Big turnout for Democrats in Virginia's early primary voting gives party hope
RICHMOND — Early voting was strong across Virginia this year in the 45 days leading up to Tuesday’s primary elections, in which voters will choose Democratic nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general and, in a handful of districts, candidates from both parties for the House of Delegates and local offices.
Nearly 158,000 people had cast votes in Democratic primaries as of Thursday — up from 124,000 at the same point in Democratic primaries four years ago, when the party had a hotly contested, five-way primary for governor, according to analysis of the latest available data by the Virginia Public Access Project. Virginia’s early voting period, which is among the longest in the nation, ended Saturday.
The totals also show a marked surge from a year ago, when about 120,000 voters cast ballots in a Democratic presidential primary that was never in doubt and as some in the party had little enthusiasm for then-President Joe Biden.
The turnout reflects “evidence Virginians are fired up like never before and ready to elect leaders who will stand up to [President Donald] Trump’s dangerous agenda,” said state Sen. Lamont Bagby (Henrico), chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/15/virginia-primary-elections-democrats-trump/