The hotly contested Democratic primary for governor will be decided by turnout, who shows up to the polls and who stays home. Michael Pope has this preview.
Conventional wisdom says a smaller turnout benefits Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, who has support from party insiders, while a high turnout benefits former Congressman Tom Perriello. But sometimes conventional wisdom is wrong.
Boyd Walker is a Perriello supporter who’s a leader in the local Democratic Party in Alexandria. He says insider support for Northam might be overstated.
“He was running a very establishment type race to lock up all the endorsements of elected officials in Virginia, and then Trump got elected. And Perriello seized the opportunity.”
Seized the opportunity by ditching his moderate record in Congress, when he voted against federal funding for abortions and when he received money and support from the NRA.
That has caused suspicion among many young progressives like James Swindell, a member of Arlington Young Democrats. “I don’t think that Tom Perriello, despite being endorsed by Bernie Sanders, is as progressive as he’s made out to be because of his track record. And I believe that is a very hard thing to wrestle with as someone who previously voted for Bernie Sanders.”
Ultimately every election is about turnout, who can mobilize their voters to the polls, and who has a hard time getting out the vote.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
