The candidates in Virginia’s race for lieutenant governor will make history when one of them is elected in November.
Virginia has never elected a woman for the position of lieutenant governor, and both candidates in the race Democratic Del. Hala Ayala and Republican Winsome Sears are women of color.
Voters in Virginia’s Democratic primary election picked Ayala Tuesday; Sears was nominated in May during a Republican party convention.
“This is going to be a landmark in Virginia,” said Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. “Whoever ultimately emerges victorious will certainly have a historical footnote attached to her name.”
The winner will be only the second woman elected to a statewide office in Virginia. The first was Mary Sue Terry, who was elected attorney general in 1985 and again in 1989. Virginia has elected two people of color to statewide offices: current Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and former Gov. Doug Wilder.
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CAN THE Q STAY BLUE? It might be the off year, but both parties are ready to turn today’s special election in New Mexico into a preview of next fall’s grueling battle to control the House.
Black Candidates In Crowded Races Test Democratsâ Racial Equality Push
Spurred by recent victories, Democrats could nominate Black candidates in key statewide contests around the country in 2022.
An unprecedented wave of Black candidates are running in statewide Democratic primaries throughout the country, providing a political test for Democratsâ party-wide commitment to racial equality heading into the 2022 midterms.
Black candidates have emerged as major contenders for the Democratic nomination in the partyâs three best opportunities to pick up Senate seats in 2022, and in four of the partyâs best chances to flip Republican-held gubernatorial mansions. As the party heads into a midterm election where history suggests they will struggle, Black candidates could end up leading the partyâs ticket in both diversifying Sun Belt states and Midwestern battlegrounds.
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Mark Warner and Lisa Collis dance together during their wedding reception at what is now the St. Regis Hotel in Washington D.C. on April 15, 1989. (Courtesy photo)
The 32 years since U.S. Sen. Mark Warner and his wife Lisa Collis married have included business success, an active family life and a flourishing political career that is the culmination of a long-cherished dream for Mark and something the more-reserved Lisa has navigated on her own terms.
But before all of that, there was a beer and pretzels party in 1984 at the home in D.C. where Mark was living with a bunch of guys. Things between the two of them got off to an inauspicious start that night.
Virginia Republicans meet today â sort of â to pick their nominees for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general.
Itâs safe to say this will be the most unusual and most unpredictable convention the party has ever held.
How do you hold a convention during a pandemic?
Hereâs how: Convention delegates will go to one of 37 drive-in sites around the state to cast their ballots. Thatâs not even the most unusual part of the process: Virginia Republicans will be using ranked-choice voting, which means Republicans delegates will list their first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh choices for governor.