Virginia Democrats set early voting record ahead of 2025 primaries
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Virginia Democrats saw their highest early voting turnout in a primary this year, with some of the greatest number of votes coming from Richmond-area districts.
Why it matters: It's insight into voter engagement ahead of Virginia's highly watched off-year elections, which often serve as an early temperature check of the presidency.
By the numbers: As of June 15 — the day after early voting wrapped up — over 204,500 Virginians had cast early ballots, per the Virginia Public Access Project.
- More than 92%, or over 189,000, were in the Democratic primary.
- That's nearly 65,000 more votes than the votes recorded for the Democratic primary in 2021, per VPAP.
Between the lines: With the statewide GOP ticket set, lower primary turnout is expected among Republicans.
- Meanwhile, Democrats still have to choose their candidates for attorney general and lieutenant governor.
The intrigue: Two of the highest early voter turnouts by House District were in the Richmond area: HD 78 and HD 81.
- HD 78 is Richmond, where the former mayor is running for lieutenant governor.
- HD 81 includes parts of Chesterfield and Henrico, where the current Commonwealth's Attorney is a candidate for attorney general.
What we're watching: Depending on how Election Day goes, there's a chance the Democratic statewide candidates are entirely from the Richmond area.
- Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is from Henrico — as is AG candidate Shannon Taylor.
- Two lieutenant governor hopefuls, Levar Stoney and Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, are from the region.
- And if Hashmi and Taylor win, Democrats would have an all-women ticket.