The Four Virginias

This Election Brief looks at the 2005 governor's race in Virginia. It compares the 2004 presidential election in the state with the 2005 race using county- level returns. It includes a special focus on Northern Virginia, which lies within the Washington, DC metropolitan area. The brief ends with a discussion of what lessons will likely be drawn from the 2005 Governors' race.

"Kaine won both Loudoun and Prince William Counties, a feat not matched by even Mark Warner. If Loudoun—which as Teixeira argues is the quintessential exurban county—is up for grabs then what about the rest of the suburban fringe? It is likely that Republicans can still count on the exurbs to swing their way, yet is may be hard to claim a solid lock on these places. Kaine has shown that with a direct appeal to quality of life issues, Democrats can at least compete in the exurbs."

(PDF, 180KB, 13 pages)