Corey Stewart talking to a crowd of supporters, election night, June 13, 2017.Ed Gillespie has declared victory in the Republican Gubernatorial Primary, but Corey Stewart says it is still too close to call.
The gubernatorial primary was both predictable and surprising. On the Democratic side, Ralph Northam beat Tom Perriello 55.9 percent to 44.1 percent. On the Republican side, Ed Gillespie has announced victory with 99 percent of precincts reporting.
However, the most surprising twist is that Prince William Chairman At-large Corey Stewart is not that far behind, and as of 10 p.m., he said the election was not yet over.
Gillespie has 43.7 percent of the vote compared to Stewart’s 42.5 percent. That’s the difference of just a little more than 4,000 votes across the state. Frank Wagner has only 13.7 percent of the vote.
Stewart ran a controversial campaign, courting southern conservatives about issues such as preserving Confederate Monuments and offering a more aggressive stance against illegal immigrants in Virginia.
He called Gillespie “establishment Ed” and praised President Donald Trump even as he was fired as his campaign manager, something he attributes to establishment Republican influence.
Stewart even lost the support of his board, but somehow retained the support of Prince William citizens, winning Prince William precincts by 60 percent.
Maybe Stewart’s right in what he said about the media (No, not that; what he said Wednesday night.)
“What a night! Even all of you in the press, I love you, but you’re just wrong- because you all said it couldn’t be done. You all said that somebody supporting our president, somebody out financed five to one, someone who was fighting the establishment could not win. I want to let you know folks, it is too close to call.”
Gillespie was strongest on the eastern end of the state and most populated areas. He won Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun, around the Richmond, Norfolk and Virginia Beach, as well as the cities of Charlottesville and Winchester.
Stewart won the western and southern Virginia and the more rural parts of the state, but he also took Prince William, Fauquier and the City of Manassas.
Stewart unabashedly praised Trump as the anti-politicians even as his administrative faces challenges on multiple fronts.
“First among those things I wanted to do was to support the revolution that President Donald Trump started. This country has been ruled too long by a political establishment, whether the political establishment on the right by Republicans or on the Left by Democrats, because, in fact, establishment Republicans and Democrats are one in the same.”
Meanwhile, Gillespie is declaring victory, saying that Virginia is either the northernmost southern state or the southernmost northern state, but it needs to be a driver of the economy.
“I’m for a dynamic economy," said Gillespie promoting job creation.
He said that if he becomes the next governor he will make colleges more affordable, push for parental choice for their children’s education. He will also defend conservative values such as pro-life and the second amendment.
He said he will ban all gifts to himself and his family and make government in Virginia “ethical and transparent."
“I will be a governor for all Virginias” he said, saying that Virginians should not be divided men against women, young verses old or employee verses employer.
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