Democrat Terry McAuliffe won Virginia’s gubernatorial race. State Senator Ralph Northam, also a Democrat, won the position of Lieutenant Governor. The race for Attorney General is still too close to call, with an even 50/50 split, with about 300 votes separating the two candidates. Republican candidate Mark Obenshain leads by roughly 300 votes over democratic candidate Mark Herring.

Sophomore Andrew Peters, leader of the Young Republicans’ club, shared his opinion on the gubernatorial results, “While I am somewhat disappointed Cuccinelli didn’t win, I’m trying not to be because I prayed that God would choose the right person to win, and He picked McAuliffe.”

Senior Bayley Brill voted for the Democratic candidate, “I am happy that McAuliffe won because I think we share a lot of the same views and I believe he is friendlier toward women.”

After a long and close race, McAuliffe pulled out a win over Virginia’s former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis. He won with 47.9% of the vote, over Cuccinelli’s 45.5% vote, and Sarvis’s 6.6%. McAuliffe won with a majority of the women’s vote after a campaign based primarily on women’s rights, attacking Cuccinelli’s views on women and abortion.

Sophomore Marife Baragano gave her take on the election results, “Sarvis’s ideas appealed to me the most, maybe because he wanted to eliminate SOLs, but I was somewhat happy as long as Cuccinelli didn’t win.”

Virginia’s race for Lieutenant Governor ended with a win for the democratic party. State Senator Ralph Northam won 55.5% of the vote, with minister and lawyer E.W. Jackson trailing with 44.5% of the vote.

Finally, the Attorney General is yet to be called, with state senators Mark Herring and Mark Obenshain both capturing 50.0% of the vote. At this point, Obenshain appears to be winning with roughly 300 more votes than Herring, though the figures are still being counted.

There are certainly mixed opinions regarding the election results at AHS, however we must find a way to unite our differing opinions as Virginians.