Recap of Virginia and New Jersey Primary Results
By 270toWin Staff
June 9, 2021
Virginia
Statewide Offices
These were all for the Democratic nomination. Republicans picked their nominees at a party convention in May.
Governor: Virginia governors cannot serve consecutive terms, so Gov. Ralph Northam (D) was not on the ballot. As expected, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe won the nomination for the seat he held before Northam. McAuliffe won 62% of the vote in the five-person field. He will start off the general election favored against GOP nominee Glenn Youngkin. If he wins, McAuliffe will be just the second person since the Civil War to be elected twice to the seat.
Lt. Governor: Incumbent Justin Fairfax (D) ran for governor, finishing a distant fourth. State Delegate Hala Ayala emerged from a crowded field, winning 37% of the vote. She will meet Republican Winsome Sears. As a result, it is all but certain that the state will elect its first-ever female lieutenant governor in November.
Attorney General: Incumbent Mark Herring fought off a strong progressive challenge to win renomination. Herring prevailed 57% to 43% over Delegate Jay Jones. Delegate Jason Miyares is the Republican nominee. Herring is seeking a third term.
House of Delegates
There were 25 contested primaries - 18 Democratic and 7 Republican. Incumbent Lee Carter (D, District 50) was defeated. He was seeking reelection while also running for governor. He finished last in that contest. Apparently, Carter will not miss his current job. Similarly, incumbent Mark Levine (D, District 45) lost while also seeking the lieutenant governor nomination.
New Jersey
Statewide Offices
Governor: Former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli won the Republican nomination, finishing just short of 50% in a four-way field. While Ciattarelli was favored, his 23% margin of victory was likely aided by Phil Rizzo (26%) and Hirsh Singh (21%) splitting the vote of the MAGA wing of the party. Ciattarelli has an uphill battle ahead as he looks to defeat incumbent Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, who was unopposed for renomination.
State Legislature
State Senate: There were seven contested primaries - four Democratic and three Republican. None of the elections ended up being particularly close.
General Assembly: There are two assembly members in each district, thus two nominees from each primary. Incumbent Republican Serena DiMaso was defeated in District 13. She was not backed by the party for renomination - and thus not on the "party line" - a very difficult hurdle to overcome in New Jersey. A similar situation is affecting Republican BettyLou DeCroce in District 26. As of this writing, that race has not yet been called. Jay Webber (the other incumbent) and Christian Barranco are currently 1-2. Barranco, at 24% is narrowly ahead of DeCroce who is at 22%.
