Richmond area swings blue in statewide wave
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All four localities in metro Richmond shifted bluer in this week's elections, as did nearly every county in Virginia.
- That's compared with last year's presidential election and Virginia's 2021 races, per data from the Virginia Public Access Project.
Why it matters: If Tuesday was seen as a rebuke of President Trump, Richmond-area voters made it loud and clear.
The big picture: Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger won by 15 percentage points statewide — triple Vice President Harris' margin last year and way up from Gov. Youngkin's 2-point win in 2021.
- Those wider, bluer margins played out across most of the state.
- Of Virginia's 100-plus counties and cities, all but five — all in Southwest Virginia or on the Eastern Shore — shifted bluer compared with 2024, per the New York Times.
Zoom in: Richmond's usually purple and reliably red counties — Chesterfield and Hanover — help illustrate Tuesday's massive wave.
- Spanberger won Chesterfield by 17 points, more than double Harris' 8-point win last year. The county voted for Youngkin in 2021 and Trump in 2016.
- While solidly red Hanover stayed red — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears won it by 21 points — Spanberger saw margins 5 points higher than Harris did last year.
By the numbers: Here's how the votes broke down in the region.
Richmond: Spanberger, 86% vs. Sears, 13%.
- 2024: Harris, 82% vs. Trump, 16%.
Chesterfield: Spanberger, 58% vs. Sears, 41%.
- 2024: Harris, 53% vs. Trump, 45%.
Henrico: Spanberger, 69% vs. Sears, 30%.
- 2024: Harris, 63% vs. Trump, 35%.
Hanover: Spanberger, 39% vs. Sears, 60%.
- 2024: Harris, 36% vs. Trump, 62%.
Caveat: Turnout was higher in every county last year.
Zoom out: Spanberger's massive win reflected strong Democratic support from Black women, Latinas and federal workers, per exit polling from CNN, the AP and Voter Poll.
- Places like Loudoun County in NoVa — fast-growing, techy and deeply affected by federal job cuts — swung 13 points toward Spanberger, compared with 2024.
- Also in NoVa, Prince Williams (+16), Manassas (+16) and Fairfax (+12) showcased the kind of Democratic enthusiasm that may have also lifted Jay Jones, who overcame a text message scandal to become attorney general. He captured a 6-point win overall.
The intrigue: And Manassas Park — where nearly half the population is Latino — saw the state's biggest shift (+22 to Dems).
What we're watching: Whether those leftward swings hold through next year's midterm elections.
Axios Richmond's Sabrina Moreno contributed to this report.