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Virginia Democrats Show United Front

Molly Riley
/
AP

 

 

Democratic leaders gathered in Richmond this weekend to celebrate record-setting turnout in their party’s primary last week. Although former congressman Tom Perriello lost that race, he’s still working to keep Democratic energy high.

Mallory Noe-Payne reports.

 

 

Perriello may have lost the Democratic nomination for Governor, but he’s not done campaigning quite yet.

 

A coffee shop in downtown Richmond was one of his final stops Monday to thank campaign volunteers and supporters.

 

“It’s amazing people actually seem to be already making lemonade out of lemons,” says Perriello. “I think there’s so much pride among our supporters in how we shifted the conversation, and how we conducted ourselves and the number of people we were able to turn out. I think everyone’s curious what comes next for me personally, as am I, but the one thing we know is we’ll do everything we can to get the party across the line in November -- up and down the ticket.”

 

Party leaders feel hopeful they can make that happen, pointing to the record-setting 17-percent turnout for their primary.  

 

But as Democrat Helen Alli points out, that’s still not that many Virginians.

 

“The message just isn’t getting out there enough or something and I think we really have to do better at reaching people,” she says.

 

And while Alli thinks Perriello could have done a better job at reaching those voters, she says she’ll lend all the support she can to her party’s nominee: Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam.

 
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association