EXPLAINER: Why AP called Virginia for Youngkin

WASHINGTON – WHY THE AP CALLED VIRGINIA FOR GLENN YOUNGKIN

Democrats became the ascendant governmental unit successful Virginia implicit the past decade, propelled by explosive maturation successful the Washington, D.C., suburbs successful the bluish portion of the state. The enactment won the governor's bureau doubly and took power of some chambers of the legislature successful what had been a Republican stronghold.

Their grip weakened considerably successful Tuesday's gubernatorial election.

The Associated Press declared Republican Glenn Youngkin the victor implicit Democrat Terry McAuliffe astatine 12:37 a.m. Wednesday. The AP called the contention due to the fact that Youngkin led McAuliffe by astir 85,000 votes, and the erstwhile politician wasn’t winning successful the counties with votes inactive near to number by capable of a borderline to adjacent that gap.

It's an result that was hard to ideate a twelvemonth agone erstwhile President Joe Biden easy carried the authorities by 10 percent points, a showing that built connected Hillary Clinton's much than 5 percent constituent triumph successful 2016.

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But Youngkin benefited from boosted turnout successful rural, Republican-leaning areas successful cardinal and occidental parts of Virginia, wherever helium took a larger stock of the ballot than Ed Gillespie, the losing Republican campaigner for politician successful 2017.

At the aforesaid time, McAuliffe's stock of the ballot successful reliably Democratic bluish Virginia was down importantly compared with caller elections, with McAuliffe carrying 68% of the ballot determination aboriginal Wednesday. Current Gov. Ralph Northam carried those aforesaid suburbs with 71% successful 2017.

That dynamic was connected peculiarly stark show successful Loudoun County, which Biden won by 25 percent points past year. Early Wednesday, McAuliffe was winning it by 10.5 percent points.

Virginia was erstwhile solidly Republican, with President George W. Bush winning determination arsenic precocious arsenic 2004. But maturation successful the counties extracurricular Washington has led to an influx of progressively divers and Democratic-leaning voters who helped displacement the equilibrium of power.

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Tuesday’s results amusement the limitations of the region’s governmental influence.

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