Ralph Northam Defeats Ed Gillespie In Virginia Governor's Race On Huge Night For Democrats

One of the most closely watched political races of the year ended with a major victory for Democrats as Ralph Northam soundly defeated Republican Ed Gillespie to become the next governor of Virginia.

The race was called relatively early in the evening for Northam, and came on the heels of projected wins for Danica Roem—a woman who will become the first openly trans state legislator in Virginia history—and Lee Carter, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, suggesting widespread gains for Democrats across the state’s electoral map.

The Northam/Gillespie race was seen by many political observers as a bellweather of the upcoming 2018 midterm elections, with Gillespie increasingly taking on a bigoted Trump-like role as election day drew near. Northam, for his part, drew the ire of many from the left, as he began assuming a number of conservative positions, including opposition to sanctuary cities—despite none existing in the state.

Donald Trump, who made robocalls for Gillespie as recently as Tuesday morning, shrugged off the defeat.