Virginia’s early voting records have been shattered once again as Virginians cast their ballots this week in the state’s Democratic Primary.
The Virginia Democratic primaries drew unprecedented interest thanks to a crowded six-person contest for Lieutenant Governor and a head-to-head face-off for Attorney General.
Since early voting opened in May, more than 200,000 Virginians cast a ballot in Democratic primaries during early voting, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
That shatters the previous record, set in the summer of 2023 with early voting turnout of more than 129,000, according to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP).
Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) President Heather Williams said in a statement that momentum for Virginia Democrats continues to grow because Democratic candidates are outraising and outworking their Republican counterparts. She also made subtle reference to — without directly naming — the MAGA trends within the GOP led by President Donald Trump.
“State legislative Democrats are standing up for working families, veterans, and seniors across the Commonwealth while Virginia Republicans refuse to condemn their party’s attempts to cut Medicaid for millions of Americans,” Williams said in reference to the Trump-backed “One Big Beautiful Bill” that would extend the Trump tax cuts and pay for it through cuts to Medicaid and other programs.
The DLCC notes in a press release that not only did Democratic candidates shatter early voting numbers, they also raised more than double their Republican opponents.
“Virginia voters are paying close attention – that’s why they turned out in record numbers to support Democratic candidates tonight,” Williams said. “The DLCC is full steam ahead in our work to protect and expand our one-seat majority in the Virginia House and strengthen the state legislative firewall.”
In total, nearly 480,000 ballots were cast in the Lt. Governor Democratic Primary, with state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi declared the winner with 131,777 votes, followed closely by former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney with 128,167 votes, and state Sen. Aaron Rouse with 126,620 votes, according to VPAP‘s vote tally. Hashmi’s margin of victory is within recount territory, meaning Stoney could request a recount.
Former state Delegate Jay Jones won Tuesday in Virginia’s Democratic Primary for state Attorney General, winning by one percentage point over Shannon Taylor.
There were no statewide GOP Primaries Tuesday.
