Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general, carried four out of five localities in the Fredericksburg area last week in a primary that saw less than 10 percent voter turnout around the region.
The winner and the poor voter showing at the polls were two takeaways from the election that also saw state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi capture the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.
Jones, a former delegate and assistant Washington, D.C., attorney general, defeated Shannon Taylor, the commonwealth’s attorney for Henrico County, in the attorney general race, collecting 51.1 percent of the vote statewide, according to unofficial results. He will now face incumbent Republican Jason Miyares, who seeks re-election.
Locally, Jones won Tuesday’s primary in Fredericksburg, and in Stafford, Spotsylvania and Caroline counties. Taylor defeated him by 50 votes in King George County.
“Virginia needs leaders who will put Virginia first. Who will stand up to the powerful corporate special interests. Who will stand up for the rule of law. Who will keep us safe. And that’s exactly what I will do as your attorney general,” Jones said in an election-night statement.
Hashmi, who represents parts of Richmond and Chesterfield County, fended off five other candidates to win the nod for lieutenant governor.
But she didn’t carry any locality in the Fredericksburg area.
Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, who finished second statewide, won in Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George, while state Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach carried Fredericksburg. Rouse finished third statewide.
Stoney didn’t fare nearly as well in Richmond, though. Hashmi won the city with 58.2 percent of the vote to Stoney’s 20.7 percent.
The first Muslim and first South Asian American to serve in the state Senate, Hashmi now will go up against Richmond radio host John Reid, the Republican lieutenant governor nominee. Reid is the first openly gay candidate to run for statewide office in Virginia.
In an election-night statement, Hashmi said Virginians “made history” with their vote.
“We didn’t just win a primary, we sent a clear message that we won’t be bullied, broken or dragged backward by the chaos in Washington,” she said. “I’m honored to stand alongside Abigail Spanberger, Jay Jones and our Democratic ticket to fight for the future of this Commonwealth.”
Spanberger, who formerly represented the Fredericksburg area in Congress, is facing Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the race for governor, which means that, regardless of outcome, Virginia will see its first female chief executive.
The general election should see better voter turnout than Tuesday’s contest. Fredericksburg-area voter registrars noted Friday that turnout for the Democratic primary was disappointing.
“It was awful,” King George registrar Lorrie Gump said, pointing out that only 4 percent of registered voters cast ballots.
In Fredericksburg, overall turnout was 9 percent, according to the state Department of Elections.
But it was even lower in terms of in-person voters, registrar Jessica B. Atkinson said. Fewer than 1,000 people cast ballots on Election Day.
“It was very slow,” Atkinson said.
Stafford registrar Anna K.L. Hash went one better. Her description of Tuesday: “Painfully slow.”
Turnout in the county was 6 percent, but as Hash and her peers noted, the election went off without any problems.
Caroline registrar Rebecca Ryan said turnout in her locality was just less than 7 percent.
And turnout in Spotsylvania was 6 percent, according to the Virginia Elections Department. County registrar Kellie Acors couldn’t be reached for comment Friday.
The general election is Nov. 4, and Oct. 14 is the deadline to register to vote or update registration.
