Democrats Ralph Northam & Phil Murphy Win Governor’s Seats In Virginia & New Jersey

Democrats Ralph Northam and Phil Murphy won their gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, respectively, on Tuesday night.

DEMOCRATS WIN GOVERNOR SEATS IN VIRGINIA & NEW JERSEY

While neither result comes as a shock, the race between Northam and Republican Ed Gillespie was expected to be closer. Northam took almost 54% of the vote in the state, leaving Gillespie with 45% and Libertarian candidate Clifford Hyra with just 1.2%.

Northam’s win is an indication that Donald Trump‘s approach to governing is not resonating in the state. Despite being a majority purple state, Virginia went blue for Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election.

“Tonight, we made history,” Northam tweeted after his win was declared. “Couldn’t be prouder to be a member of the @VADemocrats. Together we’ll build a commonwealth that works for everyone—no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from. Congratulations to all our delegate candidates on their wins tonight!”

In New Jersey, Murphy won over Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, a win that shifts control over to Democratic hands after an eight-year tenure with Chris Christie as governor. Christie, a Republican governor in a blue state, saw his popularity trend downward over his terms, a feeling exacerbated by his enthusiastic embrace of Trump and his so-called Bridgegate scandal. Despite Guadagno’s attempts to distance herself from Christie, she failed to sway voters her way as she served as his lieutenant governor.

New Jersey holds its elections on off years, and a trend has been ongoing for the past few cycles of voters choosing the candidate of the party opposite the previous year’s presidential winner. Electing the Democratic Murphy continues this trend.

“On behalf of my family and campaign team, thank you for all you’ve done for this campaign… Thank you, New Jersey! We’re ready to have your back in Trenton! #Muprhy4NJ #ElectionDay,” he tweeted after his win.