# 2017 Virginia Gov. race: Gillespie (R) vs. Northam (D) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 14, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920 "2017-06-14T02:52:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/121 "2017-11-08T02:29:22Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > it’s a big deal. If dems can take the va house of delegates (they have a chance, i’m not sure how good a chance), then va might flip, too. It’s coverage for about 90,000 low-income adults in maine, more like… Hmm… I don’t actually remember the number in va. But lots more than 90,000. 400,000. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/122 "2017-11-08T02:32:00Z")
See? Just like I told you guys, being nicer works! ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/123 "2017-11-08T02:43:48Z")
Trump’s not here. For a couple days, the East Coast hasn’t been basking in the dark energy of Trump’s psychedelic asshole aura. Its like negative sunshine. So, on election day, people who went to the polls hadn’t been so exposed, and were less likely to vote as assholes! In South Korea, couple of days from now, people will wake up and think “Wow, I have really been an insufferable bowl of rancid _kim-chee_ last couple of days! Feel better now…”. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/124 "2017-11-08T02:46:46Z")
A big night for progressives on the East Coast. This makes the GOP civil war more interesting. Trump won by being Trump, and Bannon has been goading Trump to double down on Trumpism. But it’s clear now that progressives are not just sitting at home on election night, and they sure as hell won’t do that if they see more of the same in 2018. We’ve now seen the limits of Trumpism tonight. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be some asshats who win some GOP seats. I expect Roy Moore to take Alabama and there will probably be some kooks who win reliably GOP districts. But cross-over country, the Obama-to-Trump districts are in serious jeopardy right now. ---
**Author:** ![galen\_ubal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/galen_ubal/32/4440_2.png) [@galen\_ubal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galen_ubal)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/125 "2017-11-08T02:59:11Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Trump’s not here. For a couple days, the East Coast hasn’t been basking in the dark energy of Trump’s psychedelic asshole aura. Its like negative sunshine. So, on election day, people who went to the polls hadn’t been so exposed, and were less likely to vote as assholes! > > In South Korea, couple of days from now, people will wake up and think “Wow, I have really been an insufferable bowl of rancid _kim-chee_ last couple of days! Feel better now…”. So, you’re saying Trump is a Horcrux? Makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/126 "2017-11-08T03:01:43Z")
I’ve been following Dave Wasserman’s feed, and the count is 47D, 46R in the House of Delegates races that he’s called. [In the remaining races:](https://twitter.com/Redistrict/status/928091633945587713) > [@](#): > > Amazingly, the current margin is 150 votes or less in 5 of the 7 VA HoD districts that are still too close to call. That means control will be decided by absentee/provisional ballots, and may not be determined for days. So might not want to wait up to see if the Dems can take control of the HoD. And **jsgoddess** - that is great news from Maine! ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/127 "2017-11-08T03:02:23Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > A big night for progressives on the East Coast. > > This makes the GOP civil war more interesting. Trump won by being Trump, and Bannon has been goading Trump to double down on Trumpism. But it’s clear now that progressives are not just sitting at home on election night, and they sure as hell won’t do that if they see more of the same in 2018. We’ve now seen the limits of Trumpism tonight. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be some asshats who win some GOP seats. I expect Roy Moore to take Alabama and there will probably be some kooks who win reliably GOP districts. But cross-over country, the Obama-to-Trump districts are in serious jeopardy right now. People need to pay attention to two things: Spread and turnout. We’ve known this since Ossoff’s race in Georgia. He didn’t win, but he lost by a whisker – in a district that was supposed to be 20 points safe! Yes, Roy Moore will still likely win in Alabama. But the fact that it’s even a horse race tells us that districts where there is less than a 20 point spread are _ **winnable** _! Right now with 99% of the vote in, I see Northam has prevailed by 9 points – and by more than 200,000 votes. And it can only get worse for Trump going forward, as the Mueller investigation snowballs and Republicans begin to abandon him as they (finally) acknowledge the writing on the wall. I imagine cowardly Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell really won’t be that disappointed to distance themselves. A big night, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/128 "2017-11-08T03:05:26Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > And **jsgoddess** - that is great news from Maine! They just called it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/129 "2017-11-08T03:12:32Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > They just called it. 🙂 _Yeehaw!!_ What a night!! ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/130 "2017-11-08T03:23:09Z")
I don’t know if this is the beginning of the end of what I’ve been calling **Our Time of National Shame** , but at a minimum it looks like the end of its propagation. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/131 "2017-11-08T03:23:56Z")
All right - I well understand the desire for SOMETHING to be happy about. But let’s make sure this is just a very initial and very small step! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/132 "2017-11-08T03:30:47Z")
Health care was big in Virginia, and obviously in Maine. That and guns were the two biggest issues cited by VA voters (breaking evenly on guns and strongly for Northam on health care). ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/133 "2017-11-08T03:33:08Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > All right - I well understand the desire for SOMETHING to be happy about. But let’s make sure this is just a very initial and very small step! 100% agree. 🙂 But it _ **is** _ possible! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/134 "2017-11-08T03:34:12Z")
A group in Utah is trying to get Medicaid expansion on the ballot. A group in Idaho is trying to get it on the ballot. Kansas nearly overrode a governor’s veto. The Maine results might not mean anything, but they might embolden advocates and inspire voters. ETA: Heck, I forgot efforts in Tennessee (the legislature) and North Carolina (the governor). ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/135 "2017-11-08T03:42:00Z")
I’ve been busy in meetings all day in TX today (I voted early). Glad to see things are going well and looking forward to reading full analyses later this week. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/136 "2017-11-08T03:53:07Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > ETA: Heck, I forgot efforts in Tennessee (the legislature) and North Carolina (the governor). How would that work in NC? My understanding is that the NC legislature has very nearly turned the governor into a figurehead; are you saying he may have the power to unilaterally expand Medicaid in our state? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/137 "2017-11-08T03:58:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Oh, and a transgender candidate won in a VA House District that was GOP +13 back in 2015. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > Over a disgusting bigot, so it’s even sweeter. Not just any run-of-the-mill bigot-- the bigot who literally wrote Virginia’s transgender bathroom bill! Lost to a trans woman! For a seat he’s won handily every year since Bush was president! The first Bush! ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/138 "2017-11-08T03:59:10Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > How would that work in NC? My understanding is that the NC legislature has very nearly turned the governor into a figurehead; are you saying he may have the power to unilaterally expand Medicaid in our state? I don’t know. I know that he said he was going to do it and there were lawsuits flying and then he either withdrew the request or never filed it, but my understanding, which is vague, is that he still intends to try to get it into place and force the legislature to sue. Which they might be infinitesimally less likely to do now. Happy to be corrected on the score in NC or any state that might be looking at expansion. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/139 "2017-11-08T04:05:21Z")
One thing that bothers me about the Democrats, is I couldn’t for the life of me say who is the head of the party. And yes, I think a leader is important. Obama was great for Obaman, but he wasn’t very good for the Democrats. He’s gone, anyway, so that’s water under the bridge. Someone needs to pull the sword out of the stone and hold it up high so folks can rally 'round! ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920/140 "2017-11-08T04:14:04Z")
Happy Dance! I feel like some small part of my stomach just unclenched for the first time in a year. The end of the nightmare has begun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2017-virginia-gov-race-gillespie-r-vs-northam-d/788920.md?page=8)