On the first anniversary of his stunning victory, President Donald Trump has suffered a political setback with Democrats trouncing Republicans by big margins in the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races as also in the New York mayoral contest.
In a bitterly-fought election in Virginia, which includes a large swathe of Greater Washington suburbs, Democrat Ralph Northam handily defeated Republican Ed Gillespie by nearly 9 percentage points — a margin far wider than what several polls had projected. Democrats also won the lieutenant Governor and Attorney-General posts.
“Virginia has told us to end the divisiveness, that we will not condone hatred and bigotry — and to end the politics that have torn this country apart,” Northam told his jubilant supporters at a victory rally.
Trump, currently away on his five-nation Asia visit, had endorsed Gillespie but did not campaign with him, save for tweets and a late robo-call, telling voters: “like me, Ed is tough on crime and on the border. Ed will protect your family from crime, drugs and violence — something Northam will never do…With your help, Ed Gillespie will help make America great again, a phrase that I like a lot. Vote Ed Gillespie.”
However, once it became clear late on Tuesday evening that Northam will carry Virginia, Trump quickly distanced himself from Gillespie. “Ed Gillespie worked hard but did not embrace me or what I stand for,” he tweeted, adding: “With the economy doing record numbers, we will continue to win, even bigger than before!”
Democrats celebrated their victories, notably in Virginia. Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez cast this round of elections one year after Trump’s victorious White House race as a “referendum on American values”.
“This is referendum on whether we’re a nation that values healthcare for all, or whether we’re a nation that says that healthcare is only a privilege for a few. This is a nation where we celebrate our diversity, we feel it is our nation’s greatest strength. When you have people like Donald Trump and Ed Gillespie and Chris Christie and others who are constantly dividing us, the American people are fed up with it,” Perez said, adding: “They want an America that we can be proud of.”
Virginia, bordering the national capital as it does, has been seen as a bellwether in recent years. From a traditional red (Republican) State, Virginia has in recent years turned blue (Democrat), largely on the strength of its northern counties coming under Greater Washington and holding large numbers of recent immigrants.
On Tuesday, Virginia voters also elected for the first time a transgender Democrat, Danica Roem, as State legislator, defeating a long-time Republican incumbent.
While the Virginia race was keenly-watched for possible surprises, it was Democrats all the way in New Jersey and New York. In the New Jersey gubernatorial race, Democrat Phil Murphy defeated Republican Kim Guadagno by 13 percentage points. Murphy will take over from two-term Republican Governor Chris Christie in January.
In New York City, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio was comfortably re-elected, defeating Republican lawmaker Nicole Malliotakis and several third-party candidates.