2017 Virginia gubernatorial election

The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017, to elect the next governor of Virginia. The election was concurrent with other elections for Virginia's statewide offices, the House of Delegates, and other various political offices. Incumbent Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe was ineligible to run for re-election, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. McAuliffe later unsuccessfully ran for a second non-consecutive term in the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election.
Primary elections took place on June 13, 2017. Virginia utilizes an open primary, in which registered voters are allowed to vote in either party's primary election. Democrats nominated incumbent lieutenant governor Ralph Northam and Republican nominated former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie. The Libertarian Party nominated Clifford Hyra by convention on May 6, 2017.
In the general election on November 7, 2017, Democrat Ralph Northam defeated Republican Ed Gillespie by 8.93% points — the largest gubernatorial margin for Democrats since 1985 until Abigail Spanberger won by 15.36% points in 2025. The election had the highest voter turnout percentage in the state's gubernatorial history since 1997 with 47.6% of registered voters casting their ballot. Chesterfield County voted Democratic for the first time since 1961. Northam assumed office as the 73rd Governor of Virginia on January 13, 2018.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Polling

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Herring	Ralph Northam	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	409	± 4.9%	33%	9%	—	58%

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee; nominee for the U.S. Senate in 2014

Eliminated in primary

Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013
Frank Wagner, state senator

Failed to qualify

Emmanuel Peter, bishop

Withdrew

Denver Riggleman, businessman
Rob Wittman, U.S. representative

Declined

Bill Bolling, former lieutenant governor of Virginia
Eric Cantor, former Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
Ken Cuccinelli, former attorney general of Virginia; nominee for governor in 2013
Randy Forbes, former U.S. representative
Tom Garrett Jr., U.S. representative
Shak Hill, financial consultant and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2014
Jeff McWaters, former state senator
Mark Obenshain, state senator; nominee for attorney general in 2013
Pete Snyder, technology executive and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2013

Polling

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ed Gillespie	Corey Stewart	Frank Wagner	Rob Wittman	Other	Undecided
Change Research	June 8–10, 2017	919	± 3.1%	41%	42%	16%	—	—	—
Washington Post-Schar School	May 9–14, 2017	264	± 7.0%	38%	18%	15%	—	—	24%
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	435	± 4.7%	28%	12%	7%	—	2%	51%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	349	± 5.7%	38%	11%	10%	—	3%	38%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	419	± 4.8%	24%	7%	2%	—	6%	59%
Christopher Newport University	January 15–28, 2017	418	± 5.0%	33%	7%	9%	—	3%	48%
Quinnipiac University	December 6–11, 2016	451	± 4.6%	24%	4%	4%	10%	—	57%
Public Opinion Strategies	September 18–21, 2016	800	± 3.5%	38%	5%	4%	12%	—	40%
Public Policy Polling	June 13–15, 2016	1,032	± 3.1%	29%	13%	—	16%	—	41%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Bill Bolling	Eric Cantor	Ken Cuccinelli	Ed Gillespie	Mark Obenshain	Pete Snyder	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	502	4.4%	8%	16%	37%	8%	7%	1%	23%

Libertarian convention

Candidates

Nominee

Cliff Hyra, attorney

Withdrawn

Jason Carrier

General election

The race had been closely watched by national observers. For Republicans, National Review wrote that Gillespie's campaign was an important example of whether and how mainstream Republican politics can produce victories in a purple state in the "era of Trumpism" and said that the outcome would affect Republican strategies in future races. Many Democrats believed that the election was a test of whether the party could find its way after losing the 2016 presidential election and several subsequent special elections. NBC News reported that Northam was the "hand-picked" choice of outgoing governor Terry McAuliffe, and that McAuliffe's legacy and potential 2020 presidential aspirations depended on Northam winning the election.

Debates

After the primaries, Gillespie challenged Northam to ten debates, but only three were held. The first debate was hosted by the Virginia Bar Association on July 22 in Hot Springs, Virginia. The second was held on September 19, hosted by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce in Tysons Corner, Virginia, and televised statewide by NBC-affiliated TV stations. The third and final debate was held on October 9 at University of Virginia's College at Wise in Wise, Virginia.

Dates	Location	Northam	Gillespie	Link
September 19, 2017	Tysons, Virginia	Participant	Participant	- C-SPAN
October 9, 2017	Wise, Virginia	Participant	Participant	- C-SPAN

Polling

Polls for the general election varied significantly, ranging from a 17-point lead for Ralph Northam on one end to an 8-point lead for Ed Gillespie on the other, with most polls showing the race within or close to the margin of error. Politico reported that the wide variation in polling numbers was likely due to differences in methodology among the polls. Polls tightened significantly in the last two weeks of the campaign with several showing the race tied or within the margin of error.
Aggregate polls

Source of poll aggregation	Dates administered	Dates updated	Ralph Northam	Ed Gillespie	Other/Undecided	Margin
Real Clear Politics	October 29 – November 5, 2017	November 5, 2017	47.7%	44.4%	7.9%	Northam +3.3%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Perriello	Ed Gillespie	Other	Undecided
Washington Post/Schar School	May 9–14, 2017	1,602	± 3.0%	50%	37%	–	9%
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	46%	33%	1%	18%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	831	± 3.7%	39%	39%	2%	20%
Gravis Marketing	March 14–19, 2017	3,097	± 1.6%	42%	41%	–	18%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	43%	36%	1%	20%
Mason-Dixon	January 5–10, 2017	625	± 4.0%	36%	45%	–	19%

with Corey Stewart

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Corey Stewart	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	43%	30%	1%	23%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	831	± 3.7%	41%	33%	2%	24%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	42%	31%	2%	24%
Mason-Dixon	January 5–10, 2017	625	± 4.0%	45%	37%	–	18%
Public Opinion Strategies	December 11–13, 2016	500	± 4.4%	42%	35%	–	22%
Quinnipiac University	December 6–11, 2016	1,098	± 3.0%	38%	29%	1%	30%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	685 LV	± 4.4%	39%	39%	1%	18%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	852 RV	± 3.9%	39%	37%	1%	19%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–11, 2016	878	± 3.3%	39%	31%	–	30%
Public Policy Polling	June 13–15, 2016	1,032	± 3.1%	34%	32%	–	34%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Perriello	Corey Stewart	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	45%	31%	1%	20%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	831	± 3.7%	40%	34%	2%	25%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	44%	31%	3%	22%
Mason-Dixon	January 5–10, 2017	625	± 4.0%	40%	38%	–	22%

with Frank Wagner

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Frank Wagner	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	43%	30%	1%	24%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	831	± 3.7%	40%	34%	2%	25%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	41%	33%	3%	24%
Public Opinion Strategies	December 11–13, 2016	500	± 4.4%	43%	37%	–	19%
Quinnipiac University	December 6–11, 2016	1,098	± 3.0%	39%	30%	1%	28%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	685 LV	± 4.4%	39%	40%	1%	17%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	852 RV	± 3.9%	39%	39%	1%	18%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–11, 2016	878	± 3.3%	37%	32%	–	32%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Perriello	Frank Wagner	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	April 6–10, 2017	1,115	± 2.9%	43%	32%	1%	21%
Christopher Newport University	March 16–26, 2017	831	± 3.7%	38%	35%	2%	25%
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	43%	32%	2%	23%

with Denver Riggleman

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Denver Riggleman	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	42%	31%	2%	25%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Tom Perriello	Denver Riggleman	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	February 10–15, 2017	989	± 3.1%	43%	30%	2%	24%

with Rob Wittman

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Rob Wittman	Other	Undecided
Quinnipiac University	December 6–11, 2016	1,098	± 3.0%	39%	30%	1%	29%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	685 LV	± 4.4%	38%	38%	1%	18%
University of Mary Washington	September 6–12, 2016	852 RV	± 3.9%	39%	37%	1%	19%
Public Policy Polling	September 9–11, 2016	878	± 3.3%	38%	33%	–	29%
Public Policy Polling	June 13–15, 2016	1,032	± 3.1%	34%	34%	–	32%

with Ken Cuccinelli

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Ken Cuccinelli	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	35%	37%	–	28%

with Eric Cantor

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Eric Cantor	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	33%	35%	–	32%

with Mark Herring

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Herring	Eric Cantor	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	36%	33%	–	31%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Herring	Ken Cuccinelli	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	38%	38%	–	24%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Herring	Ed Gillespie	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	34%	38%	–	28%

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Mark Herring	Mark Obenshain	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	34%	34%	–	31%

with Ralph Northam

Poll source	Date administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Ralph Northam	Mark Obenshain	Other	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	July 13–15, 2015	1,170	± 2.9%	32%	36%	–	32%

Fundraising

Virginia election laws allow for unlimited campaign contributions in state and local elections.
According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Northam's top five donors were the Democratic Governors Association's super PAC DGA Action; Michael Bloomberg's Everytown for Gun Safety group; the Virginia League of Conservation Voters; Michael D. Bills; and the Laborers' International Union of North America.
Gillespie's top five donors were the Republican Governors Association; A Stronger Virginia; Let's Grow Virginia; Marlene Ricketts; and Dwight Schar.
Hyra's top five donors were Michael Chastain; Hyra himself; the Libertarian Party of Virginia; Paradise Indian Restaurant; and nine donors who gave the same amount.

Results

Even though polls in the weeks before the election considered Northam to be the narrow favorite, Northam won by a larger margin than expected, about nine percent, and more than 200,000 votes. Gillespie was unable to come back from the large margins in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and Virginia Beach, and he conceded to Northam at 8:56 pm EST. Northam's wider than expected margin of victory has often been attributed to Trump's unpopularity in Virginia.

By county and city

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic

By congressional district

Northam won six of 11 congressional districts, including two that were held by Republicans.

District	Northam	Gillespie	Representative
	44.6%	54.2%	Rob Wittman
	51.4%	47.4%	Scott Taylor
	67.9%	30.9%	Bobby Scott
	61.6%	37.3%	Donald McEachin
	45.1%	53.9%	Tom Garrett
	38.5%	60.2%	Bob Goodlatte
	47.6%	51.2%	Dave Brat
	75.9%	23.1%	Don Beyer
	31.2%	67.7%	Morgan Griffith
	55.6%	43.3%	Barbara Comstock
	69.9%	29.0%	Gerry Connolly