Northam Endorsement in Lt. Governor Race Coming Soon

Big shakeup coming in Election Nerd Disneyland a.k.a. - Virginia primary battle

Late last night I received word that Governor Ralph Northam is expected to endorse this week in the crowded Democratic field for Lt. Governor.

This endorsement could very well decide the outcome in the Democratic nomination for his old job as LG. In fact, I’m betting on it.

According to Democratic campaign operatives, Northam’s approval rating in the party is in the upper 90% range so his nod in this low Name ID six way race is pivotal.

And who he is endorsing for LG is a really big deal given all that’s going on in the General Assembly and statewide races. (No, I’m not telling. It’s the governor’s announcement to make - but it’s big.)

Since Northam endorsed both former Governor Terry McAuliffe for Governor and Delegate Jay Jones for Attorney General on Thursdays, I would look for the announcement then.

(Thursdays are the best days for media impressions and it sets up weekend carry over conversations. Which is why bad news is announced/hidden on Five O’Clock Somewhere Fridays. Ah…)

Paid Subscribers and Virginia FREE members be on the look out for that intel and analysis.

This comes on the heels of Delegate Elizabeth Guzman’s withdrawal from the Lt. Governor nomination contest so that she can redeploy her campaign treasury and staff to winning back her House seat.

On March 11th, I reported that Guzman (D-Prince William) was considering a withdrawal. Given her suboptimal first quarter finance report, she made the tough, but obvious call to catch one Confucian rabbit versus chasing and losing two.

Guzman still has an uphill race for the Democratic nomination in the 31st House District. Her main opponent, out of three, is Rod Hall who has received over $10,000 in donations from House Approps Chairman Luke Torian (Prince William), Senators Jeremy McPike (Prince William) and Scott Surovell (Fairfax/Prince William), Delegate Hala Ayala (not running for her Prince William seat), and LG candidate/Norfolk Council Member Andria McClellan. Not to mention former Mark Warner Chief of Staff David Hallock (also former VaFREE Board member), Mike Hamlar, and Joe Dillard.

It’s one thing to have a nomination opponent, but when that opponent is well funded by your own locality’s delegation? Yikes…

That’s a strong signal to the business community that supporting a candidate like Rod Hall might be a low risk high reward strategic play given Guzman’s voting record.

While Election Nerd Disneyland has a new ride in Prince William County, we’re just seven weeks away from seeing in which direction the Post Trump Democratic Party of Virginia intends to go.

Les Jeux Sont Fait!

**Bonus score if you can connect Thursday and the Roulette scene from Casablanca.

Reminder - Virginia FREE Fridays Noon Zoom this week will break down the latest finance reports impact as we track the competitive House races and also where the Republican and Democratic statewide nominations stand.