Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Line color represents winner

Northam

Gillespie

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Arlington

Line color represents winner

Charlottesville

Northam

Gillespie

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Arlington

Line color represents winner

Alexandria

Northam

Gillespie

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Winchester

Arlington

Alexandria

Line color represents winner

Harrisonburg

Northam

Gillespie

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

Clinton strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

2013

2017

64

Democrat

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

2013

2017

66

Republican

Republican

58

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

Republican

58

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

Republican

58

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

58

Republican

53

Democrat

Republican

39

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Majority minority

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Percent of vote

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

26

Republican

24

Republican

Predominantly white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

2013

2017

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

26

Republican

24

Republican

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

26

Republican

24

Republican

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

57

Republican

38

Democrat

Democrat

35

26

Republican

24

Republican

College educated

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Percent of vote

2013

2017

63

Democrat

53

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

High school

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

2013

2017

55

Republican

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

10th district

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

Ralph Northam (D) beat Ed Gillespie (R) in the Virginia governor's race by almost nine points. He outperformed his predecessor, Terry McAuliffe, as well as Hillary Clinton, pushing Virginia toward a reliable blue.

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

The victory came in a familiar way for Democrats: a surge of support in urban areas around Richmond and Hampton Roads and a giant Northern Virginia margin of 260,000 votes, double McAuliffe’s win in the D.C. suburbs four years ago.

Gillespie may have won more than twice as many counties as Northam, and Republicans increased somewhat their winning margins across a broad western and southern swath of rural and small-town Virginia. But there was little sign of the Donald Trump surge that swept across GOP strongholds just a year ago and raised Republican hopes statewide.

[How Virginia went from red to blue and back again]

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

High division, high turnout

Comparing Election Day precinct results with 2013 shows how neighborhoods shifted the governor's race in different directions in Virginia’s largest urban centers compared with other areas. Bigger 2017 wins for Democrats are shown as blue lines tilted left, while bigger wins for Republicans are red lines tilted right.

Democrats bettered their showing by 12 percentage points or more in about 30 percent of the state's precincts. Republicans did so in about 20 percent of precincts.

[An enthusiastic, more polarized electorate gave Northam the win]

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Line color represents winner

Northam

Gillespie

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Arlington

Line color represents winner

Charlottesville

Northam

Gillespie

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Arlington

Line color represents winner

Alexandria

Northam

Gillespie

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Angle is change in margin

from 2013 governor race

Winchester

Arlington

Alexandria

Line color represents winner

Harrisonburg

Northam

Gillespie

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

The Trump effect

Both Northam and Gillespie significantly built up their party's neighborhood strongholds, much the way that Trump and Clinton did last year.

Where Trump performed far better than Mitt Romney, Gillespie grew the Republican margin by almost eight percentage points compared to the 2013 governor's race. Northam beat his predecessor by more than 10 points in similar areas. Tuesday exit polls suggest Trump was likely a factor in both. More than 1 in 3 voters said they voted to show opposition to the president, while almost 1 in 5 say they did it in support.

Clinton strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

2013

2017

64

Democrat

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

2013

2017

66

Republican

Republican

58

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

Republican

58

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

Republican

58

53

Democrat

39

Republican

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

Clinton strongholds

Trump strongholds

Precincts where Clinton

outperformed Obama

by 12 points or more

Precincts where Trump

outperformed Romney

by 12 points or more

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

64

Democrat

66

Republican

58

Republican

53

Democrat

Republican

39

35

Republican

35

Democrat

33

Democrat

A racial divide

A key component of the surge for Democrats was the voters in minority neighborhoods, where Northam won three-quarters of the votes overall and more than 80 percent in African-American neighborhoods. Margins grew by 10 points in Hispanic neighborhoods.

In predominantly white neighborhoods, the large political divide remained about the same, with Democrats and Republicans dividing up the votes that went to third-party candidates back in 2013.

Majority minority

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Percent of vote

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

26

Republican

24

Republican

Predominantly white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

2013

2017

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

26

Republican

24

Republican

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

Republican

57

38

Democrat

35

Democrat

26

Republican

24

Republican

Majority minority

Predominantly white

Precincts where less than half

of the population is white

Precincts where the population

is at least 80 percent white

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

75

Democrat

Democrat

69

60

Republican

57

Republican

38

Democrat

Democrat

35

26

Republican

24

Republican

Widening polarization by education

Neighborhoods where most adults have a college degree showed one of this election's largest shifts. Northam increased the Democratic win to 63 percent, up by almost 10 points. Gillespie gained five points in neighborhoods where most adults stopped their education at high school.

According to statewide exit polls, Clinton lost the white college-educated demographic in Virginia by four points last year, while Northam won it by three.

College educated

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Percent of vote

2013

2017

63

Democrat

53

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

High school

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

2013

2017

55

Republican

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

College educated

High school

Precincts where most

adults have a college degree

Precincts where most

adults have only

a high school diploma

Percent of vote

Percent of vote

2013

2017

2013

2017

63

Democrat

55

Republican

53

Democrat

50

Republican

44

Democrat

44

Democrat

40

Republican

36

Republican

What does all this means for 2018?

Tuesday's signs of growing enthusiasm among Democrats in the Trump era could herald challenges next year for Republicans in swing areas. In Virginia's 10th Congressional District, for example, Republican Barbara Comstock last year won another term, but Clinton finished ahead of Trump there. On Tuesday, seven Republican incumbents in the state legislature with districts touching Comstock's were defeated by Democrats. In Loudoun County, the heart of the 10th District where Gillespie three years ago narrowly won running for U.S. Senate, he lost Tuesday by more than 23,000. Precincts across the 10th District gave Northam a win of more than 55 percent on Election Day, significantly more than in the race four years ago, and built upon the same political trends seen in precincts statewide.

Fewer voters

More

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

10th district

Arlington

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Fewer voters

More

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Arlington

Mostly Republican

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Blacksburg

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Fewer

voters

More

voters

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia

Beach

Norfolk

Danville

Fewer

voters

More

voters

10th district

Mostly Democratic

About even

Winchester

Mostly Republican

Arlington

Alexandria

Harrisonburg

Fredericksburg

Charlottesville

Richmond

Lynchburg

Roanoke

Petersburg

Blacksburg

Newport News

Virginia Beach

Norfolk

Martinsville

Emporia

Danville

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Kevin Uhrmacher and Chiqui Esteban contributed to this report.

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Sources: Virginia Board of Elections and U.S. Census Bureau

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