2017 Virginia gubernatorial election
The 2017 Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 7, 2017. Incumbent Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe was unable to run for reelection, as the Constitution of Virginia prohibits the officeholder from serving consecutive terms; he later ran unsuccessfully for a second term in 2021.
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| Turnout | 47.6% 4.6 | ||||||||||||||||
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Northam: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Gillespie: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% Tie: 40–50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Virginia |
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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 Republicans nominated former RNC Chair Ed Gillespie. Libertarians nominated Clifford Hyra by convention on May 6, 2017.
In the general election on November 7, 2017, Northam defeated Republican Gillespie, winning by the largest margin for a Democrat since 1985. Northam assumed office as the 73rd Governor of Virginia on January 13, 2018. The election had the highest voter turnout percentage in a Virginia gubernatorial election in twenty years, with over 47% of registered voters casting their ballot.