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Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2013
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The Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election took place November 5, 2013, following a Democratic primary election on June 11, 2013, and a Republican statewide convention on May 17-18, 2013.
Democratic State Senator Ralph Northam won the lieutenant gubernatorial election, defeating Republican E.W. Jackson.[1]
Race background
Incumbent Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling (R) did not seek re-election in 2013. Nine candidates filed to fill the executive seat, including two Democrats and seven Republicans. State Sen. Ralph Northam defeated Aneesh Chopra for the Democratic Party's nomination for lieutenant governor in the June 11 primary election.[2] Northam's general election opponent was Republican E.W. Jackson. Jackson was nominated by delegates of the Virginia Republican Party at the party-funded statewide primary convention on May 17-18.[3] Until Jackson's convention victory, Virginia Republicans had not nominated an African-American for any statewide office since nominating Maurice Dawkins' in 1988.[4]
In the November 5, 2013, general election, Northam defeated Jackson by a margin of over 10 percentage points.[5]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| March 28 | Last day to file candidacy for primary election |
| May 17-18 | Republican primary convention |
| May 20 | Voter registration deadline for primary election |
| June 11 | Primary election, last day for non-party candidates to file candidacy |
| June 17 | Last day for Independent candidates to file for general election |
| Oct. 15 | Voter registration deadline for general election |
| Nov. 5 | General election |
Results
General election
| Virginia Lieutenant Gubernatorial General Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  Ralph Northam |
55.1% | 1,213,155 | |
| Republican | E.W. Jackson | 44.5% | 980,257 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.3% | 7,472 | |
| Total Votes | 2,200,884 | |||
| Election Results via Virginia State Board of Elections. | ||||
Democratic primary election
| Lieutenant Governor of Virginia Democratic Primary Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
| Ralph Northam |
54.2% | 78,337 | ||
| Aneesh Chopra | 45.8% | 66,098 | ||
| Total Votes | 144,435 | |||
| Election results via Virginia State Board of Elections. | ||||
Candidates
General election
| Primary election candidates - Click "show" | |
|---|---|
Democratic primary election
Republican primary convention
Declined
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Nominating conventions
Nominating Conventions in Virginia
The candidate selection process in Virginia differs between the political parties. According to the Code of Virginia:[14]
“The duly constituted authorities of the state political party shall have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination for a member of the United States Senate or for any statewide office shall be made. The duly constituted authorities of the political party for the district, county, city, or town in which any other office is to be filled shall have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination for that office shall be made.”
Democratic Party
The Democratic Party of Virginia used conventions to nominate candidates for statewide offices from 1981 through 2001, after which it returned to using primaries. The switch to conventions in 1981 was intended to moderate the party after independent candidate Henry Howell won the 1977 primary. The convention format proved successful for Virginia Democrats during the 1980s, contributing to the election of Chuck Robb in 1981, Gerald Baliles in 1985, and Douglas Wilder in 1989. However, following significant losses in the 1993 and 1997 state elections, the Democratic Party of Virginia reverted to using primaries beginning with the 2001 election cycle. The Democratic Party did not hold a gubernatorial primary in the 2001 and 2005 election cycles as Mark Warner and Tim Kaine ran unopposed.[15]
Republican Party
The Republican Party of Virginia has historically used conventions to select its nominees for statewide offices. Primaries have been used by the party for nominations only on a few occasions, specifically in 1949, 1989, 1997, and 2005.[15] The convention process used in most elections draws from delegates selected by Republicans during municipal and county conventions. The number of delegates per county depends on the strength of the Republican Party in past elections.[16]
Delegates cast their votes on separate ballots for each statewide office. Any uncontested candidates automatically receive the party’s nomination. Contested races start with a ballot to determine if a candidate can surpass the 50% threshold. A candidate who wins more than 50% of first-round ballots receives the nomination for that office. If the first round of ballots does not clear this threshold, the two candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated. The balloting process cuts candidates in each round until three candidates remain. A ballot is taken to eliminate a third-place finisher, and a final ballot is taken between the two remaining candidates.[17]
Polls
General election
| Lieutenant Governor of Virginia | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Ralph Northam (D) | E.W. Jackson (R) | Not sure | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Christopher Newport University Poll of Likely Voters (October 25-30, 2013) | 51% | 35% | 15% | +/-3.0 | 1,038 | ||||||||||||||
| Washington Post/Abt-SRBI Poll (October 24-27, 2013) | 52% | 39% | 6% | +/-4.5 | 762 | ||||||||||||||
| NBC4/NBC News/Marist Poll (October 13-15, 2013) | 48% | 42% | 9% | +/-4.0 | 596 | ||||||||||||||
| Roanoke University Poll (September 30 - October 5, 2013) | 39% | 35% | 26% | +/-3.0 | 1,046 | ||||||||||||||
| Christopher Newport Poll (October 1-6, 2013) | 48% | 37% | 16% | +/-3.1 | 886 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Poll (July 11-14, 2013) | 42% | 35% | 23% | +/-4.0 | 601 | ||||||||||||||
| Roanoke University Poll (July 8-14, 2013) | 30% | 28% | 41% | +/-4.3 | 525 | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Poll (May 24-26, 2013) | 35% | 29% | 36% | +/-3.8 | 672 | ||||||||||||||
| AVERAGES | 43.13% | 35% | 21.5% | +/-3.71 | 765.75 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Democratic primary
| Lieutenant Governor of Virginia - 2013 Democratic Primary Race | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Aneesh Chopra | Ralph Northam | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| Public Policy Polling (May 24-26, 2013) | 27% | 18% | 54% | +/-5.5 | 322 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Endorsements
Ralph Northam's candidacy was endorsed by the following individuals and organizations:[18]
- Washington Post[19]
- Richmond-Times Dispatch[20]
- The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce PAC
- Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce PAC
- The Farm Bureau
- The Virginia Association of Realtors
- The Hampton Roads Business Political Action Committee (HRBizPAC)
E.W. Jackson's candidacy was endorsed by the following individuals and organizations:
- Former U.S. Rep. Allen West.
(West had previously endorsed Scott Lingamfelter in the race, but redirected his support to Jackson after he edged out Lingamfelter and several other Republican hopefuls at the GOP primary nominating convention.[21])
Campaign finance
The Virginia State Board of Elections administers campaign finance law and maintains all records online.
|
For the primary election:
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For the general election:
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Ralph Northam
| Ralph Northam[22] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Post-Primary Report | July 15, 2013 | $151,505.09 | $176,413.73 | $(903,874.85) | $106,184.36 | ||||
| 8 Day Pre-General Report | October 28, 2013 | $629,223.20 | $612,244.83 | $(296,481.66) | $944,986.37 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $788,658.56 | $(1,200,356.51) | ||||||||
E.W. Jackson
| E.W. Jackson[23] Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| Post-Primary Report | July 19, 2013 | $37,830.14 | $141,823.20 | $(298,285.50) | $92,398.46 | ||||
| 8 Day Pre-General Report | October 28, 2013 | $209,457.59 | $233,249.74 | $(265,254.94) | $177,452.39 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $375,072.94 | $(563,540.44) | ||||||||
Campaign sites & media
Ralph Northam
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E.W. Jackson
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News
- State executive officials 2013 election preview October 27, 2013
- 2013 Primary election review: Democratic Senators Northam and Herring advance to general election June 12, 2013
- Election preview: Virginia Democrats gear up for state executive primaries June 10, 2013
- 2013 Convention review: Obenshain and Jackson join Cuccinelli on GOP statewide ticket May 20, 2013
- 2013 Convention preview: Virginia Republicans set to nominate state executives this weekend May 17, 2013
- Ballots are set for Virginia state executive primary and convention April 10, 2013
See also
External links
Campaign Websites:
Footnotes
- ↑ ‘’NBC News,’’ “ Democrat to win Lieutenant Governor’s race in Va.” November 5, 2013
- ↑ Blue Virginia, "Virginia Primary Election Results Live Blog," June 11, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Va. GOP settles on Cuccinelli, Obenshain and Jackson for November ballot," May 19, 2013
- ↑ Afro.com, "Virginia GOP Nominates Conservative Black Minister for Lt. Gov.," May 19, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "2013 Statewide Unofficial Results," accessed November 6, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Aneesh Chopra to run for Virginia lieutenant governor," July 12, 2012
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Snyder raises $450,000 for lieutenant governor bid," January 15, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Scott Lingamfelter announces run for lieutenant governor," June 28, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "Virginia Sen. Stephen Martin plans to run for lt. governor," June 20, 2012
- ↑ Village News Online, "State Senator Martin decides to run for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia," June 27, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post, "Jeannemarie Devolites-David running for lieutenant governor," September 24, 2012
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Former Del. Ward Armstrong won't run statewide in 2013," December 12, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Ex-delegate Paula Miller considering a run for lieutenant governor," May 25, 2012
- ↑ Code of Virginia, “Party to determine method of nominating its candidates for office; exceptions,” accessed June 7, 2013
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Sabato’s Crystal Ball, “What Just Happened in Virginia?” May 20, 2013
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Virginia GOP convention: Jackson wins LG nomination as Snyder withdraws," May 18, 2013
- ↑ Washington Times, "Chesapeake bishop surprises, wins Va. GOP lieutenant governor nomination," May 19, 2013
- ↑ Ralph Northam for Lieutenant Governor, "In the News," accessed September 30, 2013
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Virginia endorsements: Ralph Northam and Mark Herring," October 16, 2013
- ↑ Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Editorial: Vote for Northam," October 20, 2013
- ↑ PilotOnline.com, "Allen West to headline fundraiser for LG candidate Jackson," September 26, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Report: Ralph Northam for Lt. Governor," July 15, 2013
- ↑ Virginia State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Report: E.W. Jackson for Lt. Governor," July 19, 2013
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