Thread: Larry Sabato: Gillespie Kept Trump Vote In Rural Virginia; Democratic Turnout Won It

Larry Sabato: Gillespie Kept Trump Vote In Rural Virginia; Democratic Turnout Won It For Northam

Posted By Tim Hains
On Date November 8, 2017

On FNC's 'America's Newsroom,' UVA Center for Politics Director Larry Sabato says Republican candidates must find a way to rally Trump voters without inadvertently energizing Democrats.

LARRY SABATO, UVA: Virginia is certainly becoming bluer. We used to describe Virginia as a purple, competitive state, and I am dropping that. Virginia is now a blue state --a light blue state. California, New York, and New Jersey are deep blue, so let us make that distinction, but look: Here's what happened.

Gillespie did about as well as Trump in percentage terms in rural Virginia -- he kept the Trump vote. He actually got 170,000 more votes than the last Republican candidate for governor.

Here's what won it for Northam. He got 335,000 more votes than Terry McAuliffe got four years ago. Turnout went up, but it was mainly Democratic turnout. They were the ones energize this year, just like the Trump Republicans were last year.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/vi...r_northam.html

I heard on Fox News this morning that Gillespie actually won more votes in the Virginia governor's race than any Republican ever. Don't know if Fox got that right or not, but if true, that means it wasn't his fault, he got the votes, and Democrats just poured out to vote for Northam, why? Well, most say it was health care, women's health specifically, and Northam's support for a $15 minimum wage, mainly coming from the voters in Northern Virginia where the cost of living is so high, especially among young people who struggle to make ends meet in certain job sectors in this expensive area and both men and women support women's rights to birth control and abortion. If Gillespie had aligned earlier and more closely with Trump, he might have been able to get some higher turn out from Republicans and more votes from Independents because the messages would have been publicized about all the good things the President is doing versus all the negative press coverage, but it's hard to say whether it would have produced another 200,000 plus votes to win. Shame.

Virginia is blue. DANG!!

The Washington swamp leaked into Virginia big time. This will probably continue in other states if Republicans don't follow through on promises.

Bad decisions over decades in regards to immigration have contributed - poor vetting of ideas and ability to assimilate, who has been permitted to come and to stay or overstay, illegal immigration, birthright citizenship, amnesties have impacted elections.

Illegal voting needs to be rooted out. Stronger voter ID is a must.