Updated: Stewart wins Prince William County, but Gillespie has late surge

Prince William County decided selected a winner Tuesday night in Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam.

Northam won in a Democratic Primary Election the county of nearly half a million people by less than one percent. He beat former Congressman Tom Perriello, a candidate that was seen to stand more to the left of Northam.

Tonight, we’re one step closer to building a Virginia that works for everyone—no matter who you are, no matter where you’re from. Thank you. pic.twitter.com/xPA2n8P7aB

— Ralph Northam (@RalphNortham) June 14, 2017

Congratulations to @RalphNortham. Let’s go win this thing—united. Let’s take back the House and ensure VA remains a firewall against hate.

— Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) June 14, 2017

About to take the stages w/ @RalphNortham. Congrats on the victory & looking forward to a great campaign in the fall #progressive pic.twitter.com/3FjoaOl30F

— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) June 14, 2017

Northam went on to win the state and will go on to become the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in the fall. Northam had 55% of the total vote statewide by 8:30 p.m. with 70% of the precincts reporting, an hour-and-a-half after polls closed across the state.

Gov. Terry McAulliffe, the man who hopes to be replaced by Northam when his term ends in January, endorsed him last year.

In the Lt. Governor’s race, Democrat Justin Fairfax easily beat out his two Primary Election candidates Gene Rossi and Susan Platt. At 8:45 p.m., Fairfax with 48% of the vote with 71% of the precincts reporting.

““I am so thankful to the people of Virginia for this vote of confidence in our vision for the future of the Commonwealth. We have come a long way. When we started on this journey last May, Election Day seemed so far away. In the last year, we’ve driven over 40,000 miles with our message of economic security and opportunity. We’ve met thousands of passionate Virginians who agree with our message and want our future for Virginia. I genuinely appreciate every phone call made, every door knocked, and every vote that happened in this race. Pursuing this position and getting to make my case for the voters of Virginia has been the honor of my lifetime. We look forward to continuing to carry carrying our message across the Commonwealth to earn the support of Virginians in the general election,” Fairfax stated in an email.

For the Republican’s, gubernatorial candidate Corey Stewart easily won Prince William County with more than 60% of the vote. He beat challengers, Ed Gillespie and Frank Wager.

Statewide, however, it’s still a nailbiter of a race. At 8:45 p.m., Gillespie was ahead by 1,000 votes in Southwest Virginia, an area Stewart campaign in heavily.

“Corey was right. This is going to be a close race. This is the southwest, and we can get those 1,000 votes,” said Bryanna Altman, a Stewart campaign volunteer told an anxious crowd sitting at a Stewart victory party in Woodbridge.

State Senator Frank Wagner was trailing a distant third in the race.

in the Lt. Governor’s race, Jill Vogel beat challengers Bryce Reeves and Glen Davis with more than 42% of the vote.

In local races in Prince William County, it looks like the region has its first transgender candidate in the 13th House District in western Prince William, Manassas, and a portion of Fauquier County in Danica Roem. Roem, a former newspaper reporter for the Prince William Times, won the race with 44% of the vote, beating fellow Democrats Mansimran Singh Kahlon, Steven A. Jansen, and Andrew A. Adams. 

The 13th District seat is currently held by one of the most conservative and outspoken politicians in the House of Delegates, Bob Marshall. Roem will face Marshall in the fall.

Jennifer Foy, a lawyer, beat out fellow Democrat Josh King, a Fairfax County sheriff’s deputy, in the 2nd House District Primary, which had voters from eastern Prince William County and Stafford County. Foy will run against Republican Laquan Austion in the fall General Election.

In the 51st District, Democrat Hala Ayala beat out Democratic challenger Kenny Allen Boddye.

“I am honored to be the Democratic nominee for my community. I believe our current Delegate isn’t listening to us, and I know we can do more to make Prince William County even stronger. I’ll focus on improving our schools, working to reduce traffic congestion and creating new jobs. I’ll also make sure we protect women’s rights and the right of quality, affordable and accessible healthcare for all,” stated Ayala.

Democrat Elizabeth R. Guzman beat Democrat Sara Townsend in the 31st District race. It was the second time Townsend had vied for the seat that covers portions of Prince William and Fauquier counties. Guzman will take on Republican incumbent Scott Lingamfelter in the fall.

Updated 10:30 p.m. — Stewart speaks 

Corey Stewart addressed a crowd of more than 100 campaign supporters waiting in an 83-degree room in the back of a Woodbridge restaurant.

His race for governor is too close to call, he said. Stewart addressed the crowd at 10:15 p.m. with just over one percent of the vote separating him and his opponent Ed Gillespie.

Stewart said he wanted to continue a movement started by President Donald Trump in 2016, and that he wanted to put an end to a wave of political correctness sweeping the country.

“I didn’t start this [movement], and there is one word that you will never hear from me, and that’s ‘unity,’ because, look, folks, we’ve been backing down too long in defense of our culture, of our heritage, and our country,” said Stewart.

The outspoken Republican said “establishment” Republicans and Democrats are “one in the same.” Stewart also vowed to continue to fight efforts to remove confederate statues from public parks in the state.

Stewart won Prince William County with more than 60% of the vote. Late votes in Fairfax County — where voters there favored Republican Ed Gillespie over Stewart — and campaign supports said those votes might have been enough to clinch the election for Gillespie.

After his speech, the room of suppoters cleared out and camapign workers began breaking down the public address system. Stewart offered no concession.