2020 United States presidential election in Virginia
2020 United States presidential election in Virginia Turnout 75.07% ( 5.8 pp )
County and Independent City Results
Congressional District Results
Precinct Results
Biden
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90–100%
Trump
40–50%
50–60%
60–70%
70–80%
80–90%
90–100%
Tie/No data
The 2020 United States presidential election in Virginia was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia participated.[ 1] Virginia voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote, pitting the Republican Party 's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump , and running mate Vice President Mike Pence against Democratic Party nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden , and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris . Virginia has 13 electoral votes in the Electoral College.[ 2]
Prior to the election, most news organizations considered this a state Biden would win, or a likely blue state. On the day of the election, Biden won Virginia with 54.11% of the vote, and by a margin of 10.1%, the best performance for a Democratic presidential candidate since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1944 .[ 3] Trump became the first Republican incumbent to consecutively lose Virginia since William Howard Taft and Biden became the first Democratic nominee to win Chesterfield County and Lynchburg City since 1948 , Virginia Beach City since 1964 , James City County since 1968 , and Stafford County since 1976 .[ 4] He also flipped Chesapeake City back to the Democratic Party. Trump flipped no counties or independent cities in the state. Nevertheless, Biden became the first Democrat since 1960 to win without Westmoreland County , a notable bellwether. He was the first Democrat to ever win without Caroline County, Nelson County, or Covington.[citation needed ]
The rapid growth of Northern Virginia as well as sliding suburban support for Republicans allowed Biden to win the once-key battleground state without actively campaigning in it. Biden won Henrico County , Loudoun County , Prince William County , and Fairfax County with 63.7%, 61.5%, 63.6%, and 69.9%, respectively; all four were former suburban bastions of the Republican Party in Virginia, the first outside Richmond and the others in Northern Virginia. All four had voted Republican in every election from 1968 through 2000. In Arlington County , a closer DC-area suburban county that had turned Democratic several decades earlier, Biden won with 80.6% of the vote, becoming the first nominee of either party in more than a century to do so. Biden's combined margin in Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, and Arlington Counties was greater than his statewide margin of victory. Crucially for his performance in Northern Virginia, Biden carried government workers by 18%.[ 5]
Primary elections
Canceled Republican primary
The Virginia Republican Party is one of several state GOP parties that have officially canceled their respective primaries and caucuses.[ 6] Donald Trump's re-election campaign and GOP officials have cited the fact that Republicans canceled several state primaries when George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush sought a second term in 1992 and 2004 , respectively; and Democrats scrapped some of their primaries when Bill Clinton and Barack Obama were seeking reelection in 1996 and 2012 , respectively.[ 7] [ 8] At the Virginia State Republican Convention, originally scheduled for May 2020 but postponed to August 15, 2020, the state party will formally bind all 48 of its national pledged delegates to Trump.[ 6] [ 9] [ 10]
Democratic primary
Sanders at a rally in Richmond on February 27, 2020
The Virginia Democratic primary took place on March 3, 2020, as part of the "Super Tuesday " suite of elections.
Joe Biden , Elizabeth Warren , and Bernie Sanders were among the major declared candidates.[ 11]
Popular vote share by county
Biden—30–40%
Biden—40–50%
Biden—50–60%
Biden—60–70%
Biden—70–80%
Sanders—30–40%
Sanders—40–50%
Popular vote share by congressional district
Biden—40–50%
Biden—50–60%
2020 Virginia Democratic presidential primary[ 12] [ a]
Candidate
Votes
%
Delegates[ 14]
Joe Biden
705,501
53.30
67
Bernie Sanders
306,388
23.15
31
Elizabeth Warren
142,546
10.77
1
Michael Bloomberg
128,030
9.67
Tulsi Gabbard
11,288
0.85
Pete Buttigieg (withdrawn) [ b]
11,199
0.85
Amy Klobuchar (withdrawn) [ b]
8,414
0.64
Andrew Yang (withdrawn) [ c]
3,361
0.25
Cory Booker (withdrawn)
1,910
0.14
Tom Steyer (withdrawn) [ b]
1,472
0.11
Michael Bennet (withdrawn) [ c]
1,437
0.11
Marianne Williamson (withdrawn)
902
0.07
Julian Castro (withdrawn)
691
0.05
Deval Patrick (withdrawn) [ c]
370
0.03
Write-in votes
184
0.01
Total
1,323,693
100%
99
Green primary
The Green Party of Virginia conducted an online ranked choice primary from April 20 to April 26, 2020.[ 15]
2020 Green Party of Virginia primary[ 15]
Candidate
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Round 4
Votes
%
Votes
%
Votes
%
Votes
%
Howie Hawkins
42
62.7%
42
62.7%
43
64.2%
44
65.7%
Dario Hunter
17
25.4%
18
26.9%
21
31.3%
23
34.3%
Kent Mesplay
3
4.5%
3
4.5%
3
4.5%
Eliminated
Sedinam Moyowasiza-Curry
2
3.0%
2
3.0%
Eliminated
Jill Stein (write-in)
2
3.0%
Eliminated
Jesse Ventura (write-in)
1
1.5%
Eliminated
Total votes
67
100.0%
General election
Predictions
Source
Ranking
As of
The Cook Political Report [ 16]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
Inside Elections [ 17]
Solid D
November 3, 2020
Sabato's Crystal Ball [ 18]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
Politico [ 19]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
RCP [ 20]
Lean D
November 3, 2020
Niskanen [ 21]
Safe D
November 3, 2020
CNN [ 22]
Solid D
November 3, 2020
The Economist [ 23]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
CBS News [ 24]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
270towin [ 25]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
ABC News [ 26]
Solid D
November 3, 2020
NPR [ 27]
Likely D
September 16, 2020
NBC News [ 28]
Likely D
November 3, 2020
538 [ 29]
Solid D
November 3, 2020
Polling
Graphical summary
Aggregate polls
Polls
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ e]
Marginof error
Donald Trump Republican
Joe Biden Democratic
Jo Jorgensen Libertarian
Howie Hawkins Green
Other
Undecided
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Oct 20 – Nov 2, 2020
4,550 (LV)
± 2%
41%[ f]
57%
-
-
–
–
Swayable [ 33]
Oct 27 – Nov 1, 2020
467 (LV)
± 6.4%
39%
59%
2%
1%
–
–
Data for Progress [ 34]
Oct 27 – Nov 1, 2020
690 (LV)
± 3.7%
43%
54%
1%
0%
1%[ g]
–
Roanoke College [ 35]
Oct 23–29, 2020
802 (LV)
± 3.5%
42%
53%
2%
-
1%
2%
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Oct 1–28, 2020
7,663 (LV)
–
43%
55%
-
-
–
–
Christopher Newport University [ 36]
Oct 15–27, 2020
908 (LV)
± 3.4%
41%
53%
-
-
2%[ h]
4%
Swayable [ 37]
Oct 23–26, 2020
351 (LV)
± 5.2%
44%
55%
1%
-
–
–
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 38]
Oct 13–22, 2020
709 (LV)
± 4.93%
39%
51%
-
-
2%[ i]
8%[ j]
Schar School /Washington Post [ 39]
Oct 13–19, 2020
908 (LV)
± 4%
41%
52%
3%
-
0%[ k]
4%
Civiqs /Daily Kos [ 40]
Oct 11–14, 2020
1,231 (LV)
± 3.1%
42%
55%
-
-
3%[ l]
1%
Reconnect Research /Roanoke College [ 41]
Sep 30 – Oct 12, 2020
602 (LV)
–
39%[ m]
54%
4%
-
-
4%
Survey Monkey /Tableau [ 42]
Sep 15 – Oct 12, 2020
4,248 (LV)
–
43%
55%
-
-
–
2%
Cygnal /Gade for Virginia [ 43] [ A]
Oct 9–11, 2020
607 (LV)
–
42%
51%
-
-
–
–
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Sep 1–30, 2020
2,882 (LV)
–
42%
56%
-
-
–
2%
Cygnal /Gade for Virginia [ 44] [1] [ A]
Sep 22–25, 2020
600 (LV)
–
41%
52%
-
-
–
–
Christopher Newport University [ 45]
Sep 9–21, 2020
796 (LV)
± 3.9%
43%
48%
-
-
2%[ n]
7%
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 46]
Aug 28 – Sep 7, 2020
693 (LV)
± 6.22%
39%
52%
-
-
1%[ o]
8%[ j]
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Aug 1–31, 2020
2,626 (LV)
–
41%
57%
-
-
–
2%
Roanoke College [ 47]
Aug 9–22, 2020
566 (LV)
± 4.1%
39%
53%
-
-
3%[ p]
5%
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Jul 1–31, 2020
3,178 (LV)
–
43%
55%
-
-
–
2%
Morning Consult [ 48]
Jul 17–26, 2020
1,156 (LV)
± 2.9%
41%
52%
-
-
–
–
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 49]
Jul 11–19, 2020
725 (LV)
± 6.2%
39%
50%
-
-
1%
10%
SurveyMonkey /Axios [ 32]
Jun 8–30, 2020
1,619 (LV)
–
42%
57%
-
-
–
1%
Morning Consult [ 48]
May 17–26, 2020
1,148 (LV)
–
42%[ q]
52%
-
-
–
–
Roanoke College [ 50]
May 3–16, 2020
563 (LV)
± 4.1%
39%
51%
-
-
–
–
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 51]
Mar 25 – Apr 8, 2020
812 (A)
± 4.5%
41%
51%
-
-
–
8%
Hampton University [ 52]
Feb 25–28, 2020
768 (RV)
± 3.8%
38%
45%
-
-
–
–
Roanoke College [ 53]
Feb 9–18, 2020
520 (LV)
± 4.3%
40%
48%
-
-
–
–
Mason-Dixon [ 54]
Dec 12–16, 2019
625 (RV)
± 4.0%
45%
49%
-
-
–
6%
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 55]
Dec 2–13, 2019
728 (LV)
± 5.1%
46%
49%
-
-
–
5%[ j]
Virginia Commonwealth University [ 56]
Sep 23 – Oct 4, 2019
645 (LV)
± 5.0%
44%
52%
-
-
–
4%[ j]
University of Mary Washington /Research America [ 57]
Sep 3–15, 2019
1,009 (A)
± 3.1%
37%
55%
-
-
1%
4%
Former candidates
with Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg
with Donald Trump and Pete Buttigieg
with Donald Trump and Kamala Harris
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ e]
Marginof error
Donald Trump (R)
Kamala Harris (D)
Other
Undecided
University of Mary Washington [ 58]
Sep 3–15, 2019
1,009 (A)
± 3.1%
38%
50%
2%
5%
with Donald Trump and Amy Klobuchar
with Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders
with Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren
Hypothetical polling
with Donald Trump and Generic Democrat
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ e]
Marginof error
Donald Trump (R)
Generic Democrat
Other
Undecided
Wason Center, Christopher Newport University[ 59]
Sep 4–30, 2019
726 (RV)
± 4.1%
36%
51%
6%[ r]
6%
with Donald Trump and Generic Opponent
Poll source
Date(s) administered
Sample size[ e]
Marginof error
Donald Trump (R)
Generic Opponent
Other
Undecided
Wason Center, Christopher Newport University[ 60]
Feb 3–23, 2020
866 (RV)
± 3.5%
38%
59% [ s]
0%[ t]
2%
with Generic Republican and Generic Democrat
Results
Line for early voting in Herndon
By city and county
County/City
Joe Biden Democratic
Donald Trump Republican
Various candidates Other parties
Margin
Total
#
%
#
%
#
%
#
%
Accomack
7,578
44.68%
9,172
54.07%
212
1.25%
-1,594
-9.39%
16,962
Albemarle
42,466
65.68%
20,804
32.18%
1,387
2.14%
21,662
33.50%
64,657
Alexandria
66,240
80.28%
14,544
17.63%
1,724
2.09%
51,696
62.65%
82,508
Alleghany
2,243
27.34%
5,859
71.43%
101
1.23%
-3,616
-44.09%
8,203
Amelia
2,411
30.55%
5,390
68.29%
92
1.16%
-2,979
-37.74%
7,893
Amherst
5,672
33.35%
11,041
64.93%
292
1.72%
-5,369
-31.58%
17,005
Appomattox
2,418
26.09%
6,702
72.31%
148
1.60%
-4,284
-46.22%
9,268
Arlington
105,344
80.60%
22,318
17.08%
3,037
2.32%
83,026
63.52%
130,699
Augusta
10,840
25.64%
30,714
72.65%
724
1.71%
-19,874
-47.01%
42,278
Bath
646
25.83%
1,834
73.33%
21
0.84%
-1,188
-47.50%
2,501
Bedford
12,176
25.02%
35,600
73.15%
893
1.83%
-23,424
-48.13%
48,669
Bland
532
15.29%
2,903
83.44%
44
1.27%
-2,371
-68.15%
3,479
Botetourt
5,700
26.99%
15,099
71.49%
321
1.52%
-9,399
-44.50%
21,120
Bristol
2,313
29.63%
5,347
68.50%
146
1.87%
-3,034
-38.87%
7,806
Brunswick
4,552
57.27%
3,357
42.24%
39
0.49%
1,195
15.03%
7,948
Buchanan
1,587
15.94%
8,311
83.50%
55
0.56%
-6,724
-67.56%
9,953
Buckingham
3,471
42.71%
4,544
55.92%
111
1.37%
-1,073
-13.21%
8,126
Buena Vista
825
29.72%
1,863
67.11%
88
3.17%
-1,038
-37.39%
2,776
Campbell
8,070
27.00%
21,245
71.07%
577
1.93%
-13,175
-44.07%
29,892
Caroline
7,657
47.01%
8,336
51.18%
295
1.81%
-679
-4.17%
16,288
Carroll
2,842
18.16%
12,659
80.88%
150
0.96%
-9,817
-62.72%
15,651
Charles City
2,624
59.09%
1,761
39.65%
56
1.26%
863
19.44%
4,441
Charlotte
2,317
37.43%
3,815
61.62%
59
0.95%
-1,498
-24.19%
6,191
Charlottesville
20,696
85.50%
3,094
12.78%
415
1.72%
17,602
72.72%
24,205
Chesapeake
66,377
52.22%
58,180
45.77%
2,551
2.01%
8,197
6.45%
127,108
Chesterfield
106,935
52.45%
93,326
45.77%
3,623
1.78%
13,609
6.68%
203,884
Clarke
3,920
41.98%
5,192
55.61%
225
2.41%
-1,272
-13.63%
9,337
Colonial Heights
2,972
32.50%
6,007
65.68%
167
1.82%
-3,035
-33.18%
9,146
Covington
964
37.03%
1,580
60.70%
59
2.27%
-616
-23.67%
2,603
Craig
587
18.52%
2,536
80.03%
46
1.45%
-1,949
-61.51%
3,169
Culpeper
10,617
39.15%
16,012
59.05%
487
1.80%
-5,395
-19.90%
27,116
Cumberland
2,227
41.94%
3,019
56.85%
64
1.21%
-792
-14.91%
5,310
Danville
11,710
60.40%
7,428
38.31%
251
1.30%
4,282
22.09%
19,389
Dickenson
1,503
20.58%
5,748
78.71%
52
0.71%
-4,245
-58.13%
7,303
Dinwiddie
6,224
41.24%
8,695
57.61%
173
1.15%
-2,471
-16.37%
15,092
Emporia
1,612
67.70%
754
31.67%
15
0.63%
858
36.03%
2,381
Essex
3,038
49.17%
3,075
49.77%
65
1.06%
-37
-0.60%
6,178
Fairfax
419,943
69.89%
168,401
28.03%
12,479
2.08%
251,542
41.86%
600,823
Fairfax City
9,174
68.04%
4,007
29.72%
302
2.24%
5,167
38.32%
13,483
Falls Church
7,146
81.03%
1,490
16.90%
183
2.07%
5,656
64.13%
8,819
Fauquier
17,565
40.23%
25,106
57.50%
990
2.27%
-7,541
-17.27%
43,661
Floyd
3,004
31.93%
6,225
66.17%
179
1.90%
-3,221
-34.24%
9,408
Fluvanna
7,414
46.81%
8,155
51.48%
271
1.71%
-741
-4.67%
15,840
Franklin
8,381
28.22%
20,895
70.35%
426
1.43%
-12,514
-42.13%
29,702
Franklin City
2,525
62.22%
1,487
36.64%
46
1.14%
1,038
25.58%
4,058
Frederick
17,207
35.33%
30,558
62.74%
938
1.93%
-13,351
-27.41%
48,703
Fredericksburg
8,517
66.22%
4,037
31.39%
308
2.39%
4,480
34.83%
12,862
Galax
777
29.45%
1,838
69.67%
23
0.88%
-1,061
-40.22%
2,638
Giles
2,156
23.50%
6,876
74.93%
144
1.57%
-4,720
-51.43%
9,176
Gloucester
6,964
31.25%
14,875
66.76%
443
1.99%
-7,911
-35.51%
22,282
Goochland
6,685
39.44%
9,966
58.80%
299
1.76%
-3,281
-19.36%
16,950
Grayson
1,535
18.88%
6,529
80.30%
67
0.82%
-4,994
-61.42%
8,131
Greene
4,163
36.80%
6,866
60.70%
282
2.50%
-2,703
-23.90%
11,311
Greensville
2,627
57.43%
1,914
41.85%
33
0.72%
713
15.58%
4,574
Halifax
7,666
42.01%
10,418
57.09%
164
0.90%
-2,752
-15.08%
18,248
Hampton
46,220
70.14%
18,430
27.97%
1,251
1.89%
27,790
42.17%
65,901
Hanover
25,307
35.66%
44,318
62.45%
1,342
1.89%
-19,011
-26.79%
70,967
Harrisonburg
11,022
64.51%
5,591
32.72%
473
2.77%
5,431
31.79%
17,086
Henrico
116,572
63.65%
63,440
34.64%
3,140
1.71%
53,132
29.01%
183,152
Henry
9,127
34.96%
16,725
64.07%
253
0.97%
-7,598
-29.11%
26,105
Highland
417
27.20%
1,092
71.23%
24
1.57%
-675
-44.03%
1,533
Hopewell
5,430
56.52%
4,020
41.84%
158
1.64%
1,410
14.68%
9,608
Isle of Wight
9,399
40.07%
13,707
58.44%
350
1.49%
-4,308
-18.37%
23,456
James City
25,553
51.50%
23,153
46.66%
916
1.84%
2,400
4.84%
49,622
King and Queen
1,590
38.64%
2,450
59.54%
75
1.82%
-860
-20.90%
4,115
King George
5,404
37.99%
8,446
59.38%
374
2.63%
-3,042
-21.39%
14,224
King William
3,260
30.37%
7,320
68.18%
156
1.45%
-4,060
-37.81%
10,736
Lancaster
3,368
47.09%
3,697
51.69%
87
1.22%
-329
-4.60%
7,152
Lee
1,489
14.97%
8,365
84.10%
92
0.93%
-6,876
-69.13%
9,946
Lexington
1,791
64.84%
906
32.80%
65
2.36%
885
32.04%
2,762
Loudoun
138,372
61.54%
82,088
36.51%
4,402
1.95%
56,284
25.03%
224,862
Louisa
8,269
37.73%
13,294
60.66%
352
1.61%
-5,025
-22.93%
21,915
Lunenburg
2,418
40.30%
3,537
58.95%
45
0.75%
-1,119
-18.65%
6,000
Lynchburg
18,048
49.63%
17,097
47.02%
1,218
3.35%
951
2.61%
36,363
Madison
2,698
33.19%
5,300
65.20%
131
1.61%
-2,602
-32.01%
8,129
Manassas
10,356
61.03%
6,256
36.87%
356
2.10%
4,100
24.16%
16,968
Manassas Park
3,992
65.58%
1,979
32.51%
116
1.91%
2,013
33.07%
6,087
Martinsville
3,766
62.63%
2,165
36.01%
82
1.36%
1,601
26.62%
6,013
Mathews
1,825
31.33%
3,901
66.96%
100
1.71%
-2,076
-35.63%
5,826
Mecklenburg
6,803
41.98%
9,266
57.18%
135
0.84%
-2,463
-15.20%
16,204
Middlesex
2,491
36.71%
4,196
61.84%
98
1.45%
-1,705
-25.13%
6,785
Montgomery
23,218
51.55%
20,629
45.80%
1,190
2.65%
2,589
5.75%
45,037
Nelson
4,327
46.45%
4,812
51.65%
177
1.90%
-485
-5.20%
9,316
New Kent
4,621
31.95%
9,631
66.59%
211
1.46%
-5,010
-34.64%
14,463
Newport News
53,099
65.39%
26,377
32.48%
1,727
2.13%
26,722
32.91%
81,203
Norfolk
64,440
71.69%
23,443
26.08%
1,998
2.23%
40,997
45.61%
89,881
Northampton
3,667
54.47%
2,955
43.89%
110
1.64%
712
10.58%
6,732
Northumberland
3,252
41.61%
4,485
57.39%
78
1.00%
-1,233
-15.78%
7,815
Norton
464
28.98%
1,109
69.27%
28
1.75%
-645
-40.29%
1,601
Nottoway
2,971
41.98%
4,027
56.89%
80
1.13%
-1,056
-14.91%
7,078
Orange
7,995
38.54%
12,426
59.91%
321
1.55%
-4,431
-21.37%
20,742
Page
3,007
24.03%
9,345
74.68%
162
1.29%
-6,338
-50.65%
12,514
Patrick
1,954
20.50%
7,485
78.51%
95
0.99%
-5,531
-58.01%
9,534
Petersburg
12,389
87.75%
1,584
11.22%
145
1.03%
10,805
76.53%
14,118
Pittsylvania
10,115
29.55%
23,751
69.39%
361
1.06%
-13,636
-39.84%
34,227
Poquoson
2,054
26.14%
5,605
71.34%
198
2.52%
-3,551
-45.20%
7,857
Portsmouth
30,948
69.42%
12,755
28.61%
879
1.97%
18,193
40.81%
44,582
Powhatan
5,320
26.96%
14,055
71.24%
355
1.80%
-8,735
-44.28%
19,730
Prince Edward
4,973
51.94%
4,434
46.31%
167
1.75%
539
5.63%
9,574
Prince George
7,103
40.75%
10,103
57.96%
226
1.29%
-3,000
-17.21%
17,432
Prince William
142,863
62.64%
81,222
35.61%
3,971
1.74%
61,641
27.03%
228,056
Pulaski
4,925
28.34%
12,127
69.79%
324
1.87%
-7,202
-41.45%
17,376
Radford
3,358
53.13%
2,786
44.08%
176
2.79%
572
9.05%
6,320
Rappahannock
2,096
42.11%
2,812
56.49%
70
1.40%
-716
-14.38%
4,978
Richmond
1,513
36.88%
2,547
62.09%
42
1.03%
-1,034
-25.21%
4,102
Richmond City
92,175
82.92%
16,603
14.94%
2,381
2.14%
75,572
67.98%
111,159
Roanoke
21,801
38.12%
34,268
59.93%
1,115
1.95%
-12,467
-21.81%
57,184
Roanoke City
26,773
61.80%
15,607
36.02%
943
2.18%
11,166
25.78%
43,323
Rockbridge
4,086
33.02%
8,088
65.37%
199
1.61%
-4,002
-32.35%
12,373
Rockingham
12,644
28.86%
30,349
69.27%
818
1.87%
-17,705
-40.41%
43,811
Russell
2,373
17.73%
10,879
81.27%
134
1.00%
-8,506
-63.54%
13,386
Salem
5,148
39.45%
7,683
58.87%
220
1.68%
-2,535
-19.42%
13,051
Scott
1,692
15.57%
9,063
83.38%
114
1.05%
-7,371
-67.81%
10,869
Shenandoah
6,836
28.86%
16,463
69.51%
385
1.63%
-9,627
-40.65%
23,684
Smyth
3,008
21.28%
10,963
77.55%
165
1.17%
-7,955
-56.27%
14,136
Southampton
3,969
40.56%
5,730
58.55%
87
0.89%
-1,761
-17.99%
9,786
Spotsylvania
34,307
45.55%
39,411
52.33%
1,599
2.12%
-5,104
-6.78%
75,317
Stafford
40,245
50.54%
37,636
47.27%
1,744
2.19%
2,609
3.27%
79,625
Staunton
6,981
53.74%
5,695
43.84%
314
2.42%
1,286
9.90%
12,990
Suffolk
28,676
57.77%
20,082
40.45%
884
1.78%
8,594
17.32%
49,642
Surry
2,397
53.61%
2,025
45.29%
49
1.10%
372
8.32%
4,471
Sussex
2,827
55.56%
2,219
43.61%
42
0.83%
608
11.95%
5,088
Tazewell
3,205
15.92%
16,731
83.10%
198
0.98%
-13,526
-67.18%
20,134
Virginia Beach
117,393
51.59%
105,087
46.18%
5,081
2.23%
12,306
5.41%
227,561
Warren
6,603
31.22%
14,069
66.53%
475
2.25%
-7,466
-35.31%
21,147
Washington
6,617
23.07%
21,679
75.58%
389
1.35%
-15,062
-52.51%
28,685
Waynesboro
4,961
46.29%
5,507
51.39%
249
2.32%
-546
-5.10%
10,717
Westmoreland
4,501
45.31%
5,318
53.54%
114
1.15%
-817
-8.23%
9,933
Williamsburg
4,790
69.59%
1,963
28.52%
130
1.89%
2,827
41.07%
6,883
Winchester
6,610
54.60%
5,221
43.13%
275
2.27%
1,389
11.47%
12,106
Wise
3,110
18.72%
13,366
80.45%
139
0.83%
-10,256
-61.73%
16,615
Wythe
3,143
20.85%
11,733
77.85%
196
1.30%
-8,590
-57.00%
15,072
York
17,683
45.59%
20,241
52.19%
863
2.22%
-2,558
-6.60%
38,787
Totals
2,413,568
54.11%
1,962,430
44.00%
84,526
1.89%
451,138
10.11%
4,460,524
Swing by county and independent city
Democratic — +10-12.5%
Democratic — +7.5-10%
Democratic — +5-7.5%
Democratic — +2.5-5%
Democratic — +0-2.5%
Republican — +0-2.5%
Republican — +2.5-5%
Republican — +5-7.5%
Republican — +7.5-10%
Republican — +10-12.5%
Trend relative to the state by county and independent city
Democratic — +10-12.5%
Democratic — +7.5-10%
Democratic — +5-7.5%
Democratic — +2.5-5%
Democratic — +0-2.5%
Republican — +0-2.5%
Republican — +2.5-5%
Republican — +5-7.5%
Republican — +7.5-10%
Republican — +10-12.5%
County and independent city flips
Democratic
Hold
Gain from Republican
Republican
Hold
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic
By congressional district
Biden won 7 out of Virginia's 11 congressional districts.
Analysis
In this election, Virginia voted 5.6% more Democratic than the nation as a whole. Although Virginia was considered a reliably Republican state at the presidential level from 1952 to 2004 (having only gone to the Democrats once during that period, in Lyndon B. Johnson 's 1964 landslide ), it has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 2004 . In recent years, densely populated counties in Northern Virginia close to Washington, D.C. , have tilted towards the Democrats. This was the first election since 1988 that a presidential candidate won Virginia by double digits (George H. W. Bush having carried the state by 20.5% in his first run), and the first election in which any presidential candidate received over 2 million votes in Virginia.
As fellow Southern state Georgia tilted towards Biden, he became the first Democrat since Harry Truman in 1948 to carry both states. This was also the first election in which a former Confederate state backed a Democratic candidate by a margin of victory greater than 10% since 1996, when Arkansas and Louisiana did so for Bill Clinton .
Following the election, news and political analysts considered the presidential results in Virginia, along with Democrats holding the senate seat held by Mark Warner , their house congressional majority , plus the previous year's elections in which Democrats flipped the state General Assembly , to be indicative that it was no longer a swing state, but a blue state.[ 64] [ 65] Democrats did win the state again in 2024 , albeit by a smaller margin of about 6%.
Their domination of state and local offices would be short-lived, however, as in 2021 the Republicans flipped the Democratic-held offices of governor , lieutenant governor , and attorney general , as well as winning control of the Virginia House of Delegates .[ 66] [ 67] In 2023 , Democrats recaptured the House of Delegates, winning full control of the General Assembly once again, albeit by narrower margins than what they acquired in 2019.
Voter demographics
Edison Research exit poll
Demographic subgroup
Biden
Trump
No Answer
% of Voters
Party
Democrat
96
4
N/A
36
Republican
9
90
N/A
34
Independent
57
38
N/A
30
Gender
Men
49
48
1
49
Women
61
38
1
51
Race
White
45
53
2
67
Black
89
10
1
18
Latino
61
36
3
7
Asian
60
38
2
4
Other
50
43
7
3
Gender by race/ethnicity
White men
39
58
3
33
White women
50
49
1
33
Black men
86
14
N/A
8
Black women
92
8
N/A
11
Latino men (of any race)
53
41
6
3
Latino women (of any race)
68
32
N/A
4
All other races
58
40
2
8
Gender by marital status
Married men
50
49
N/A
29
Married women
51
47
N/A
28
Unmarried men
58
39
3
20
Unmarried women
69
30
N/A
23
Parents
Men with children
49
49
1
15
Women with children
58
41
1
19
Men no children
53
43
4
34
Women no children
60
38
2
32
Age
18–24 years old
62
33
1
12
25–29 years old
63
34
3
8
30–39 years old
60
38
2
17
40–49 years old
63
36
1
16
50–64 years old
48
51
N/A
29
65 and older
45
54
1
18
LGBT
Yes
83
11
N/A
5
No
53
43
4
95
First time voter
First time voter
65
32
3
9
Everyone else
55
42
N/A
91
U.S. military veteran
Yes
36
62
N/A
16
No
59
38
N/A
84
Education
College graduate
57
40
N/A
43
No college degree
53
46
1
57
Education by race/ethnicity
White college graduates
52
45
3
33
White no college degree
38
62
N/A
34
Non-white college graduates
75
24
1
10
Non-white no college degree
76
22
2
23
Income
Under $50,000
60
39
1
33
$50,000–99,999
52
47
1
27
Over $100,000
46
53
1
41
Abortion should be
Legal
78
20
2
54
Illegal
29
69
1
42
Area Type
Urban
64
34
2
24
Suburban
53
45
2
60
Rural
46
52
2
16
Region
DC Suburbs
68
30
N/A
30
Central Virginia
44
53
3
16
Hampton Roads
62
36
N/A
16
Richmond/Southside
56
42
N/A
18
Mountain
35
63
N/A
20
Source: CNN [ 68]
See also
Notes
^ The "2020 March Democratic Presidential Primary" website published by the Virginia Department of Elections does not include the write-in votes.[ 13] This article includes them.
^ a b c Candidate withdrew during absentee voting, shortly before the primary.
^ a b c Candidate withdrew following the New Hampshire primary, when absentee voting had already begun.
^ Calculated by taking the difference of 100% and all other candidates combined.
^ a b c d e f g h i j Key: A – all adults RV – registered voters LV – likely voters V – unclear
^ Overlapping sample with the previous SurveyMonkey/Axios poll, but more information available regarding sample size
^ "Other candidate or write-in" with 1%
^ "Someone else" with 2%
^ "Third party candidate" with 2%
^ a b c d e f g h i Includes "refused"
^ "Other", "None of these" and would not vote with 0%
^ "Someone else" with 3%
^ With voters who lean towards a given candidate
^ "Another candidate" with 2%
^ "Third party candidate" with 1%
^ "Some other candidate" with 3%
^ Additional data sourced from FiveThirtyEight
^ "Would vote for a third party candidate" with 6%
^ "It is time to have someone else in office" as opposed to "Trump should be re-elected" with 59%
^ "Refused" with 0%
Partisan clients
^ a b Poll conducted by Daniel Gade's campaign
References
^ Kelly, Ben (August 13, 2018). "US elections key dates: When are the 2018 midterms and the 2020 presidential campaign?" . The Independent . Archived from the original on August 2, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
^ "Distribution of Electoral Votes" . National Archives and Records Administration . Retrieved January 3, 2019 .
^ "Without Northern Virginia, Trump would have won the state" . Inside Nova . Retrieved November 17, 2020 .
^ "Chesterfield and Lynchburg hadn't backed a Democrat for president since 1948. Biden changed that" . Virginia Mercury . November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020 .
^ "Virginia Voter Surveys: How Different Groups Voted" . The New York Times . November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331 . Retrieved November 13, 2020 .
^ a b "Virginia Republicans Will Hold 2020 Presidential Preference Vote at State Convention" . Frontloading . September 18, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019 .
^ Karni, Annie (September 6, 2019). "GOP plans to drop presidential primaries in 4 states to impede Trump challengers" . The Boston Globe . MSN. Retrieved September 7, 2019 .
^ Steakin, Will; Karson, Kendall (September 6, 2019). "GOP considers canceling at least 3 GOP primaries and caucuses, Trump challengers outraged" . ABC News . Retrieved September 7, 2019 .
^ "Virginia Republican Delegation 2020" . The Green Papers. Retrieved February 20, 2020 .
^ Mattingly, Justin (June 30, 2020). "Republican Party of Virginia reschedules 'unassembled' convention for August" . Richmond Times-Dispatch . Retrieved July 10, 2020 .
^ Taylor, Kate (February 9, 2019). "Elizabeth Warren Formally Announces 2020 Presidential Bid in Lawrence, Mass" . The New York Times . Retrieved February 10, 2019 .
^ "2020 March Democratic Presidential Primary" . Virginia.gov . Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved March 25, 2020 .
^ "2020 March Democratic Presidential Primary" . Virginia Department of Elections. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 11, 2020 .
^ "2020 Presidential Primaries, Caucuses, and Conventions: Virginia Democrat" . The Green Papers . Retrieved July 4, 2020 .
^ a b Jonah Thomas (May 12, 2020). "2020 GPVA Presidential Primary Results" .
^ "2020 POTUS Race ratings" (PDF) . The Cook Political Report . Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
^ "POTUS Ratings | Inside Elections" . insideelections.com . Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
^ "Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » 2020 President" . crystalball.centerforpolitics.org . Retrieved May 21, 2019 .
^ "2020 Election Forecast" . Politico . November 19, 2019.
^ "Battle for White House" . RCP . April 19, 2019.
^ 2020 Bitecofer Model Electoral College Predictions Archived April 23, 2020, at the Wayback Machine , Niskanen Center , March 24, 2020, retrieved: April 19, 2020
^ David Chalian; Terence Burlij (June 11, 2020). "Road to 270: CNN's debut Electoral College map for 2020" . CNN . Retrieved June 16, 2020 .
^ "Forecasting the US elections" . The Economist . Retrieved July 7, 2020 .
^ "2020 Election Battleground Tracker" . CBS News . July 12, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020 .
^ "2020 Presidential Election Interactive Map" . 270 to Win .
^ "ABC News Race Ratings" . ABC News . July 24, 2020. Retrieved July 24, 2020 .
^ Montanaro, Domenico (September 16, 2020). "2020 Electoral Map Ratings: Landscape tightens some, but Biden is still ahead" . NPR . Retrieved January 15, 2021 .
^ "Biden continues to lead in our latest battleground map" . NBC News . October 27, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021 .
^ "Biden is very likely to win Virginia" . FiveThirtyEight . August 12, 2020. Retrieved January 15, 2021 .
^ 270 to Win
^ FiveThirtyEight
^ a b c d e f SurveyMonkey/Axios
^ Swayable Archived November 13, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
^ Data for Progress
^ Roanoke College
^ Christopher Newport University
^ Swayable
^ Virginia Commonwealth University
^ Schar School/Washington Post
^ Civiqs/Daily Kos
^ Reconnect Research/Roanoke College
^ Survey Monkey/Tableau
^ Cygnal/Gade for Virginia
^ Cygnal/Gade for Virginia
^ Christopher Newport University
^ Virginia Commonwealth University Archived September 15, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
^ Roanoke College
^ a b Morning Consult
^ Virginia Commonwealth University
^ Roanoke College
^ Virginia Commonwealth University
^ a b c d e f Hampton University
^ a b c d e f Roanoke College
^ a b c d Mason-Dixon
^ a b c Virginia Commonwealth University
^ a b c d Virginia Commonwealth University [permanent dead link ]
^ a b University of Mary Washington/Research America
^ a b University of Mary Washington
^ "2019 Virginia Legislative Election Survey - Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy - Christopher Newport University" . cnu.edu . Retrieved August 16, 2024 .
^ "2020 Virginia Presidential Primary Poll - Judy Ford Wason Center for Public Policy - Christopher Newport University" . cnu.edu . Retrieved August 16, 2024 .
^ Ipsos/University of Virginia
^ "2020 November General" . results.elections.virginia.gov . Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved November 20, 2020 .
^ "Virginia Department of Elections - Registration/Turnout Reports" .
^ "Virginia went from purple to blue. Here's what lies ahead for Virginia Republicans" . 13newsnow.com . November 5, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "EDITORIAL: 'NoVA creep" turns former red state blue" . Fredericksburg.com . November 18, 2020. Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "So, what color is Virginia now?" . Roll Call . November 16, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "Republicans Bucked Virginia's Blue State Trend. Here Are A Few Reasons Why" . WAMU . Retrieved June 9, 2023 .
^ "Virginia 2020 President Exit Polls" . www.cnn.com . Retrieved December 14, 2020 .
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