Courting Virginia’s Independents
In eight months Virginians will choose a new governor. If history is a guide, the election will be decided by the almost one-third of voters who describe themselves as “independents.“ The math is simple. Neither major political party possesses majority support in Virginia, so virtually all statewide elections and many local contests are decided by independents. These Virginians eschew partisan labels and proudly “vote for the person, not the party.“ They swing between Democratic and Republican candidates from election to election based on the contenders’ character, experience, policy ideas, and other attributes.