Virginia elects Kaine governor

Virginians elected Democrat Tim Kaine to be their new governor, choosing him over over Republican Jerry Kilgore. Kaine will succeed popular Democratic Gov. Mark Warner. The election, which polls predicted to be extremely close, was decided by a 51 percent to 46 percent margin. Independent candidate Russell Potts captured 2 percent of the vote.

But partisan results were mixed beyond Kaine’s victory. Republican state Sen. Bill Bolling edged out former Democratic congresswoman Leslie Byrne to be the state’s next lieutenant governor. The race for attorney general remains too close to call, with Republican Bob McDonnell just ahead of Democrat Creigh Deeds, by a 50.1 percent to 49.9 percent margin, according to the State Board of Elections. If the margin of victory remains within 1 percent, Deeds can request a recount. Republicans lost two seats in the House of Delegates but still will control with a 58-39 edge over Democrats; 51 seats were unopposed, 12 seats were open, and 37 incumbents faced challenges.

• Governor - Tim Kaine (D) 51 percent, Jerry Kilgore (R) 46 percent, and Russ Potts (I) 2 percent
• Lieutenant governor - Bill Bolling (R) 50.7 percent vs. Leslie Byrne (D) 49.2 percent
• Attorney general - Bob McDonnell (R) 50 percent vs. Creigh Deeds (D) 49.9 percent
• House of Delegates - GOP lost two seats, to retain control with 58; Democrats gained one seat, for a total of 39; independents went from two to three seats. State Republican Party vs State Democratic Party
• Virginia State Board of Elections Unofficial Results, updated every three minutes

For additional information:

• Related Stateline.org story: Va. governor's race heats up in final weeks 
• Washington Post’s election guide and listing of candidates
• Richmond Times-Dispatch’s election guide
• Times-Dispatch’s Ad Watch covering the candidate’s media campaigns
• The Virginian-Pilot state guide
• University of Virginia political science professor Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball
• RealClear Politics.com’s collection of election stories and polls
• Pollster Scott Rasmussen’s data on the major issues in the election
• League of Women Voters of Virginia voter’s guide
• AARP’s voter’s guide and issue survey
• Project Vote Smart’s guide to the gubernatorial candidates
• Business advocacy group Virginia FREE’s analysis of legislative makeup
• Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Factcheck.org article on Kilgore and Kaine’s TV ads
• State campaign finance tracking group Follow the Money’s database on Virginia
• Gov. Mark Warner’s home page

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