and support our workforce with access to paid sick days, COVID-19 vaccines, affordable child care and hazard pay.
He will also make critical investments in building and training the workforce of the future and ensuring that people of all ages have the skills they need to be successful in the jobs of tomorrow.
Terry will achieve this through targeted investments in workforce training and development, partnering with businesses and our educational institutions to re-skill and retrain Virginians, and reimagining our K12 education system so that every child has access to a world-class education and is workforce ready upon graduation.
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry inherited a large budget deficit while facing the effects of the Great Recession sequestration. Despite these challenges, he oversaw record economic growth, bringing 200,000 new jobs to Virginia.
He made historic progress training Virginians for high-demand careers and 21st Century jobs, promoting education and training for in-demand areas like advanced manufacturing, logistics, transportation, trades and construction, IT and health care. This allowed thousands of Virginians to take on high-paying jobs without a two- or four-year degree. At the end of his term, Terry left Virginia with more than a $100 million budget surplus.
Read Terry’s plan to build an equitable post-COVID economy and invest in Virginia workers.

Recovering From COVID-19 and Securing Virginia’s Future

Continuing to Lead Virginia Out of This Pandemic and Into a Stronger Future
Read Terry's Full Plan
Read the One-Pager
Terry understands that a crucial part of our recovery is ensuring that every Virginian has access to regular nutritious meals. Read his big, bold plan for food insecurity in Virginia’s post-COVID recovery
The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will tackle inequities and rebuild a stronger, more equitable post-COVID economy. Terry will rebuild Virginia’s thriving network of small businesses, especially Black and Brown-owned businesses, that have been hit the hardest. His plan will raise the minimum wage to $15/hour by 2024, support caregivers, make childcare more affordable and ensure that every worker has access to paid sick, family and medical leave, as women, particularly women of color, are being driven out of the workforce. Terry will also create a seamless 5-year pathway to high-demand, good-paying careers by building on Governor Northam’s G3 program.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the inequities that hardworking Virginians and women of color have faced for generations. We must act boldly to rebuild a stronger, more equitable post-COVID economy that lifts up all Virginians."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry created 200,000 good-paying jobs, raised personal income by 14%, and reduced unemployment to 3.3%, despite inheriting a record budget deficit and facing the effects of the Great Recession and sequestration. Terry also secured a record $1 billion investment in education, redesigned the high school experience with an eye toward workforce readiness, invested in apprenticeships, and created the first-in-the-nation New Economy Workforce Credentials Act, which enabled 26,000 people to get high-demand credentials and step into good jobs.
The Work Ahead
  • Rebuild small businesses, particularly Black and Brown-owned businesses that have closed at disproportionate rates.
  • Raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024, address pay disparities and ensure that every Virginian has access to paid sick, family and medical leave.
  • Create a seamless 5-year pathway from K-12 to career, and expand work-based learning opportunities for students.
  • Strengthen community colleges and associate degree programs by funding advisors and support services, increasing short-term immersion programs and stacking credentials, and establishing Career and Technical Education certificate programs for educators.

Building A Healthier Virginia

Ensuring That Every Virginian Has Access to Quality, Affordable Health Care
Terry's accessibility plan
Terry's affordability plan
Read the one-pager
The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will fight to make sure all Virginians have access to quality, affordable health care coverage and that no Virginian is forced to choose between medication or a meal. Terry will address racial, gender, and geographic disparities in access to coverage and outcomes by strengthening Medicaid, working with the federal government to implement a reinsurance program to lower health insurance premiums, protecting reproductive freedoms, and combating rising prescription drug prices by holding pharmaceutical companies accountable. As governor, Terry will also work to end unacceptable maternal mortality rates for Black women by expanding home visiting programs, improving access to quality care, ensuring access to lactation support, and mandating mental health screenings for pregnant and postpartum women.
"Access to quality, affordable health care is a fundamental right, and our work to ensure all Virginians have access to it is far from over. I will act boldly and partner with President Biden's administration to eradicate inequities, lower health care premiums and fight to ensure that every Virginian has access to quality, affordable health care."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry stood as a “brick wall” in defense of Virginians’ reproductive freedoms, vetoing all anti-reproductive rights bills and signing legislation allowing Virginians to obtain a full year of contraceptives at once. Terry also laid the groundwork for the successful passage of Medicaid expansion by building his final budget proposal around the $421.7 million in estimated savings from expanding Medicaid and securing the critical hospital provider assessment. Terry’s “A Healthy Virginia” plan extended coverage to tens of thousands of Virginians for services such as dental care, mental health services, and substance use disorders
The Work Ahead
  • Implement a state reinsurance program to lower premiums and increase assistance for Virginians who can’t afford their premiums.
  • Combat maternal mortality rates for Black women by expanding home visiting services, access to quality care, ensuring access to lactation support and mandating mental health screenings.
  • Enshrine Roe v. Wade in Virginia’s constitution and increase access to contraceptive care.
  • Lower prescription drug costs by passing a Prescription Drug Sunlight Law, setting price limits on certain drugs, and holding big Pharma accountable.
  • Increase funding for mental health and substance use disorder treatment.

Prescription for a Healthier Virginia

Holding Big Pharma Accountable to Ensure Affordable Drug Prices
Read Terry's full plan
Read the one-pager
The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will make sure that no person has to choose between medication or a meal. He will empower the Virginia State Corporation Commission to serve as a watchdog for Virginia consumers by forcing drug companies to justify certain price increases and setting upper price limits when necessary. Terry will ensure consumers have information and explanations about cost increases by creating a Prescription Drug Sunlight Law. He will also fight to secure the lowest possible prices by pooling Virginia’s purchasing power for state agencies, implementing a pharmacy benefit carve-out model for Virginia’s Medicaid program, and exploring bulk purchasing as a way to lower costs.
"Pharmaceutical companies have continued to raise prices and pad their pockets during a pandemic on the backs of hardworking families. That's wrong, and as governor I'll put a stop to it. I will hold big Pharma accountable and make sure no Virginian is forced to choose between medicine or meal."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry fought against the Republican-controlled legislature that refused to expand Medicaid to the hundreds of thousands of Virginians who lacked access. Against their obstruction, Terry implemented his “A Healthy Virginia” plan, a bold initiative that expanded health care coverage to nearly 30,000 uninsured Virginians for important services such as dental care, mental health services, and substance use disorders. Terry also laid the groundwork for Medicaid expansion by building his final budget proposal around the $421.7 million in estimated savings from expanding Medicaid and securing an important assessment.
The Work Ahead
  • Create a Prescription Drug Accountability Division at the State Corporation Commission and empower them to serve as a watchdog for consumers and set upper price limits for certain drugs.
  • Pass a Prescription Drug Price Sunlight Law and open up the black box of prescription drug pricing.
  • Hold Big Pharma accountable when they engage in predatory practices or impose unjustifiable price hikes.
  • Maximize Virginia’s ability to negotiate for the best drug prices by pooling purchasing power and exploring bulk purchasing options.
  • Impose substantial taxes on companies for unjustified price hikes.

Taking Action to Protect Virginians from Gun Violence

It’s time to Ban the Sale of Assault Weapons, Close Loopholes, and Treat Gun Violence as a Public Health Epidemic
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will send a clear message that gun violence has no place in the Commonwealth. He will ban the sale of assault weapons and get high-capacity magazines and ghost guns off of our streets. He will also close lethal loopholes that repeatedly allow firearms to get into the hands of dangerous individuals. By creating an Office of Gun Violence Prevention and creating a research Center of Excellence at a Virginia college or university, Terry will treat gun violence as the public health crisis it is and deploy evidence-based solutions to save lives.
"We have made great strides in recent years to combat gun violence and strengthen Virginia's laws, now is the time to boldly confront and end this epidemic once and for all. I have never been afraid to stand up to the NRA, and that won't change now."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry signed an Executive Order banning guns in most state buildings, proposed a dozen common-sense gun safety bills, and vetoed 15 radical Republican bills that would have further weakened Virginia’s gun laws. As the first southern Governor to be elected after running with an “F” rating from the NRA, he passed the first meaningful gun safety laws in decades, including a domestic violence law that was one of the toughest in the nation, and a requirement that State Police be present at every gun show to run voluntary background checks on private sales.
The Work Ahead
  • Ban the sale of assault weapons, and get high-capacity magazines, and “ghost guns” off our streets.
  • Strengthen Virginia’s new background check law to include all firearm transfers.
  • Disarm hate by preventing people who have committed hate crimes from owning firearms.
  • Prohibit open carry of firearms in certain public spaces and give localities the flexibility to ban open carry more broadly when there are credible public safety threats.
  • Create an Office of Gun Violence Prevention to identify and coordinate solutions to gun violence across state agencies.

Securing Virginia’s Clean Energy Future & Protecting Our Natural Resources

Moving Virginia to 100% Clean Energy by 2035 to Create Good Jobs, Strengthen Climate Resilience & Protect Our Future
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will tackle the growing threat of climate change and ensure Virginia is resilient in the face of climate threats. That means accelerating Virginia’s path to 100% clean energy by 2035 and aligning Virginia with President Biden’s climate goals and efforts, investing in energy efficiency, decarbonizing Virginia’s transportation sector and creating good jobs of the future. Terry’s plan will ensure a just transition to clean energy that will protect consumers, lower utility bills, and break down environmental inequities that have disproportionately impacted Black and Brown communities
"Securing Virginia's clean energy future is critical to securing our future. I promise you Virginia will lead the nation in tackling climate change and transitioning to clean energy."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry fought for climate action against an extreme climate denying-Republican legislature. Terry’s accomplishments include joining the U.S. Paris Climate Agreement, appointing the state’s first Chief Resilience Officer and creating the Climate Change and Resiliency Update Commission, securing a $120 million HUD grant to mitigate flooding in two predominantly Black neighborhoods in Norfolk and a $50 million settlement from DuPont over mercury spills used to restore and protect the environment. Terry grew solar jobs by 65% in 2016 and expanded solar energy production by nearly 8,000% throughout his term.
The Work Ahead
  • Accelerate Virginia’s path to 100% clean energy by 2035 and ensure a just transition that protects communities that have been impacted the most.
  • Restructure Virginia’s regulatory system to protect consumers and incentivize the transition to 100% clean energy.
  • Reduce energy consumption by investing dramatically in energy efficiency.
  • Expand clean energy jobs and build the workforce needed to supply the clean economy with highly-qualified, skilled workers.
  • Equitably improve access to clean public transportation, electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure.

Creating a Flourishing Rural Economy

Investing in Rural Communities, Getting Every Virginian Online, Strengthening Education & Health Care, and Supporting Virginia Farmers
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The Plan
Terry will ensure that rural communities are prioritized in Virginia’s post-COVID economic recovery. He will get every Virginian online, promote access to virtual training and career opportunities and make telehealth available throughout rural areas. Terry will attract jobs by launching Virginia’s first intentional rural economic development hub and establishing rural communities as the energy innovation capitals of the East Coast. He will also invest in rural education and workforce development and will support the farmers who are vital to the success of our economy. Terry’s plan will create jobs, support families and drive sustainable economic growth in rural economies.
"Virginia's rural communities are a vital part of our Commonwealth and economy. We have to prioritize them as we recover from this pandemic. That starts with guaranteeing universal access to broadband, because that is key to a successful post-COVID, 21st century economy."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry prioritized rural economic development and helped grow exports of agricultural and forestry products to over $3 billion for the first time in Virginia’s history. Terry also created 200,000 new jobs, thousands of which were in rural communities, and most rural counties saw unemployment cut by nearly 50 percent during his term. Terry worked to address the opioid epidemic in rural Virginia, creating the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse, declaring the opioid overdose epidemic a public health emergency, and signing numerous bills to reduce over-prescribing and increase access to naloxone. Terry paved the way for Medicaid expansion, which has since extended coverage to more than 530,000 Virginians.
The Work Ahead
  • Deliver universal broadband coverage by the end of Terry’s term.
  • Pilot Virginia’s first-ever intentional economic development hub, deploying high-impact investments in a span of neighboring rural jurisdictions to drive sustainable economic growth.
  • Invest in Virginia’s crumbling school infrastructure.
  • Break down health care disparities by investing in federally-qualified health centers and telehealth, providing more basic health services in schools and bringing virtual health clinics to local communities.
  • Support farmers by investing in smart farming technologies, increasing access to educational opportunities and establishing rural Virginia as a major supplier of specialty crops.
  • Establish rural communities in Virginia as the energy innovation capitals of the East Coast.

Growing Greener Pastures by Investing in Virginia’s Agriculture & Forestry Industries

Planting Innovation and Raising Opportunity on Virginia’s Working Lands
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will take a comprehensive approach to strengthening the agricultural and forestry economy by growing demand for Virginia agricultural products, facilitating innovation to expand supply, and supporting Virginia farmers and foresters. His plan will build a highly-specialized agriculture and forestry workforce through partnerships with institutions of higher education and community colleges, cultivate next-generation smart farming by expanding broadband access to every Virginian, and expand state matching funds for agricultural best management practices that support the transition to sustainability. Terry will establish Virginia agriculture and forestry as a model for upward mobility and growth by focusing on investing in the farmers and workers who are critical to Virginia’s economic future.
"Agriculture and forestry are the backbone of Virginia's thriving economy, but they need the Commonwealth's support as we continue to rebuild a stronger post-COVID economy and move Virginia forward. It's time to take Virginia agriculture and forestry to the next level, and together we will get it done."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry made agriculture and forestry key components of his economic development plan, expanding Virginia’s largest private industries by 30% in the first half of his term. One of Terry’s first acts as governor was to sign a law creating more economic opportunities in agriculture and cutting red tape for small farms. He boosted consumer access to locally produced food, gave farmers access to new markets, ushered in cooperative sales partnerships between small farms, enabled more agritourism, and launched the Virginia Grown – Homegrown By Heroes program to support military veteran farmers. Terry substantially grew exports of agricultural and forestry products to over $3 billion for the first time in Virginia’s history, making the Commonwealth the second-largest agricultural exporter on the East Coast and cutting unemployment in every city and county, including by nearly 50% in most rural counties.
The Work Ahead
  • Guaranteeing universal broadband by 2024, which will promote new technologies that improve efficiency, increase production, and increase profits
  • Growing domestic markets and international trade opportunities for Virginia products and establishing Virginia as a major supplier of specialty crops, particularly specialty grains used in craft beverage production
  • Increasing investments for the AFID fund that helps to attract and expand agriculture and forestry businesses in the Commonwealth
  • Building a highly specialized agriculture and forestry workforce through partnerships with institutions of higher education and community colleges
  • Opening up new markets for farmers by attracting state-of-the-art meat and dairy processing facilities, along with new sawmills and a cross laminated timber manufacturer
  • Securing full funding for the Agricultural Best Management Practices (BMPs) Cost-Share Program to ensure the Commonwealth meets our goals for conservation and the environment while supporting our farmers

Making Higher Education More Affordable and Connecting Virginians to Opportunities

Investing in Our Workforce and Creating New Paths to Good-Paying Careers
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The Plan
Terry’s plan will give students a clear pathway to the workforce while removing the barriers preventing them from succeeding. As governor, Terry will create new, affordable pathways into the workforce by expanding workforce training programs at our community colleges and streamlining financial aid so more students can benefit from higher education. Terry will also ensure that once students are in school, they are able to make it to graduation by making it easier to transition to higher education, between institutions, and from education to the workforce. He will also ensure our students have access to the support they need to reach their goals.
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry oversaw the redesign of Virginia’s workforce training program and established the first-in-the-nation New Economy Workforce Credentials Grant fund and program that led to the creation of FastForward, a ‘pay-for-performance’ model that targets affordable industry certifications and occupational licenses for high-demand occupations at community colleges in the Commonwealth, with participants in these programs earning 25-50% higher pay. Terry also signed Executive Order 49, which called for an increase in the number of registered apprenticeship programs in key industries such as cyber security and IT.
"Virginia was named the best state in the nation for business for the second time in a row - and we got here by investing in our education system and workforce."
-Terry McAuliffe
The Work Ahead
  • Promote affordability and flexibility in higher education, making it easier for students to make the transitions to higher education, between institutions, and from education to the workforce.
  • Streamline financial aid to better address student needs and expand programs that ensure that students are able to benefit from higher education.
  • In order to ensure institutions of higher education can be more responsive to workforce needs, Terry will build capacity at the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) to more quickly approve programs and get students into high-demand education pipelines like nursing, teaching and more.
  • Build new, affordable pathways into the workforce that reduce burdens placed on students and allow students to choose the option that best fits their needs.

Making Virginia the Best State in the Nation for STEM-H and Computer Science Education

Creating Opportunity for All Virginia Students to Achieve Careers in Fast-Growing Sector
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will make the Commonwealth the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education and ensure all Virginia students, no matter their background or zip code, can access the growing STEM-H and computer science fields. To do so, Terry will integrate STEM-H and computer science principles across all subjects and grade levels, address the digital equity divide, leverage public-private partnerships to build the workforce of the future through virtual internships and regional innovation labs, increase supplemental learning opportunities, and attract high-paying jobs to every corner of the Commonwealth.
"By integrating STEM-H and computer science education across curricula, and addressing the inequities that keep too many young women and students of color out of these fields, we can give students of all backgrounds the chance to access high-demand, good paying jobs of the present and future."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry made Virginia the first state in the nation to mandate computer science education for all K-12 students, created grant programs for cybersecurity camps for students and cyber boot camps for teachers, and set a goal to graduate more than 50,000 Virginians every year from STEM-H training programs — a goal that Virginia exceeded. Under Terry’s leadership, Virginia led the nation for participation in the 2016 “NSA Day of Cyber” School Challenge, with almost 7,000 students participating.
The Work Ahead
  • Tackle the digital equity gap by ensuring students have computing devices at home and building a strong foundation of access to knowledge, skills, and resources.
  • Integrate STEM-H and computer science principles and skills into all subjects and grade levels in K-12 schools.
  • Equip educators with the knowledge and skills they need to understand and teach these principles, and foster inclusive learning environments
  • Cultivate public-private partnerships to advance STEM-H and computer science literacy, build the workforce of the future, and attract high-paying jobs to every corner of the Commonwealth.

Establishing Virginia as the Best State in the Nation to Start and Grow a Business

Supporting Entrepreneurship and Building Strong Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Virginia
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The Plan
While businesses and workers have been hit hard by this pandemic, there have also been unprecedented spikes in entrepreneurship and business startups, demonstrating how critical this industry will be to Virginia’s recovery. As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will fight to establish Virginia as not only the best state for business, but also as the best state for entrepreneurs and startups. He will create a cabinet-level advisor to develop and implement a statewide plan to support entrepreneurs. This plan will break down barriers and make it easier to start a new venture, provide support to backbone organizations and create access to capital, and ensure entrepreneurs have access to the resources they need to be successful. Terry will also create partnerships with institutions of higher education to coordinate research and development opportunities
"Entrepreneurship is vital to a thriving economy, driving innovation into systems, developing solutions to society's toughest challenges and creating good jobs. As Virginia's next governor, I will work to make Virginia the best state in the nation for startups and entrepreneurs so that Virginia will be home to leading innovators in the nation."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry created 200,000 good-paying jobs, reduced unemployment from 5.7% to 3.3%, and raised personal income by 14%. He made Virginia the first state in the nation to mandate computer science education for all K-12 students, and graduated over 50,000 Virginians with STEM-H credentials. Terry also passed the first-in-the-nation New Economy Workforce Credentials Act, enabling 26,000 people to get high-demand credentials and step into good jobs and creating the Power Line Training School that allows students to step into $70,000 per year jobs after only 11 weeks of training.
The Work Ahead
  • Create a cabinet-level advisory to develop and implement a statewide strategic plan to support and grow entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial ecosystems.
  • Eliminate barriers and regulations that make it harder for businesses to get started and thrive.
  • Support backbone organizations that drive entrepreneurship and improve access to capital with new state, local and private investments.
  • Create strong partnerships between institutions of higher education, backbone organizations, entrepreneurs, and investors to coordinate research and development that will solve our Commonwealth’s toughest challenges

Ensuring Every Virginian Has A Safe and Affordable Place To Call Home

Tackling the Eviction Crisis, Increasing Affordable Housing, Promoting Black & Brown Homeownership & Fighting Homelessness
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will work to ensure every Virginian has a place to call home. That means addressing the eviction crisis and increasing protections for renters. Terry will also increase the supply of affordable housing by investing in the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, spearheading zoning reform, and partnering with the Biden Administration to increase access to affordable housing vouchers. Terry will also work to fight systemic racism and promote Black and Brown homeownership by combating lending discrimination, strengthening down payment assistance programs, access to low-interest loans, and rent-to-own programs.
"Virginia has a real crisis on our hands when it comes to housing. I will use every tool at my disposal to increase the availability of affordable housing and work to make sure all Virginians have a place to call home."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry fought for critical investments into Virginia’s Housing Trust Fund to increase the supply of affordable housing and help people achieve housing stability. Under his leadership, Virginia reduced homelessness among families by 27%, and Virginia became the first state in the nation to functionally end veteran homelessness by ensuring every community has a sustainable, systematic response to prevent homelessness whenever possible and to allow veterans in need of housing to secure a home within 90 days.
The Work Ahead
  • Invest in the Virginia Housing Trust Fund to increase the supply of affordable housing, promote Black and Brown homeownership and prevent homelessness.
  • Combat the historic effects of redlining by fighting back against discriminatory lending practices and ensuring critical state resources are accessible to Black Virginians.
  • Create a Coordinating Council to Reduce Evictions to protect the more than 260,000 families at risk.
  • Allocate permanent funding for programs that provide Virginians with access to legal support, rent relief, and eviction prevention and diversion programs.

Ensuring that Virginians have Access to Regular Nutritious Meals

Combating Food Insecurity in Every Corner of the Commonwealth
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will work tirelessly to ensure Virginians have access to regular, nutritious meals. By working to increase participation in federal nutrition programs, Terry will get nutritious meals for thousands of more children in the Commonwealth. He will increase access to local foods through a comprehensive “Virginia Food for Virginia Families” agenda that will connect some of the world’s highest quality agricultural products with more families in need in the Commonwealth. Terry will also establish an interagency Food Security Council to address these issues holistically and in a data-driven manner. These efforts will address the long-standing equity issues that have made communities of color significantly more likely to struggle with food insecurity.
"We've got to build a post-VOCID economy in Virginia that leads the nation and lifts up all Virginians so they can grow, achieve and thrive. That starts with ensuring no Virginian goes hungry."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor and First Lady, Terry and Dorothy McAuliffe made ending childhood hunger a key priority of the administration. Dorothy developed a public-private partnership with the No Kid Hungry campaign and worked directly with school leadership and local community organizations to implement innovative program delivery models. As a result of the McAuliffe administration’s partnership with No Kid Hungry and increased funding, Virginia served nearly 13 million more meals every year.
The Work Ahead
  • Establish an interagency Food Security Council to address food insecurity issues holistically in a data- driven manner.
  • Leverage every federal dollar available to expand participation in federal child nutrition programs.
  • Strengthen ‘food as medicine’ programs.
  • Promote “Virginia Food for Virginia Families” so that Virginians can benefit from the Commonwealth’s incredible agricultural assets.
  • Ensure school nutrition departments successfully implement proven distribution models like Breakfast After the Bell, summer meal programs, and At-Risk Afterschool Meals.

Reforming our Criminal Justice System to Create a Stronger, Fairer Commonwealth

Building a Fairer, More Equitable Criminal Justice System That Keeps Virginians Safe & Works For All
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will continue to work to reform a system that has disproportionately targeted and impacted Black and Brown Virginians for centuries. He will work to enshrine the automatic restoration of voting rights in Virginia’s constitution, equitably implement marijuana legalization, expand access to parole, reform outdated expungement laws, and create an Office for Returning Citizens. He will also work to rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement by increasing transparency and accountability, and investing in community policing initiatives, and body-worn camera programs. As governor, Terry will also solidify the transformation of Virginia’s juvenile justice system and investing in mental health and substance use disorder services.
"Now is the time to finally deliver Virginians an equitable, just system that is firmly rooted in redemption and second chances. Together, we will create a stronger, more equitable criminal justice system that works for its citizens, not against them."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry bucked the status quo and championed progressive criminal justice reforms, despite facing relentless opposition from a Republican legislature. When Terry was governor, he restored more voting rights than any governor in American history – to 173,000 Virginians, and issued 227 pardons, more than any governor before him. Terry transformed Virginia’s juvenile justice system and reduced our incarcerated youth population by nearly two-thirds, and invested millions of dollars in reentry programs, alternatives to incarceration, and mental health and substance use disorder services. During Terry’s administration, Virginia achieved the lowest recidivism rate in the nation for the first time.
The Work Ahead
  • Work with the Democratic legislature to pass a second resolution and Virginia voters to secure approval for a constitutional amendment enshrining the automatic restoration of rights in Virginia’s constitution.
  • Equitably implement marijuana legalization, reinvesting revenues back into communities that have been impacted the most and ensuring equitable ownership opportunities in the new industry.
  • Promote second chances by expanding access to parole, reforming outdated expungement laws and creating an Office for Returning Citizens.
  • Rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement by improving transparency and accountability, investing in community policing initiatives and body-worn camera programs, and supporting accreditation for local agencies.

Ensuring a More Inclusive, Open and Welcoming Virginia

Combating Hate Against LGBTQ+ Communities, Protecting Students, Improving Access to Care & Housing Stability
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The Plan
As the next governor of Virginia, Terry will build on the progress he and Democrats have made over the past eight years to uplift and prioritize the LGBTQ+ community. Terry will address inequities and disparities that LGBTQ+ people, particularly people of color, experience by improving data collection and leveraging data to better direct resources to meet their unique needs. He will pass an anti-bullying law to protect students, prohibit foster care and adoption agencies from discriminating against LGBTQ+ people, and expand access to culturally competent and inclusive health and mental health care. Terry will also address housing stability by leveraging federal housing dollars and working to establish safe and inclusive shelters.
"As governmor, I will fight my heart out to make Virginia the most open, welcoming and inclusive state in the nation, and break down the disparities that LGBTQ+ communities, and particularly communities of color, face in education, health care, the economy and more. Together, we'll move Virginia forward into a better, brighter future for all."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
Terry was the first southern candidate for governor to run on a pro-LGBTQ+ equality platform, and his first action as Virginia’s 72nd Governor was signing an executive order prohibiting discrimination against LGBTQ+ state employees. As governor, he vetoed every anti-LGBTQ+ bill and was the first Virginia governor to declare June as Pride month, to annually attend the LGBTQ+ PrideFest, and to launch an LGBT Tourism Task Force, which ultimately rebranded “Virginia is for Lovers’’ to focus on inclusivity. Terry became the first southern governor to officiate a gay wedding and directed all state agencies to comply with the Virginia Supreme Court ruling that legally recognized same-sex marriage.
The Work Ahead
  • Leverage data collection to better support LGBTQ+ communities and effectively direct resources to end disparities.
  • Improve identification and enforcement of hate crimes.
  • Repeal Virginia’s “conscience clause” to open up foster care and adoption to LGBTQ+ people, and pass an anti-bullying law to protect LGBTQ+ youth.
  • Address housing instability with permanent supportive housing and invest in inclusive shelters that meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.
  • Require health care and public safety professionals to receive cultural competency training and establish a statewide social determinants of health coordinator.

Supporting Women in the Workforce

Terry Will Build A Stronger Economy And Protect Women’s Rights.
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The Plan
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, women in the U.S. have lost 5.4 million jobs, accounting for more than half of total job loss during the pandemic. As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will work to address the unique challenges that are making it even harder for women in the workforce and driving too many women out of it. Terry will keep schools safely open, make child care more affordable, ensure every three and four- year-old in need has access to pre-k, invest in before and after school programs and ensure every worker in Virginia has access to the paid sick, family and medical leave they need. Terry will also increase business ownership and entrepreneurial opportunities for women, improve access to capital and technical assistance for women-owned businesses and raise the minimum wage to $15 minimum by 2024.
"COVID-19 has been particularly hard on women in Virginia's workforce. As governor, I will fight to support women in the workplace by keeping schools safely open, making child care more affordable, expanding access to pre-k and investing in before and after school programs so that women can get back to work and continue providing for their families."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As the 72nd Governor of Virginia, Terry established the annual Virginia Women’s Summit to engage and empower women to lead in collaboration with the Virginia Council on Women. Terry also invested in women-owned businesses by creating a SWaM micro- loan program. As governor, Terry fought to make health care more affordable for women, expanded pre-k for thousands of children, and worked to create new pathways to good-paying jobs and get more women into STEM-H and cybersecurity careers. His efforts included making Virginia the first state to mandate computer science education for all K-12 students and hosting cybersecurity boot camps.
The Work Ahead
  • Keep schools safely open by urging all school divisions to require vaccines for all school personnel.
  • Ensure that every Virginian has access to paid sick, family and medical leave and raise the minimum wage to $15 by 2024.
  • Expand pre-k to more than 40,000 three and four-year-olds in need.
  • Make child care more affordable by continuing subsidies and COVID-era flexibilities for women seeking work, and expand access to before and after school programs that address learning loss for kids and allow parents to stay in the workforce.
  • Create a revolving loan fund to provide low-interest loans to small businesses and provide technical assistance to grow strong women-owned businesses.
  • Drive more young girls and women into good-paying jobs of the future by making Virginia the best state in the nation for STEM-H and computer science education.

Lifting Up Black Virginians: Terry’s Plan to Create a Stronger, More Equitable Commonwealth

Creating Opportunities for Black Virginians
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next Governor, Terry will take on the systemic racism that plagues our Commonwealth. That means addressing racial disparities and creating opportunities for Black Virginians to build wealth through homeownership and by investing in Black-owned businesses. Terry will continue his fight to defend and advance civil rights by making the restoration of voting rights permanent in Virginia’s constitution, reforming the criminal justice system, and working to improve police-community relations. Terry will also ensure that Black Virginians have access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage and a world-class education, and promote equitable land use and access to safe and welcoming green spaces.
"I will use my power as Governor to remedy the wrong of the past and build and equitable future for all Virginians."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry boldly reversed a racist Jim Crow law and restored voting rights to 173,000 Virginians – more than any governor in U.S. history, and issued a record 227 pardons to correct discriminatory and unjust sentences. Terry also laid the groundwork for Medicaid expansion, extended health care coverage to tens of thousands of Virginians, and created a first-of-its-kind program to provide free dental care for low-income pregnant women. He bolstered Small Women and Minority-Owned (SWaM) businesses by creating a SWaM micro-loan program.
The Work Ahead
  • Build Black wealth by increasing the minimum wage and eliminating racial pay gaps, promoting homeownership, investing in Black businesses, and promoting ownership in the new cannabis industry.
  • Advance civil rights by enshrining the automatic restoration of voting rights in our constitution and creating more opportunities for Black communities to vote.
  • Rebuild trust between communities and public safety agencies by increasing accountability for and transparency of serious misconduct
  • Protect Black LGBTQ+ Virginians by improving identification, reporting and enforcement of hate crimes.
  • Address racial health disparities by lowering premiums, promoting health literacy, diversifying the health care workforce, and combating maternal mortality.

Supporting Virginia's Seniors

Ensuring Quality and Affordability Later in Life
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will take a comprehensive approach to improving access to affordable, quality options for Virginia seniors that will enable them to age in place. His plan will protect seniors from COVID-19 by ensuring that every facility serving seniors requires their staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Terry will lower the cost of health care by tackling the rising cost of prescription drugs and holding Big pharma accountable, implementing a state reinsurance program to lower premiums, and standing up Virginia’s state health exchange. He will work with President Biden to create specialized savings plans that will allow seniors to cover the cost of care as they age.
"As governor, my top priority will be protecting Virginians and our economy from the threat of COVID-19. I'll make sure Virginia seniors have access to quality care, affordable health care and prescription drugs, and the services they need to age in place."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry fought tirelessly to expand Medicaid and extend coverage to more than 570,000 Virginians, including many seniors. Terry expanded the No Wrong Doors program that connects seniors to more than 27,000 programs and services, including assistance for homecare, transportation, meals, and more. Terry also implemented the Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus (CCC+) initiative which streamlined access and improved oversight.
The Work Ahead
  • Require all employees in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or other long-term care facilities that serve seniors to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and ensure these facilities are adhering to CDC guidelines.
  • Lower the cost of Rx drugs by creating a state watchdog that will set price limits on high-cost drugs and a Prescription Drug Sunlight Law to give Virginians information about price increases.
  • Lower health care premiums by standing up the state health exchange and implementing a reinsurance program.
  • Deliver universal broadband and create a grant fund to allow seniors to leverage technologies like remote patient monitoring so they can safely age in place.
  • Partner with President Biden to establish a specialized savings plan, like Virginia 529 or ABLEnow, for seniors so they can afford the cost of care and make necessary home modifications as they age.
  • Expand veteran healthcare access by increasing telehealth options and access to broadband.

Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers

Keeping Virginians Safe, Schools Open, and Our Economy Strong Through COVID-19 Safety and Vaccines
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The Plan
As Virginia’s next governor, Terry will launch the “Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers” campaign to keep Virginians safe from COVID-19, our schools open and the economy strong. The centerpiece of his plan is getting every eligible Virginian vaccinated, and as governor he will urge all school divisions to require vaccines for their personnel, and work to ensure health care workers and nursing home staff follow federal vaccine guidance. He will incentivize businesses to mandate vaccines for employees and improve worker and consumer confidence in COVID-19 safety measures, driving Virginians safely back into businesses. Terry will also leverage federal funds to expand access to affordable child care and out-of-school programs so parents can stay in the workforce and we can address learning loss for students.
"As Virginia's next governor, I will work every single day to rebuild a stronger post-COVID economy that lifts up every Virginian. we will create good paying jobs and Virginia will lead the nation in our recovery from this pandemic."
-Terry McAuliffe
Terry's Record
As Virginia’s 72nd Governor, Terry demonstrated his ability to rebuild the New Virginia Economy despite inheriting a deficit and dealing with ongoing economic crises. Terry made economic development and job creation a priority, creating 200,000 good-paying jobs, announcing over 1,000 economic development deals, growing personal income by 14%, and lowering unemployment in every single city and county, including by nearly 50% in most rural counties. Terry also made major investments in public health, and by the end of his term Virginia was one of the top three states in the nation for preparedness for future health emergencies.
The Work Ahead
  • Immediately launch a “Virginia is for Vaccine Lovers” campaign, urge local school divisions to require vaccines for their personnel, and work to ensure health systems and nursing homes follow federal vaccine requirements.
  • Leverage federal funds to incentivize businesses to mandate vaccinations for employees and host mobile vaccine clinics.
  • Increase worker and consumer confidence in businesses by creating a voluntary COVID-safety compliance certification.
  • Ensure every Virginian has access to paid sick leave.[164]
 ”
—Terry McAuliffe's campaign website (2021)[165]


Republican Party Glenn Youngkin

Campaign website

Youngkin's campaign website stated the following:

“

GLENN YOUNGKIN knows there’s a lot to do in just four short years, and to succeed we must start strong. As Governor, Glenn will start his term with his DAY ONE GAME PLAN to lay the foundation for his vision for a vibrant Virginia. This game plan is just the first step to making Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Glenn is an outsider, not a politician. He spent his career leading teams, creating jobs, and building businesses – he knows how to get things done. Glenn will apply his business experience to the challenges Virginia faces and the opportunities before us.

The Game Plan
One party Democrat control is failing Virginians: our recovery from the pandemic ranks in the bottom 10 among states, our students are behind in school, violent crime has risen to 20-year highs, and much of government, like the Virginia Employment Commission and Department of Motor Vehicles, is broken. People are voting with their feet and leaving the Commonwealth.

It’s time for bold leadership. Glenn will make sure Virginia has better-paying jobs, the best schools, the safest communities, and a government that works for you. His game plan will create 400,000 jobs and make sure every student graduates career or college ready.

Glenn will cut exploding costs for families and relieve the burdens of inflation and taxes. He will cut regulations to create jobs and make it easier for innovators and entrepreneurs to get small businesses moving again. He will restore our high standards for schools and our students, ban critical race theory, invest in our teachers and schools, and empower parents with real choices.

He will defend - not defund - our law enforcement heroes, end human trafficking, and rescue our failing mental health system. And Glenn will make state government honest, efficient, and modern.

While moving forward on these priorities, Glenn will protect our constitutional rights.

The result will be a Commonwealth where businesses can prosper, students can thrive, communities are safe, and people – not politicians – are in charge.

It’s going to take a new kind of leader, not a failed politician looking for a second chance, to make it happen. When Glenn is Governor, we will get it done together.

WE HAVE A LOT WE NEED TO GET DONE HERE IN VIRGINIA, AND WE NEED TO START STRONG.
- GLENN YOUNGKIN

Glenn Youngkin has a vision to make Virginia the best place to live, work, and raise a family. Glenn will take on the challenges facing Virginians and make sure we have the best jobs, the best schools, the safest communities, and a government that works for all of us. There’s a lot to do in four years, and we must start strong to succeed. It all starts with the DAY ONE GAME PLAN.

Cut Costs for Virginians
The cost of living is rising for Virginians, and people are leaving the Commonwealth to look for jobs and start lives elsewhere. Glenn will tackle the rising cost of living and cut costs for Virginians by:

  • Eliminating Virginia’s Grocery Tax & Suspending the Recent Gas Tax Hike for 12 Months
  • Providing a One Time Tax Rebate of $600 for Joint Filers and $300 for Individuals
  • Ending Runaway Property Taxes by Requiring Voter Approval for Increases
  • Cutting Income Taxes by Doubling the Standard Deduction & Cutting Taxes on Veteran Retirement Pay

Keep Our Communities Safe
Failed leadership and dangerous policies have left Virginia less safe. With rising violent crime and the murder rate at a 20-year high, Glenn will keep our communities safe by:

  • Fully Funding Law Enforcement & Protecting Qualified Immunity for our Law Enforcement Heroes
  • Firing the Parole Board & Keeping Violent Criminals Off Our Streets
  • Launching #UnityInTheCommunity Programs Operation Ceasefire & Project Exile
  • Fixing Our Broken Mental Health System

Reinvigorate Job Growth
Add 400,000 jobs & 10,000 Startups
Virginia’s jobs machine is broken. After zero job growth from 2013 through 2020, Virginia currently ranks 44th in job recovery during the pandemic and was recently ranked as the 49th best state to start a business. Glenn will jumpstart our economy by:

  • Keeping Virginia Open and Protecting Lives & Livelihoods
  • Protecting Virginians from Forced Unionization & Cutting Job Killing Regulations by 25%
  • Launching #JumpstartJobs to Develop Talent, Train Workers, Attract Investment, & Make Virginia the Easiest State to Start a Business
  • Reinvigorating Small Business by Enacting a Small Business Tax Holiday & Ending the Tax on Rebuild VA and PPP Loans

Restore Excellence In Education
Virginia’s students have fallen behind because of extended school closings, lower school standards, and political agendas. Glenn will empower parents and restore excellence and commonsense in education by:

  • Keeping Schools Open Safely Five Days a Week
  • Restoring High Expectations & Getting Every Student College or Career Ready
  • Ridding Political Agendas from the Classroom by Banning Critical Race Theory
  • Rebuilding Crumbling Schools, Raising Teacher Pay, & Investing in Special Education Programs
  • Creating at least 20 New Innovation Charter Schools across the K-12 Spectrum to Provide Choice

Make Government Work For You
Virginia’s government is failing its fundamental mission – serving the people. Our system is broken as customer service at agencies such as the DMV and VEC disappears. Glenn will make government work by:

  • Fixing the DMV & the Virginia Employment Commission
  • Protecting our Constitutional Rights
  • Conducting a Statewide Transparency Audit to Root out Waste, Fraud & Abuse
  • Restoring Photo ID Laws & Making it Easy to Vote and Hard to Cheat
  • Investing More Money in Roads & Highways
  • Completing Long-Delayed Environmental Projects[164]
 ”
—Glenn Youngkin's campaign website (2021)[166]


Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Glenn Youngkin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Youngkin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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I’m a homegrown Virginian who has worked in business for 30 years. I’m running for governor to rebuild Virginia into the best place to live, work and raise a family.

  • Virginia’s economy has stalled while neighboring states thrive. Virginia’s businesses are drowning in high costs and red-tape . We need a governor with real-world experience who can create jobs, keep businesses from leaving, put an open-for-business sign on Virginia, and create a rip-roaring economy that lifts all Virginians.

  • I will protect and defend Virginians’ Constitutional rights and personal liberties, which are being threatened like never before.

  • The cost of living in Virginia is too high and continues to rise making the American dream un-attainable for too many Virginians. Virginia should be the best place to raise live, work and raise a family. and that starts with more jobs and lower costs, including taxes, fees and healthcare costs.

I’m running for governor because I believe we must rebuild Virginia’s future and make it the best place in America to live, work, and raise a family. Rebuilding Virginia begins by building a rip-roaring economy that lowers the cost of living for all Virginians. I am a conservative who believes that the best government is one that stays out of people’s everyday lives as much as possible. I’m committed to not raising taxes, removing regulatory burdens for small businesses, making sure that our children have the best, most affordable education possible, and that our Constitutional rights are protected.

I look up to my mom, she was a strong woman who got things done and cared about people more than herself. She helped our family through some difficult times and was always a guiding light for me.

I’m not a politician, but politicians certainly spend a lot of time talking about solving problems. We need elected officials who can lead with character and integrity. We need leaders who don’t just talk about solving problems but have actually done it. We need elected officials who are guided by principles not the special interests they’re indebted to. When you’re elected to office you work for the people.

30 years of building business and delivering results has taught me that success comes down to vision, team building, executing, and delivering results. One of the great failings of many political leaders is due to basic lack of experience because they’ve never run anything. If you do the same thing over and over with the same bad plan, you will get the same bad results.

I love the heart, soul, and grit of Virginians. America’s roots are in Virginia: the first assembly and longest-running state legislature is born out of Virginia, and the ideas of a representative democracy were born out of that same state legislature. The institutional foundation of America from the Declaration of Independence to our governing philosophies were first written down by Virginians and then adopted by our great country, and today I want to ensure that Virginia’s legacy as one of the great states in America continues.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.



Independent Princess Blanding

Campaign website

Blanding's campaign website stated the following:

“

Public Safety & Criminal Justice Reform

Community Care, Public Safety, and Protecting Black Lives must be prioritized.
  • Hold police accountable by immediately ending Qualified Immunity, require that law enforcement officers live in the communities they work in, and ban police unions as they perpetuate a culture of racism and violence.
  • End racist mass incarceration by identifying and eradicating the laws that create crime rates, such as ending cash bail and the immediate release of individuals with non-violent offenses, including those with drug charges.
  • Restore voting rights of individuals with a prior felony conviction.
  • Mandate county implementation of independent civilian review boards with subpoena power to increase police accountability. Boards will be free of former, retired, or current law enforcement officers.
  • Close juvenile detention centers and transition to youth restorative justice and rehabilitation programs.
  • Reallocate funding from police departments to reinvest in education, housing, sustainable energy, and community care programs.
  • Legalize marijuana and utilize tax revenue to invest in communities disproportionately impacted by punitive drug law enforcement.
  • Advance inclusive and safe gun ownership.
  • Address the systemic societal issues that lead to gun violence such as over-policing, lack of resources, and access to mental health support which thereby leads to crime, rather than solely focusing on the symptoms of impoverished, disinvested, and underserved communities by levying anti-gun legislation.

Racial Justice

Combat the lasting impacts of segregation and racism by prioritizing equity, inclusion and opportunities for our Black and marginalized communities.
  • Investigate root causes and establish inclusive initiatives and legislation to combat the profound, systemic racism present in Virginia’s schools, hospitals, businesses, and the public that exist in the form of discrimination, intimidation and inequalities.
  • Examine, pursue, and implement Reparations to Black Virginians for the state's history of violent enslavement in the form of direct payments to Black families in order to aid in economic mobility and further Black generational wealth.
  • Build Black generational wealth through financial literacy programs, investment start-up grants, first-generation home ownership programs, and grants for Black entrepreneurship and businesses as a form of compensation for the racial inequities remaining from historically systemic racism and redlining.
  • Defend our undocumented population by way of strengthening civil liberties and ending cooperation with ICE.
  • Remove and prohibit all taxpayer-funded statues, racist symbols, and memorials to Confederate leaders.
  • Require racial impact studies to be conducted prior to redistricting.

Environmental Justice

Transition to equitable, sustainable clean energy that slows global warming and protects Virginia’s future.
  • Incentivize and subsidize transitions to clean energy and food composting programs.
  • Mandate Indigenous sovereignty and racial impact studies prior to approving major environmental projects.
  • Introduce legislation to permanently protect forests, waterways and mountains from industry and private development.
  • Subsidize and transition to sustainable, renewable energy, ban harmful practices such as fracking statewide, dismantle existing fossil fuel infrastructure such as pipelines, and guarantee the restoration of environmental ecology moving forward.
  • Protect the employment of workers in the fossil fuel industry by transitioning them to clean energy sectors.
  • Guarantee that Virginia is a 100% clean energy state by 2050.

Education

Foster an education system for the betterment of all students across race, orientation, ability, and economic background to ensure the holistic success of all learners.
  • Establish flexible accountability evaluations allowing students of varied levels to demonstrate their understanding through alternatives to high stakes testing such as portfolios, hands on activities, and presentations.
  • Implement a Family Choice Educational System that includes in-person, virtual, hybrid, self-paced, trades programs, and community hands-on learning options.
  • Implement meaningful statewide annual raises for public educators; ensure competitive, professional salaries that foster the recruitment and retention of highly qualified teachers.
  • Update K-12 curricula to reflect the centrality of Black and Indigenous history and culture.
  • Fully fund all public schools to ensure equity across all geographical and racial lines.
  • Provide safe, state of the art learning environments to all students.
  • End the school to prison pipeline by replacing school resource officers with school counselors and community mentors while implementing a statewide school restorative justice program that ensures equitable disciplinary practices.
  • Reallocate funds from private education subsidies to invest in public schools.
  • Make Statewide the practice of equitably pooling county tax revenue to fund public education based on the number of students served by a school opposed to district personal property tax rates.

Housing

Treat safe, secure, and dignified affordable housing as a universal human right.
  • Nationalize vacant, corporate-owned, unaffordable units and place them under community control with rent-to-own programming, bolstering homeownership for marginalized communities.
  • Fight gentrification by providing affordable housing in areas that have become inaccessible to Black and Latinx communities, and ensure aging Black community members are able to stay in their homes.
  • Prevent unethical evictions by providing emergency funds to renters and enact rent control.
  • Incentivize affordable housing options with state grants and repeal tax breaks to developers, in order to invest directly in affordable housing.
  • Support individuals experiencing housing instability by altering tax, rental and zoning laws to guarantee that our community members’ dignity and safety comes before profit.

Healthcare & COVID-19

Enact healthcare policies that treat healthcare as a human right, not a privilege.
  • Guarantee all Virginians, regardless of gender identity, race or immigration status, a universally available, quality public healthcare system.
  • End the for-profit nature of the healthcare system.
  • Increase availability of free clinics and income based facilities, and free medical transportation services.
  • Provide immigrants safe access to care with protections to eliminate the risk and fear of Immigrations and Customs involvement.
  • Protect and expand upon reproductive freedoms without government interference to include clear, safe access to abortion and provide supportive services and aid to all pregnant people regardless of choice.
  • Increase preventative mental health and substance use support and establish mobile and stationary crisis services that include well trained mediators, counselors, and dispatchers under an expanded and strengthened Marcus Alert System.
Implement equity-focused policies in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic while centering science over politics.
  • Mitigate disproportionate harms to Black, Latinx and other vulnerable communities.
  • Increase support, protection and compensation for front line workers.
  • Establish a COVID-19 Educational Impact team to evaluate the effect of the pandemic on our students’ academic progress and put forth recommendations to the VDOE.
  • Create state funding programs to prevent evictions and mitigate losses sustained by small businesses linked to COVID-19.
  • Increase free COVID-19 testing, free public access to PPE, and contact tracing programs, while safeguarding the health and safety of undocumented community members.
  • Increase family support and services for COVID-19 related hardships.
  • Establish a COVID-19 Mental Health Impact team to evaluate and make recommendations on how best to support affected communities.
  • Expand sentence commutation of at-risk imprisoned populations such as elderly, pregnant people, and those with compromised immune systems on a case by case basis, recognizing the history and effect of racial and class bias in judicial sentencing.
  • Ensure those incarcerated and detained receive quality PPE, testing and medical care.

LGBTQIA+ Rights

Ensure the rights of people of all genders and sexual orientation are protected.
  • Commit to preventing discrimination and violence against an individual on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
  • Enact legislation that protects against lending discrimination, healthcare discirmination, housing discrimination, gender intimidation and harassment.
  • Provide a non-binary bathroom choice in all public schools and state-run government buildings.
  • Protect LGBTQIA+ rights to equitable health care, housing and lending practices; fight employer discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers.
  • Create community based, anti-violence initiatives serving Transgender individuals, particularly Black and Latinx women and nonbinary people while guarenteeing them safe and stable housing and job security.
  • Implement grants for LGBTQIA+ small business owners.

Food Sovereignty

End food insecurities, while increasing community health and self-sufficiency.
  • Address food oppression through eliminating food deserts, making fresh food affordable, local food accessible across the commonwealth.
  • Allow Virginia farmers to accept online SNAP benefits.
  • Mandate that state institutions purchase a percentage of their product from Virginia farmers and offer grants for supply chain infrastructure.
  • Water must be recognized as a civil right, with access and protection to water ensured by the state.
  • Create statewide and support existing community gardens, food-bearing green spaces, community pantries, and community kitchens in marginalized neighborhoods and urban landscapes.
  • Introduce local food infrastructure mini-grant programs for individuals.
  • Implement racial equity in agriculture commission.

Labor

Fight for, protect, and facilitate the power of the working class in Virginia to ensure more equitably shared wealth and power.
  • Extend Protections to all workers regardless of union status, and require all employers to provide a safe work environment, family benefits, and compensate workers with a dignified wage.
  • Strengthen and facilitate the formation of labor unions, including the public sector, by facilitating contract administration and collective bargaining for wages, safety and benefits, while repealing all of the dangerous aspects of Virginia’s “right to work” status.
  • Establish safe minimum staffing levels for front line workers and laborers.
  • Bolster the rights of workers injured on the job and increase fines to companies that unlawfully endanger worker welfare.
  • Guarantee that minimum wage is tied to and adjusted with inflation.
  • Enact laws to ensure full time workers receive 3 weeks yearly paid time off, and 2 weeks minimum sick leave.
  • Guarantee 3 months pregnancy/new child leave and a combined 4 weeks familial care giver/bereavement leave job protection for all workers.
  • Protect workers from arbitrary firing.
  • Compensate domestic workers (including but not limited to service industry workers, in home caregivers, in home child care providers, professional housekeepers) according to state minimum wage regulations, and extend all protections to include them, based on their valued skill and service.
  • Legalize sex work as a form of legitimate business, subject to labor protections, regulation, and taxation, while prioritizing safe working environments for sex workers.
  • Ban police unions, as they serve to protect and embolden bad cops, catalyze use of excessive force, reduce transparency and accountability, and further the legal authority of law enforcement to oppress all other types of workers, all of which fundamentally contradicts the sentiment of unions to protect the working class.[164]
 ”
—Princess Blanding's campaign website (2021)[167]


Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Princess Blanding completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Blanding's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Princess Blanding, an educator for over 13 years here in the Commonwealth and a grassroots activist, has a history of fighting to elevate the voices and concerns of every day, working-class Virginians and for increased accountability from our local and state elected officials to address the inequities in our Black and most marginalized communities.


  • Liberation is a human right, not a privilege.

  • Fighting for working class Virginians.

  • Empowering and supporting courageous leadership that will put people over profit and politics.

PUBLIC SAFETY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM- Prioritize community care, public safety and protecting Black lives and advocate for police reform bills that will hold police officers accountable for their behaviors.

RACIAL JUSTICE- Reverse the impacts of systemic racism and segregation by prioritizing equity, inclusion, and opportunities for our Black and marginalized communities.

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE- Invest in equitable, sustainable clean energy that slows global warming and protects Virginia’s future.

EDUCATION- Create learning environments where all students thrive regardless of their race, sexual orientation or economic background, and ensure an accurate and holistic depiction of history.

HOUSING- Treat safe, secure, and dignified affordable housing as a universal human right.

HEALTHCARE & COVID-19- Enact healthcare policies that treat healthcare as a human right, not a privilege. Implement equity-focused policies in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic while centering science over politics.

LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS- Ensure the rights of people of all genders and sexual orientation are protected.

FOOD SOVEREIGNTY- End food insecurities; increase community health and self sufficiency.

LABOR- Fight for, protect, and facilitate the power of unions in Virginia to ensure more equitably shared wealth and power.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.



Independent Paul Davis

Campaign website

Davis' campaign website stated the following:

“

My Top Issues

  • Getting Virginia back under the United States Constitution, No Infringement, means No Infringement
  • Protecting health care rights of all Virginians;, no mandatory vaccinations
  • Ensuring everyone an undeniable right to an Education. Bringing back the effort to 100% accreditation to all Virginia schools
  • Open small businesses with no restrictions or closures. Small Businesses will save Virginia
  • Stop public corruption in Virginia by bringing balance to the administrative decisions made through legislation[164]
 ”
—Paul Davis' campaign website (2021)[168]


Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Paul Davis completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Davis' responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I am running for Governor because my family has been defrauded by The Commonwealth of Virginia stealing our property. I have found the largest corruption case in my backyard where my private property was used in financial applications and taken use for public use without eminent domain. The constitution is in trouble when you find out thats happening to you. My mother is 80 years old and many of our neighbors that have been affected this type of corruption is what makes a descendant of John Adams decide to run for Governor. Your 2nd amemdmemt is being violated and I'm not turning and running I face forward

  • BRING FREEDOM BACK TO VIRGINIA .

  • No Tolls , We Roll . MEDICINAL ,RECREATIONAL MARIJUANA . NO TOLL FEES TRAVELING ACROSS VIRGINIA

  • Stop Criminal Corrupt politicians and hold legislative bi partisan accountability

Anti Corruption means giving Virginia citizens their voice in calling out corruption in public and private sectors. The passions and personal meaning behind anti corruption hits home to everybody no one likes corruption and I believe with transparency , steadfast lawful abilities we can bring Virginia under The Constitution. The constitution that ensures life , liberty ,property and The pursuit of happiness. We have defeated Tyranny we must stop its creep into our Great Commonwealth. Public safety is being in touch with the environmemtal well being of These 8.5 million people. The environmental wellness is fiscal, physical, socioeconomic and in the environment of getting over the global pandemic our social needs are at an all time desire for oneness in Virginia. We The People . One Love. One People, One Virginia

My father Paul R Davis Jr. for his integrity and great dedication to Jesus Christ who teaches is in Ephesians 4:32 And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Martin Luther King Jr is a person that stands out for his life was of valor to pursue the leveling field of an establishment disparity, and we must focus on his Great American dream. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men - yes, black men as well as white men - would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. MLKJR

An ability to work across the isle with all sides forming a more unified Virginia worth mentioning and being a leader for across the rest of the country.

As elected Governor in Virginia being actively involved In complicated opportunities belonging to Virginia's legislative promotes belonging and progress!

Creatively creating means to constantly improve our environment oversight.

Bring efficacy to voting process  that works for everyone and is trusted 

Capitalizing on federal initiatives that require adamant trial !

Dedication , persistance passion for the job . A no quit philosophy & positive attitude ! Incredible foresight and overall experience and knowledge to be prepared and keep all Virginians safe.

As elected Governor the Fiduciary duty to protect the Constitution of The United States of America, and constitution of Virginia is Protecting all Virginians safety .

Protecting your families property and standing up For All Virginians constitutional rights and freedoms. I want to at a critical time be able to bring hope to Virginia and become a most improved 4 years we have fallen so far it will take a leader to stand u to Washington this election!

July , 20 1969 "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." We had neighbors, cousins, and the entire family huddled around Grandmas colored TV watching an American history take place.

My very first job was for my community news paper route. I had the route for years. Daddy told me that If I wanted the various color Levi pants that I would have to support my own fashion sense. On that route I recieved many Christmas presents and found it rewarding.

Watching the constitution be violated that my Great Grandfather John Adam's 2nd President co author of The constitution wrote. Losing my father to felony murder by The Commonwealth of Virginia as he died from stress of Government criminal action he passed May 13 2020 victim of The Felony crime has been a struggle on top of dealing with ungodly restrictions I had to look at my dying father through a hospital window during covid. I am fighting for us all single family dwellings are at risk for those dreaming of becoming a private property owner. My Grandmother also we recently discovered while she was living in a coma The Commonwealth stole her land using equity skimming and claiming the land on false maps avoiding all just compensation or due process. Grandma died victim of felony theft of property on felony crime in Commonwealth of Virginia because of Government action.

It means that I would have capability and authority to place Commonwealth of Virginia back under The US and VA Constitution which it currently is not according to the FBI.

That we honor and follow The constitution and ensure all that took the oath are following the oath in all elected and administrative positions. Elimination of Tolls holding Virginians captive. Lower sales tax. Open safe schools and guard schools. Extend restaurant and bar hours for discrepancy to temporary make up for lost revenue of last 14 months of covid. Ensure and defend churches open sanctuaries and operating when heads of religious entities and otherwise business owners want to open. Most importantly bring freedom back to home to freedom. As 6th biological grandson of John Adams coauthor of Declaration of Independence I feel religious and all freedoms are of utmost importance and enduring the fight against tyrannical orders Washington and outside administrations will not overflow into our Virginia. We are indivisible and are foundation to the rest of our nation! We have lots of work to do !I see where Virginia needs hope !

I believe in a balanced budget running the Commonwealth as The next Governor of Virginia. It is also should be Governors goal to increase productivity to The Commonwealth of Virginia and to increase its revenue.

I would use veto single line power when there is bad in a bill and open loop holes for such un favored bad. What's in fine writing to many times may be bad for Virginians and by powers vested in me would make worthy of a single line item veto in such instances. Yes.

I as a native of The Commonwealth happen to love the beauty that this great state holds. Ilove our neighbors North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maryland, and West Virginia and finally The US capital Washington DC. I love that we can easily spend in one day time with our family in Great Virginian Mountains and on our beautiful coastal Beaches within 3 hours . Alomg the way you will find Natural Bridge, Luray Caverns , apple orchids , and all the horse farms in Northern Virginia. One of my most favored drives is down route 5 to to visit Williamsburg and act as a tour guide to accompanying friends and family as I visit the battle of Yorktown where we reigned in Virginia as Home Of Freedom in United States of America.

We have one of the First capitals of the United States!

First upholding the Constitution and law. Unfortunately the VDH is violating all that is reading this constitutional rights by the illigal arbitrary mandates. We will have safety and not be under an illusion of safety. "Anyone that gives up liberty for safety never deserved liberty at all. " Ben Franklin

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.



Race ratings

See also: Race rating definitions and methods

Ballotpedia provides race ratings from four outlets: The Cook Political Report, Inside Elections, Sabato's Crystal Ball, and DDHQ/The Hill. Each race rating indicates if one party is perceived to have an advantage in the race and, if so, the degree of advantage:

  • Safe and Solid ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge and the race is not competitive.
  • Likely ratings indicate that one party has a clear edge, but an upset is possible.
  • Lean ratings indicate that one party has a small edge, but the race is competitive.[169]
  • Toss-up ratings indicate that neither party has an advantage.

Race ratings are informed by a number of factors, including polling, candidate quality, and election result history in the race's district or state.[170][171][172]

Race ratings: Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021
Race trackerRace ratings
November 1, 2021October 26, 2021October 19, 2021October 12, 2021
The Cook Political Report with Amy WalterToss-upToss-upToss-upToss-up
Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesToss-upTilt DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallLean RepublicanLean DemocraticLean DemocraticLean Democratic
Note: Ballotpedia updates external race ratings every week throughout the election season.

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 133 Virginia counties—3.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Buckingham County, Virginia 11.28% 2.43% 0.87%
Caroline County, Virginia 5.02% 8.24% 11.97%
Essex County, Virginia 2.14% 7.30% 10.35%
Nelson County, Virginia 5.59% 2.72% 9.15%
Westmoreland County, Virginia 7.14% 6.95% 10.24%

Note: Although it is highlighted in the map above, the city of Chesapeake is not considered a county and not included in our calculations as such.

In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).


Ballot access requirements

The table below details filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates in Virginia in the 2021 election cycle. For additional information on candidate ballot access requirements in Virginia, click here.

Filing requirements for gubernatorial candidates, 2021
State Office Party Signatures required Signature formula Filing fee Filing fee formula Filing deadline Source
Virginia Governor Democratic 2,000 signatures, including at least 50 valid signatures from each congressional district Fixed number $3,500.00 2% of annual salary 3/25/2021 Source
Virginia Governor Republican[173] N/A N/A $14,000.00 Fixed by party 3/26/2021 Source
Virginia Governor Unaffiliated 2,000 signatures, including at least 50 valid signatures from each congressional district Fixed number N/A N/A 6/8/2021 Source

Virginia gubernatorial election history

Virginia state government organizational chart
See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state and Election of governors

Virginia belongs to the handful of states that hold off-year elections, that is, elections in odd-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. In Virginia's case, elections are held in the year after a presidential and before a midterm; thus, 2021, 2025, 2029, and 2033 are all gubernatorial election years. Legally, the inauguration is always held the second Wednesday in the January after an election.

In the event of a tie between two candidates or a contested election, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots.


About the office

Governor

See also: Governor of Virginia

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Virginia. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality. Although there is no life-term term limit, the governor cannot serve consecutive terms. The 73rd and current governor is Ralph Northam, a Democrat elected in 2017.

See also: Virginia General Assembly, Virginia House of Delegates, Virginia State Senate

State profile

See also: Virginia and Virginia elections, 2021
USA Virginia location map.svg

Partisan data

The information in this section was current as of June 14, 2021.

Presidential voting pattern

Congressional delegation

State executives

State legislature

Virginia Party Control: 1992-2025
Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Four years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R
Senate D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D R R R R R D D D D D D
House D D D D D D S S R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D R R D D

Virginia quick stats
  • Became a state in 1788
  • 10th state admitted to the United States
  • The Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere.
  • Members of the Virginia State Senate: 40
  • Members of the Virginia House of Delegates: 100
  • U.S. senators: 2
  • U.S. representatives: 11
More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia:


Demographic data for Virginia
 VirginiaU.S.
Total population:8,367,587316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):39,4903,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:69%73.6%
Black/African American:19.2%12.6%
Asian:6%5.1%
Native American:0.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:3.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:8.6%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:88.3%86.7%
College graduation rate:36.3%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$65,015$53,889
Persons below poverty level:13%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

See also

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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Virginia's constitution prevents the governor from running for a second consecutive term, although there is no lifetime term limit, meaning governors can serve non-consecutive terms.
  2. ↑ Los Angeles Times, "Trump-Biden rematch by proxy? A governor’s race is shaping up as a key post-Trump test," May 24, 2021
  3. ↑ Leaders Magazine, "Financing the Road to the White House," July 2007
  4. ↑ VoteSmart, "Terry McAuliffe," accessed April 6, 2021
  5. ↑ Terry McAuliffe's 2021 campaign website, "Meet Terry," accessed June 18, 2021
  6. ↑ Blue Virginia, "Video: Ahead of Democratic Gubernatorial Debate, Terry for Virginia Releases New Digital Ad Calling Out Extremist Glenn Youngkin for Running on Trumpism," May 20, 2021
  7. ↑ YouTube, "Running for You," June 9, 2021
  8. ↑ Facebook, "Terry McAuliffe," June 14, 2021
  9. ↑ LinkedIn, "Glenn Youngkin," accessed April 5, 2021
  10. ↑ ’’Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey submitted on Feb. 19, 2021.’’
  11. ↑ Facebook, "Glenn Youngkin," June 8, 2021
  12. ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Polls where this candidate was not listed or included are marked by "-"
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 The Washington Post, "Oct. 20-26, 2021, Washington Post-Schar School Virginia poll," Oct. 29, 2021
  15. ↑ No opinion: 2%
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Fox News, "Fox News Poll," Oct. 28, 2021
  17. ↑ Other: 1%
    Don't know: 1%
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Christopher Newport University, "October 27, 2021," Oct. 27, 2021
  19. ↑ Undecided/Don't know: 1%
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Suffolk University, "SUPRC Polling in Other States," accessed Oct. 26, 2021
  21. ↑ Undecided: 5%
    Refused: 2%
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 emerson College, "Virginia 2021: Poll Points to Photo Finish in Governor's Race," accessed Oct. 26, 2021
  23. ↑ Undecided: 3%
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Monmouth University, "GOP Gains in Governor's Race," Oct. 20, 2021
  25. ↑ Other candidate: 2%
    No one: <1%
    Undecided: 7%
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Fox News, "Fox News Poll," Oct. 14, 2021
  27. ↑ Other: 1%
    Don't know: 2%
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/virginia-governor-race-vaccine-economy-opinion-poll/ CBS News, " CBS News poll: Vaccine and economy fights driving tight Virginia governor's race," Oct. 12, 2021]
  29. ↑ Someone else: 2%
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Christopher Newport University, "2021 Virginia Statewide Elections Update," Oct. 8, 2021
  31. ↑ Undecided/don't know: 5%
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Emerson College, "Virginia 2021: Dead Heat in Governor and Attorney General Race," Oct. 6, 2021
  33. ↑ Someone else: 1%
    Undecided: 2%
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Fox News, "Virginia," Sept. 30, 2021
  35. ↑ Other: 1%
    Wouldn't vote: 1%
    Don't know: 7%
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Monmouth University, "Stable Governor's Race," Sept. 27, 2021
  37. ↑ Other candidate: 2%
    No one: 1%
    Undecided: 7%
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 Protect Our Care, "NEW POLL: Virginia Voters Back Biden and McAuliffe on COVID-19 Efforts, Vaccines and Medicaid Expansion," Sept. 20, 2021
  39. ↑ Not sure: 13%
  40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Virginia Commonwealth University, "McAuliffe leads in race for governor," Sept. 20, 2021
  41. ↑ Neither of these: 10%
    Don't know/Refused: 13%
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 42.2 Emerson College, "Virginia 2021: Competitive Governor's Race and Division Over Critical Race Theory," accessed Sept. 16, 2021
  43. ↑ Someone else: 2%
    Undecided: 5%
  44. ↑ 44.0 44.1 University of Mary Washington, "Virginia Survey Fall 2021," accessed Sept. 26, 2021
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 University of Mary Washington, "Gubernatorial Candidates Locked in Close Contest, UMW Survey Shows," Sept. 22, 2021
  46. ↑ Other choice/write-in: 1%
    None / Would not vote: 1%
    Don't know: 5%
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 The Washington Post, "Sept. 7-13, 2021, Washington Post-Schar School Virginia poll," Sept. 17, 2021
  48. ↑ Neither: 1%
    No opinion: 2%
  49. ↑ Likely voters
  50. ↑ 50.0 50.1 50.2 Monmouth University, "Virginia: McAuliffe Holds Issue Edge in Guv Race," Aug. 31, 2021
  51. ↑ Other candidate: 2%
    No one: <1%
    Undecided: 9%
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 Trafalgar Group, "Virginia Governor General Election Survey," Aug. 30, 2021
  53. ↑ Third Party/Write-In Candidate: 2%
    Undecided: 5%
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Google Docs, "PollerCoaster 12: Virginia," accessed Aug. 26, 2021
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Crooked Media, "PollerCoaster: What Virginia Tells Us About the Midterms," Aug. 26, 2021
  56. ↑ 56.0 56.1 Google Docs, "PolerCoaster12 - Virginia Survey," accessed Aug. 26, 2021
  57. ↑ Not sure: 8%
    Would not vote: 0%
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 Christopher Newport University, "Wason-AARP Virginia General Election," Aug. 26, 2021
  59. ↑ Someone else: 0%
    Undecided/don't know: 6%
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 60.2 Roanoke College, "Roanoke College Poll: McAuliffe leads Youngkin in race for Virginia Governor," Aug. 20, 2021
  61. ↑ Some other candidate: 1%
    Undecided: 13%
  62. ↑ Virginia Commonwealth University, "McAuliffe and Youngkin in a virtual tie in race for governor," accessed Aug. 23, 2021
  63. ↑ 63.0 63.1 Virginia Commonwealth University, "Wilder School Commonwealth Poll," accessed Aug. 23, 2021
  64. ↑ Neither of these: 15%
    Don't Know/Refused: 9%
  65. ↑ 65.0 65.1 Conservatives for Clean Energy, "Virginia Statewide Clean Energy Survey," accessed Aug. 11, 2021
  66. ↑ 66.0 66.1 Conservatives for Clean Energy, "NEW VA POLL: Close Race for Virginia Governor; Strong Support for Clean Energy," Aug. 10, 2021
  67. ↑ Undecided: 13%
  68. ↑ 68.0 68.1 SPRY Strategies, "VA Statewide APP," accessed July 20, 2021
  69. ↑ 69.0 69.1 American Principles Project, "New APP/SPRY Strategies Poll Shows Five-Point Race in Virginia," July 16, 2021
  70. ↑ Other candidate: 2%
    Unsure/undecided: 10%
  71. ↑ 71.0 71.1 Trafalgar Group, "Virginia Governor General Election Survey," accessed July 15, 2021
  72. ↑ 72.0 72.1 The Hill, "Poll: McAuliffe holds 2-point lead over Youngkin in Virginia governor's race," July 13, 2021
  73. ↑ Third party/write-in: 4%
    Undecided: 4%
  74. ↑ JMC Analytics and Polling reported that the party affiliations of candidates were mentioned during polling.
  75. ↑ 75.0 75.1 JMC Analytics and Polling, "Virginia Statewide Poll Results," accessed June 15, 2021
  76. ↑ 76.0 76.1 cnalysis, "Poll: Democrats Hold Slight Leads in 2021 Virginia Elections" June 13, 2021
  77. ↑ Undecided/Blank: 12%
  78. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed September 22, 2015
  79. ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed September 22, 2015
  80. ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," November 6, 2015
  81. ↑ Axios, "Dems' sneaky sabotage," Sept. 27, 2021
  82. ↑ 82.00 82.01 82.02 82.03 82.04 82.05 82.06 82.07 82.08 82.09 82.10 82.11 82.12 82.13 82.14 82.15 82.16 82.17 82.18 82.19 82.20 82.21 82.22 82.23 82.24 82.25 82.26 82.27 82.28 82.29 82.30 82.31 82.32 82.33 82.34 82.35 82.36 82.37 82.38 82.39 82.40 82.41 82.42 82.43 82.44 82.45 82.46 82.47 82.48 82.49 82.50 82.51 82.52 82.53 82.54 82.55 82.56 82.57 82.58 82.59 82.60 82.61 82.62 82.63 82.64 82.65 82.66 82.67 82.68 82.69 82.70 82.71 82.72 82.73 82.74 82.75 82.76 82.77 82.78 82.79 Virginia Public Access Project, "General Election: Nov. 2, 2021," accessed Oct. 29, 2021
  83. ↑ Fox News, "Catholic group using geo-data to target parishes in Virginia governor's race," Sept. 17, 2021
  84. ↑ 84.0 84.1 84.2 CBS News, "Group backed by conservatives to launch $1M ad campaign slamming Terry McAuliffe and school boards," Oct. 21, 2021
  85. ↑ 85.0 85.1 The Washington Post, "Opinion: Terry McAuliffe for Virginia governor," Sept. 16, 2021
  86. ↑ 86.0 86.1 The Hill, "Biden to campaign with McAuliffe in Northern Virginia," July 16, 2021
  87. ↑ 87.0 87.1 Facebook, "Terry McAuliffe," Sept. 14, 2021
  88. ↑ 88.0 88.1 YouTube, "Sen. Ted Cruz Endorses Glenn Youngkin for Governor of Virginia," May 2, 2021 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "cruze" defined multiple times with different content
  89. ↑ The Hill, "Pelosi endorses McAuliffe for Virginia governor," Jan. 15, 2021
  90. ↑ 90.0 90.1 Axios, "Ralph Northam backs predecessor Terry McAuliffe for Virginia governor," April 8, 2021
  91. ↑ Carter was a Democratic candidate in the June 8 Democratic primary. He placed fifth in the five-candidate field, receiving 2% of the vote. The second- and third-place finishing candidates in the primary, Jennifer Carroll Foy and Jennifer McClellan, both endorsed McAuliffe.
  92. ↑ 92.0 92.1 Virginia Scope, "Former Democratic gubernatorial primary candidates urge supporters to help McAuliffe moving forward," June 13, 2021
  93. ↑ 93.0 93.1 YouTube, "Our Values," Oct. 20, 2021
  94. ↑ 94.0 94.1 WDBJ7, "Trump endorses Youngkin for governor," May 11, 2021
  95. ↑ 95.0 95.1 Twitter, "Mike Pence," Aug. 19, 2021
  96. ↑ Terry McAuliffe's 2021 campaign website, "Newly-Elected Hampton Roads Delegate Angelia Williams Graves Endorses Terry McAuliffe for Governor," March 26, 2021
  97. ↑ 97.0 97.1 97.2 97.3 Glenn Youngkin's 2021 campaign website, "Three Former Virginia Governors Endorse Glenn Youngkin," June 7, 2021
  98. ↑ 98.0 98.1 Terry McAuliffe's 2021 campaign website, "Prominent Virginia Republicans Endorse Terry McAuliffe for Governor, Citing Terry’s Leadership on Vaccines & COVID Recovery," Aug. 24, 2021
  99. ↑ 99.0 99.1 Facebook, "Princess Blanding," Sept. 22, 2021
  100. ↑ Augusta Free Press, "Who we’re backing for governor of Virginia: Jennifer Carroll Foy," Feb. 3, 2021
  101. ↑ The Washington Post, "Opinion: Terry McAuliffe was a first-rate governor. He makes a compelling case that he would be again." April 26, 2021
  102. ↑ 102.0 102.1 102.2 102.3 102.4 Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, "The Latest," accessed April 6, 2021
  103. ↑ 103.0 103.1 103.2 103.3 103.4 103.5 103.6 Jennifer Carroll Foy's campaign website, "Press Releases," accessed April 5, 2021
  104. ↑ The Hill, "Lauren Underwood endorses Jennifer Carroll Foy in Virginia governors race," April 8, 2021
  105. ↑ 105.0 105.1 Jennifer McClellan's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed April 6, 2021
  106. ↑ Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, "Newly-Elected Hampton Roads Delegate Angelia Williams Graves Endorses Terry McAuliffe for Governor," March 26, 2021
  107. ↑ 107.0 107.1 Augusta Free Press, "Jennifer Carroll Foy picks up endorsement from People For the American Way, former NAACP President Ben Jealous," April 9, 2021
  108. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," May 13, 2021
  109. ↑ The Hill, "Major union that backed Biden in 2020 endorses Foy in Virginia governors race," Feb. 17, 2021
  110. ↑ The Hill, "Major trade union endorses McAuliffe in Virginia governor's race," Feb. 22, 2021
  111. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer McClellan," Feb. 10, 2021
  112. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," Jan. 19, 2021
  113. ↑ Twitter, "Clean Virginia," April 5, 2021
  114. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," March 16, 2021
  115. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," April 22, 2021
  116. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer McClellan," March 23, 2021
  117. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," May 14, 2021
  118. ↑ Augusta Free Press, "International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation endorses Terry McAuliffe for governor," May 6, 2021
  119. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," Feb. 24, 2021
  120. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," April 2, 2021
  121. ↑ Facebook, "NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia," May 17, 2021
  122. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer McClellan," April 20, 2021
  123. ↑ New Virginia Majority, "New Virginia Majority Endorses Jennifer McClellan for Governor of Virginia," Feb. 11, 2021
  124. ↑ CNN, "Sunrise Movement endorses Jennifer Carroll Foy for Virginia governor," March 22, 2021
  125. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer McClellan," May 19, 2021
  126. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," Aug. 27, 2020
  127. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," Sept. 3, 2020
  128. ↑ Twitter, "Jennifer Carroll Foy," Sept. 28, 2020
  129. ↑ Facebook, "Jennifer McClellan," April 27, 2021
  130. ↑ Huffington Post, "Major Progressive Group Endorses Jennifer Carroll Foy For Virginia Governor," April 20, 2021
  131. ↑ YouTube, "Gov Kevin Stitt Endorses Glenn Youngkin for Governor of Virginia," May 4, 2021
  132. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Snyder," March 19, 2021
  133. ↑ WJHL, "Kirk Cox on gubernatorial endorsement from US Rep. Morgan Griffith," March 11, 2021
  134. ↑ 134.0 134.1 134.2 134.3 Kirk Cox's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 31, 2021
  135. ↑ 135.0 135.1 135.2 135.3 135.4 Pete Snyder's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed April 27, 2021
  136. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Snyder," May 4, 2021
  137. ↑ 137.0 137.1 WHSV, "Pete Snyder announces campaign leadership team," Feb. 1, 2021
  138. ↑ The Hill, "Michael Flynn endorses pro-Trump Virginia GOP candidate," April 6, 2021
  139. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Snyder," April 22, 2021
  140. ↑ Twitter, "Glenn Youngkin," Feb. 19, 2021
  141. ↑ Facebook, "Amanda Freeman Chase," May 5, 2021
  142. ↑ YouTube, "Sarah Huckabee Sanders Endorses Pete Snyder for Governor," March 25, 2021
  143. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Snyder," May 6, 2021
  144. ↑ Facebook, "Anthony Shaffer," April 22, 2021
  145. ↑ Gab, "Roger Stone," May 2, 2021
  146. ↑ Facebook, "Pete Snyder," April 20, 2021
  147. ↑ Facebook, "Amanda Freeman Chase," May 7, 2021
  148. ↑ Facebook, "Amanda Freeman Chase," May 2, 2021
  149. ↑ Inside Elections, "Gubernaotrial Ratings," Nov. 1, 2021
  150. ↑ Sabato's Crystal Ball, "A Last Word on Virginia," Nov. 1, 2021
  151. ↑ Inside elections, "Gubernatorial Ratings," Oct. 22, 2021
  152. ↑ 152.0 152.1 WJLA, "WATCH: 7News goes one-on-one with Virginia gubernatorial candidates McAuliffe and Youngkin," Oct. 19, 2021
  153. ↑ 153.0 153.1 YouTube, "WATCH LIVE: Terry McAuliffe, Glenn Youngkin square off in final gubernatorial debate," Sept. 28, 2021
  154. ↑ 154.0 154.1 Facebook, "Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Upsilon Omicron Omega Chapter," Sept. 25, 2021
  155. ↑ The Hill, "Cook Political Report shifts Virginia governor's race to 'toss-up,'" Sept. 24, 2021
  156. ↑ 156.0 156.1 YouTube, "Watch Live: Virginia gubernatorial debate," Sept. 16, 2021
  157. ↑ 157.0 157.1 Facebook, "Gubernatorial Candidate Virtual Town Hall," Sept. 12, 2021
  158. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named trafpvcupoll1
  159. ↑ 159.0 159.1 159.2 YouTube, "Candidate Forum with DD Community," Aug. 15, 2021
  160. ↑ The New York Times, "Virginia Primary Election Results," accessed June 14, 2021
  161. ↑ Kirk Cox's 2021 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed March 16, 2021
  162. ↑ Virginia Public Access Project, "Republican Convention Results," accessed May 10, 2021
  163. ↑ Partner information provided to Ballotpedia by forum organizers on Aug. 13, 2021
  164. ↑ 164.0 164.1 164.2 164.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  165. ↑ Terry McAuliffe's campaign website, “Terry's Vision,” accessed Oct. 25, 2021
  166. ↑ Glenn Youngkin's campaign website, “Glenn's Day One Game Plan,” accessed Oct. 25, 2021
  167. ↑ Princess Blanding's campaign website, “Policy Stances,” accessed Oct. 25, 2021
  168. ↑ Paul Davis' campaign website, “Home,” accessed Oct. 25, 2021
  169. ↑ Inside Elections also uses Tilt ratings to indicate an even smaller advantage and greater competitiveness.
  170. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Nathan Gonzalez," April 19, 2018
  171. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Kyle Kondik," April 19, 2018
  172. ↑ Amee LaTour, "Email correspondence with Charlie Cook," April 22, 2018
  173. ↑ In 2021, the Republican Party of Virginia opted to nominate its gubernatorial candidate by convention rather than primary.
  174. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Statewide Candidates," October 17, 2017
  175. ↑ 175.0 175.1 Virginia Department of Elections, "2017 Primary Filing," accessed May 12, 2017
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