Virginia Attorney General election, 2021

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Attorney General of Virginia
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Democratic primary
Republican primary
General election
Election details
Filing deadline: March 25, 2021
Convention: May 8, 2021
Primary: June 8, 2021
General: November 2, 2021
Pre-election incumbent(s):
Mark Herring (D)
How to vote
Poll times: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Voting in Virginia
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2021
Impact of term limits in 2021
State government trifectas
State government triplexes
Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2021
Virginia
executive elections
Governor

Lieutenant governor
Attorney general

Jason Miyares (R) defeated incumbent Mark Herring (D) in the election for attorney general of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

Herring had served as Virginia’s attorney general since 2014. Miyares had served as state delegate representing District 82 in the Virginia House of Delegates since 2016.[1]

In a June 15 debate, Herring and Miyares outlined their campaign priorities and visions for the role of Virginia’s attorney general. Herring said he believed “the attorney general should be the people’s lawyer, working to keep Virginians safe and ensuring justice, equality, and opportunity for all.” He highlighted his participation in cases opposing Donald Trump’s (R) immigration policies for people from the Middle East, supporting same-sex marriage, and supporting the Affordable Care Act. Herring also criticized Miyares, saying: “Voters will have [a choice] between my proven record of protecting Virginians and expanding rights, and conservative activist Jason Miyares, who would abuse the powers of the office to roll back all of those gains and make Virginians less safe.”[2]

Miyares said he believed “the attorney general is the top cop of Virginia,” and highlighted his experience as a former prosecutor. He said he would support victims of crime and that “violent crime is at the highest rate it’s been in two decades, Virginia’s murder rate is the highest it’s been since the turn of the decade. We desperately need some type of check and balance in Richmond.” He criticized Herring, saying: “Mark Herring has forgotten our victims because he’s been pushing a criminal-first, victim-last mindset that’s made Virginians less safe and less secure.”[2]

Miyares completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection Survey. Click here to view his responses.

Herring (D) won re-election in 2017 with 53.4% of the vote to John Adams’ (R) 46.6%. The last Republican attorney general in Virginia was Ken Cuccinelli, who served from 2010 to 2014. Cuccinelli’s election in 2009, along with that year’s election of former Governor Bob McDonnell (R), was the last time a Republican candidate won statewide office in Virginia.[3] A Virginia attorney general had not served three consecutive terms since 1945 when Abram Penn Staples (D) was elected for the third time.[4]

The Attorney General of Virginia is a publicly elected executive official in the Virginia state government. The attorney general provides legal advice and representation for all state agencies. The attorney general also provides written legal advice in the form of official opinions to members of the Virginia General Assembly and other government officials.

This page focuses on Virginia's general election for attorney general. For more in-depth information on Virginia's Republican attorney general convention and the Democratic primary election, see the following pages:

Candidates and election results

General election

General election for Attorney General of Virginia

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Jason Miyares
Jason Miyares (R) Candidate Connection
 
50.4
 
1,647,534
Image of Mark Herring
Mark Herring (D)
 
49.6
 
1,621,227
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
2,996

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 3,271,757
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Virginia

Candidate
%
Votes
✔
Image of Mark Herring
Mark Herring
 
56.6
 
274,736
Image of Jerrauld Jones
Jerrauld Jones
 
43.4
 
210,365

Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 485,101
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

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Republican Convention for Attorney General of Virginia

The following candidates advanced in the ranked-choice voting election: Jason Miyares in round 3 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

Total votes: 12,553
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Candidate profiles

This section includes candidate profiles created in one of two ways: either the candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey, or Ballotpedia staff compiled a profile based on campaign websites, advertisements, and public statements after identifying the candidate as noteworthy.[5]


Mark Herring

Mark Herring

Image of Mark Herring

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Democratic Party

Incumbent: Yes

Political Office: 

Biography:  Herring received a bachelor’s degree in economics and foreign affairs and a master’s degree in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia. He received a law degree from the University of Richmond. Before entering politics, he worked at Herring & Turner, P.C. as an attorney.


Key Messages

The following key messages were curated by Ballotpedia staff. For more on how we identify key messages, click here.

Herring said he worked to oppose discrimination in Virginia’s legal system by implementing internal investigations of unconstitutional actions by police. He said he would work to legalize marijuana and make record expungement more accessible for marijuana-related offenses.

Herring criticized Miyares, saying he would implement policies that undermined public safety and civil rights and that he was overly politically partisan.

Herring highlighted his record as Virginia's attorney general. He said he participated in cases opposing Donald Trump’s (R) immigration policies in the Middle East, supporting same-sex marriage, and supporting the Affordable Care Act.

Show sources

Sources: Mark Herring's campaign website, "Priorities," accessed April 9, 2021; Facebook, "WTKR News 3 on June 15, 2021," accessed June 22, 2021; WAVY.com, "Candidate Profile: Mark Herring (Attorney General)," April 5, 2021; LinkedIn, "Mark Herring," accessed April 9, 2021

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Virginia in 2021.

Jason Miyares

Jason Miyares

Image of Jason Miyares

WebsiteFacebookTwitterYouTube

Party: Republican Party

Incumbent: No

Political Office: None

Submitted Biography:  "My story doesn’t begin in America - it begins in Cuba in 1965 when my mother Miriam Miyares fled communist Cuba with nothing but the clothes on her back and no idea where her next meal would come from. She legally immigrated to the United States where she instilled in my two brothers and me a passion for freedom and democracy. After graduating from the William and Mary School of Law I became a prosecutor, where I learned how many victims of violent crime feel forgotten and left without justice. In 2015, I was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates to represent Virginia Beach. In my time representing the 82nd district I stood proudly with the law enforcement community and fought for Virginians. I advanced landmark legislation that made it easier for small business owners to provide childcare services as a benefit to their employees and in 2019 I was awarded the “Action Award” from the Safe House project for my legislative initiatives combating human trafficking. My mission is Virginia’s safety and it would be the honor of my life to serves as the next Attorney General."

Key Messages

To read this candidate's full survey responses, click here.

The victims of violent crimes are too often ignored and forgotten in Richmond. An out-of-control, corrupt parole board has let repeat felons, rapists, murderers, cop killers, and child abusers out of prison, back in our neighborhoods and communities. In addition, Virginia’s murder rate is at its highest since the turn of the century. Jason Miyares will put an end to the criminal first mindset that currently controls the Attorney General’s Office. He will prioritize public safety, enforce commonsense laws that protect our communities and ensure that violent, repeat offenders stay behind bars and off our streets, serving the time they were given.

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are struggling under high taxation, litigation and regulation coming out of Richmond. Jason Miyares will fight to preserve Virginia’s Right to Work status and is a passionate believer in a “bottom-up” economy that doesn’t favor big corporations but instead supports the policies that allows small business owners to grow, thrive and most importantly, hire.

It is time we stand with those that fight to keep our communities safe and secure. Jason believes that we should be funding the police, instead of defunding them, and be giving them the tools they need to succeed. He will protect qualified immunity and make sure that law enforcement officers who risk their lives everyday to protect our communities know that they are supported.

This information was current as of the candidate's run for Attorney General of Virginia in 2021.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
Virginia attorney general election, 2021: General election polls
Poll Date Herring Democratic Party Miyares Republican Party Undecided/Other Margin of error Sample size Sponsor
Christopher Newport University[6] Oct. 17-25, 2021 48% 47% 5%[7] ± 3.5 944 N/A
Suffolk University/USA Today[8] Oct. 21-24, 2021 48% 45% 7%[9] ± 4.4 500 N/A
Christopher Newport University[10] Sept. 27 - Oct. 6, 2021 49% 43% 7%[11] ± 4.2 802 N/A
Emerson College/Nexstar Media[12] Oct. 1-3, 2021 46% 44% 11%[13] ± 3.9 620 N/A
Virginia Commonwealth University[14] Sept. 7-15, 2021 39% 33% 28%[15] ± 5.4 811 N/A

Campaign finance

The tables below contain data from financial reports submitted to state agencies. The data is gathered and made available by Transparency USA. Transparency USA tracks loans separately from total contributions. View each candidates' loan totals, if any, here and learn more about this data here.

Noteworthy endorsements

See also: Ballotpedia: Our approach to covering endorsements

This section lists noteworthy endorsements issued in this election, including those made by high-profile individuals and organizations, cross-party endorsements, and endorsements made by newspaper editorial boards. It also includes a bulleted list of links to official lists of endorsements for any candidates who published that information on their campaign websites. Please note that this list is not exhaustive. If you are aware of endorsements that should be included, please click here.

Click the links below to see endorsement lists published on candidate campaign websites, if available.

Noteworthy endorsements
Endorsement Herring (D) Miyares (R)
Newspapers and editorials
The Washington Post[33] ✔
Elected officials
Rep. Don Beyer (D)[34] ✔
Rep. Ben Cline (R)[35] ✔
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D)[36] ✔
Sen. Marco Rubio (R)[35] ✔
Individuals
Former Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley (R)[35] ✔

Timeline

2021

Campaign advertisements

This section shows advertisements released in this race. Ads released by campaigns and, if applicable, satellite groups are embedded or linked below. If you are aware of advertisements that should be included, please email us.

Democratic Party Mark Herring

Supporting Herring

"Alex" - Herring campaign ad, released October 29, 2021
"Dose of Reality" - Herring campaign ad, released September 23, 2021
"So Ambitious" - Herring campaign ad, released June 3, 2021
"Positive Difference" - Herring campaign ad, released June 3, 2021
"Why I Do It" - Herring campaign ad, released May 17, 2021
"Illuminated" - Herring campaign ad, released March 9, 2021
"Walk The Walk" - Herring campaign ad, released March 2, 2021
"Shannon Taylor Endorses Mark Herring for Attorney General" - Herring campaign ad, released January 18, 2021
"I'm running for re-election" - Herring campaign ad, released December 16, 2020


Opposing Miyares

"The Plan" - Herring campaign ad, released October 20, 2021
"Protecting His" - Herring campaign ad, released September 29, 2021

Republican Party Jason Miyares

Supporting Miayres

"Miriam Miyares Radio Story" - Miyares campaign ad, released October 25, 2021
"Pledge" - Miyares campaign ad, released September 24, 2021
"Jason Miyares for Attorney General" - Miyares campaign ad, released December 2, 2020


Opposing Herring

"Herring Failed" - Miyares campaign ad, released October 23, 2021
"Hypocrite Herring" - Miyares campaign ad, released October 20, 2021
"One Party Control" - Miyares campaign ad, released October 5, 2021
"Gobble Stop" - Miyares campaign ad, released October 1, 2021
"Oath" - Miyares campaign ad, released September 15, 2021

Debates and forums

Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce debate (October 13, 2021)

"2021 Loudoun Chamber of Commerce Virginia Attorney General Debate" - October 13, 2021

Click the links below to read coverage of the debate:

Virginia State Bar debate (June 15, 2021)

Campaign themes

See also: Campaign themes

Democratic Party Mark Herring

Campaign website

Herring’s campaign website stated the following:

“
  • BUILDING SAFER, STRONGER COMMUNITIES FOR ALL VIRGINIANS

Attorney General Mark R. Herring is working every day to promote safe, successful communities in every corner of the Commonwealth, where justice, equality, and opportunity are guaranteed for all Virginians. He has advocated for substantial reforms to address disparities and inequities throughout the criminal justice system including cash bail reform, expanding opportunities for record expungement, growing Virginia’s reentry programs, and ensuring accountability and transparency in policing.He has also become the leader on marijuana reform in Virginia by calling for decriminalization, which passed during the 2020 legislative session, and continuing the fight for full legalization.

Attorney General Herring has brought together law enforcement, community leaders, the faith community, and others to find common ground, identify solutions, and ensure the safety of our communities and the equal and fair treatment of all our citizens. He and his team led an ambitious 21st century policing training initiative that helped hundreds of officers receive training on critical skills like implicit bias control, de-escalation, and crisis intervention training. He has also advocated for policing reforms that will reduce brutality and abuses of power by law enforcement, increase transparency, accountability, justice, and equality. These include enabling the Attorney General to conduct “patterns or practice” investigations; making it easier to remove bad officers from the law enforcement profession; creating a “duty to intervene” for law enforcement officers; modernizing, standardizing, and elevating the rigor of police training; among others.

Attorney General Herring is leading the way in transforming how Virginia works to prevent and responds to sexual and domestic violence. He eliminated Virginia’s backlog of 2,665 untested rape kits, as part of a $3.4 million project, that resulted in 851 new profiles added to the national DNA database, 354 “hits” sent back to localities for review, and at least 2 charges, with more anticipated. He chaired Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Task Force on Combating Campus Sexual Violence, which helped make Virginia a national leader on the issue. He has helped implement Lethality Assessment Protocol, an innovative tool to prevent domestic violence and homicide, in dozens of communities around the Commonwealth.

Attorney General Herring has been recognized as one of Virginia’s foremost authorities in responding to the heroin and opioid crisis that continues to affect so many families in Virginia and around the country. He has relentlessly pursued a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes education, prevention, and treatment alongside enforcement and cracking down on dealers and traffickers who profit off addiction and threaten Virginians’ lives. He has also gone after opioid manufacturers and distributors for their role in creating and prolonging the opioid crisis by putting profits over human lives. He and his team have prosecuted more than 75 cases against heroin dealers and traffickers involving more than 375 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, which is about 1.69 million doses worth about $17 million on the streets.

Even in the NRA’s home state, Attorney General Herring has stood up to the gun lobby and has defended Virginia’s new gun safety measures in court, like the proven-effective one-handgun-a-month law and Virginia’s expanded background checks. He has built a record of achievement in reducing gun violence, prosecuting more than 100 cases involving illegal guns and gun violence. He has also led effective projects to reduce gun violence using public health and violence interruption models.

  • COMBATING THE HEROIN AND OPIOID EPIDEMIC

Attorney General Herring has been recognized as one of Virginia’s foremost authorities in responding to the heroin and opioid crisis that is touching so many families in Virginia and around the country. Because he understands that we can’t just arrest our way out of this problem, he has relentlessly pursued a comprehensive strategy that emphasizes education, prevention, and treatment alongside enforcement against dealers and traffickers who profit off addiction.

Attorney General Herring launched an unprecedented five-point plan to address the crisis which includes legislation, education, prevention, enforcement, and collaboration. He was recognized with the “Bronze Key Award” from the McShin Foundation for his commitment and effectiveness in addressing substance abuse.

Attorney General Herring and his team have been relentless in cracking down on the dealers and traffickers who profit off addiction and threaten Virginians’ lives. He and his team have prosecuted more than 75 cases against heroin dealers and traffickers involving more than 375 pounds of heroin and fentanyl, which is about 1.69 million doses worth about $17 million on the streets.

Because education and prevention are key to solving the problem, Attorney General Herring created “Heroin: The Hardest Hit,” an award-winning documentary and a companion website www.HardestHitVA.com which serves as a one-stop shop for education and prevention materials. The film is now mandatory viewing in health education classes around the state, and the office is even educating middle schoolers on the dangers of heroin and prescription drug abuse.

The General Assembly passed two lifesaving pieces of legislation brought forward by Attorney General Herring, one to make Naloxone, a lifesaving overdose reversal drug, available without a prescription and available to all law enforcement officers and first responders, and one to create the state’s first “Good Samaritan” safe reporting law to encourage people in the presence of an overdose to call 911. Those two measures have saved thousands of lives since their enactment. This year, he helped expand Naloxone access to community organizations and nonprofits.

Attorney General Herring secured the donation of more than 80,000 drug disposal kits to get unused prescriptions out of medicine cabinets before they can be abused. He has partnered with the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District to create the Hampton Roads Heroin Work Group, and he and his team are active members of multiple heroin task forces around the state.

  • KEEPING OUR CHILDREN SAFE

Attorney General Mark R. Herring recognizes that nothing is more important than the safety of our children. That’s why he has made Virginia a national leader in the use of innovative technology to protect children and catch perpetrators, and led a bipartisan effort to expand the reach of Virginia’s efforts. He and his team have helped put hundreds of child predators behind bars through aggressive prosecutions and digital forensics work.

Attorney General Herring and his team have worked more than 250 cases against child predators, secured jail sentences of more than 500 years, and examined more than 2,000 computers, phones, and other devices in 400 different cases. He made the services of the office more readily available and accessible to state and local law enforcement agencies and invested in a mobile computer forensics lab so technicians can analyze child pornography at the scene of the crime.

Attorney General Herring’s Office has invested in cutting edge technology that makes it easier for investigators to identify child victims and rescue them from dangerous situations. Virginia is one of only about 5 states to utilize this powerful technology, which has led to additional arrests, more than 4,000 pieces of evidence, more than 1,000 tips, and more than 200 active investigations.

Attorney General Herring has partnered with South Dakota Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley to launch the bipartisan Campaign for Child Rescue, a joint effort by child welfare advocates, law enforcement agencies, and the high-tech sector to promote new technology to make investigations easier, to build stronger cases, and to identify and rescue children from dangerous situations.

Attorney General Herring and his team have been integral to high-profile child pornography and child exploitation prosecutions including a cross-country child sex ring, a former youth hockey coach in Northern Virginia, and a former school teacher in the Richmond area.

  • REDUCING GUN VIOLENCE

Attorney General Herring has stood up to the gun lobby and a legislature that is beholden to it. He has built a record of combating gun violence and has taken strong stands in favor of common sense gun safety measures.

Attorney General Herring has assembled a team of prosecutors to crack down on felons with firearms and gun runners. He and his team prosecuted more than 100 gun crimes, including violent crimes, in both state and federal court.

Attorney General Herring has formed strong working relationships with law enforcement partners, especially in Washington, DC and Maryland, as well as building relationships with local, state, federal, and interstate law enforcement partners.

To address domestic homicide using a gun, Attorney General Herring has built a comprehensive program for training law enforcement and members of Virginia communities in the use of Lethality Assessment Protocol to save lives.

To crack down on gun running out of Virginia, he has fought for the reinstatement of Virginia’s “one handgun a month” law and mandatory background checks on all gun sales including those at gun shows.

Attorney General Herring has worked with the Virginia faith community to demand gun manufacturers implement gun safety technology and joined with the Attorneys General of Washington D.C. and Maryland to write a letter to those manufacturers requesting information on their safety measures.

  • PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT

Attorney General Mark R. Herring has fought for clean air and water, open spaces, clean energy, and to hold polluters accountable. He has been a consistent voice for progress in developing clean energy and addressing climate change because of Virginia’s unique vulnerability to climate change and sea level rise.

In 2016, Attorney General Herring secured the largest environmental damages settlement in Virginia history. He has also brought successful enforcement actions against polluters who damage Virginia waterways.

He has made Virginia the first Chesapeake Bay state to successfully defend the Bay cleanup plan in court against a legal attack by out-of-state special interests and attorneys general from states as far away as Alaska.

As part of the “Green 20,” Attorney General Herring is working with a group of his fellow attorneys general who have committed to address climate change, protect progress made in recent years, and promote cleaner energy. Attorney General Herring is defending President Obama’s Clean Power Plan in court because it is an ambitious, achievable, and lawful roadmap for enjoying the health, environmental, and economic benefits of cleaner air. He has opposed the Trump Administration’s attempts to withdraw the Clean Power Plan and kill pending litigation regarding its lawfulness.

In official opinions, Attorney General Herring has clarified and confirmed the ability of the Virginia Air Pollution Control Board to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases and the authority of local governments to regulate “fracking.” Working with then-Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Attorney General Herring has helped grow solar, wind, and renewable energy sectors in Virginia, including new solar projects that will power state government facilities.

Attorney General Herring fought in court to defend Virginia’s conservation easement tax credit program, and spoke out strongly in opposition to President Trump’s proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and Chesapeake Bay Program.

  • DEFENDING WOMEN’S RIGHTS

Attorney General Mark R. Herring has been an unwavering advocate for Virginia women on issues of economic fairness, reproductive justice, and more. Along with Governors Terry McAuliffe and Ralph Northam, he has been a brick wall against Republican attacks on a woman’s reproductive freedom, and has fought in court to defend a woman’s access to comprehensive healthcare services including abortion and birth control. In his own office, he has taken unprecedented steps to elevate women in leadership positions, build an inclusive workforce, and promote pay equity.

Attorney General Herring reversed dangerous and incorrect legal advice from his predecessor that had closed at least one women’s health clinic and threatened the closure of more through medically unnecessary and intentionally burdensome regulations. Because of his correct legal advice in what the Washington Post called “a watertight official opinion,” the Virginia Board of Health protected women’s health clinics from expensive and medically unnecessary retrofits that would have closed many Virginia clinics that offer abortion services.

Attorney General Herring successfully fought alongside his colleagues in Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstedt to strike down Texas’s onerous, medically unnecessary targeted regulations of abortion providers (TRAP).

He also led a multi state coalition defending access to healthcare on the Affordable Care Act exchanges.

  • FIGHTING FOR JUSTICE AND EQUALITY FOR ALL VIRGINIANS

Promoting Diversity
Attorney General Mark R. Herring believes our Commonwealth’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths. He has had a front row seat as his home county of Loudoun has transformed itself and become more economically dynamic as it became more diverse and welcoming. He understands that immigration has been a source of economic and cultural benefit for Virginia for more than 400 years and is working each and every day to make sure that new Virginians are welcome here.

Attorney General Herring has been an outspoken advocate for minority communities, launching www.NoHateVA.com as a resource and seeking additional tools to protect those who are vulnerable from hate crimes and to hold perpetrators accountable.

Attorney General Herring was a national leader in fighting former President Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim ban, successfully arguing that the ban was unconstitutional and based on religious bigotry and winning the nation’s first preliminary injunction against the ban.

In 2014, Attorney General Herring determined that Virginia DREAMers who were protected by DACA could qualify for in-state tuition and pursue an affordable education in their home state. Since then, hundreds of Virginia students have been able to pursue an affordable education in their home state.

Attorney General Herring is working to strengthen the relationships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve, especially in communities of color, by providing additional training on 21st century policing skills like implicit bias, helping departments recruit more diverse officers, and encouraging positive interactions between officers and young people.

And he has worked to build a world class team of lawyers that reflects the diversity of the people they serve, including appointing the first African-American woman to serve as Chief Deputy Attorney General of Virginia.

Fighting For Equality
Just 12 days into his term, Attorney General Mark R. Herring took the historic step of joining the fight for marriage equality, winning at the district court and appeals court before the United States Supreme Court let the decision stand, bringing marriage equality to the Commonwealth within 10 months of his taking office. Attorney General Herring is the first state attorney general to successfully argue that his state’s ban on marriage for same-sex couples should be struck down as unconstitutional.

Attorney General Herring wrote an official advisory opinion that said Virginia public schools can protect LGBT students, teachers, and employees from bullying, discrimination, and harassment. He also ended a policy of the previous administration that barred Virginia colleges and universities from establishing LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policies.

Attorney General Herring proposed and fought for an updated definition of “hate crime” to include LGBT Virginians, and for additional tools to prosecute suspected hate crimes. He signed an amicus brief in support of transgender students being able to receive an education in a comfortable environment. And he worked with then-Governor Terry McAuliffe to craft an Executive Order barring state contracts to companies who do not have LGBT-inclusive nondiscrimination policies, mirroring President Obama’s federal executive order.

  • PROMOTING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Attorney General Mark R. Herring is a pro-business, pro-opportunity attorney general, working everyday to make sure Virginia remains the best state in America to live, work, learn, and raise a family, or to start and grow a business. His background in the private sector, as both a small business owner and an attorney serving Northern Virginia’s business and professional communities, gives him a unique perspective on how to help Virginia businesses thrive.

Attorney General Herring is helping to build safe, successful communities in every corner of the Commonwealth. He is spearheading the state’s response to the heroin and opioid crisis, combatting gun and gang violence, and transforming the way Virginia works to prevent and respond to sexual and domestic violence.

In an increasingly global economy, Attorney General Herring is working to create a Commonwealth where businesses, entrepreneurs, and talented workers from around the world feel welcome to start, grow, or work at a Virginia business. He has championed common sense immigration reforms, given the children of immigrants who have only called Virginia home an opportunity to pursue an affordable college education in Virginia, and sought new tools and resources to combat hate crimes.

Attorney General Herring and his team have worked on legislation to help Virginia prepare for the growing “sharing economy,” and to combat “patent trolls” that force Virginia businesses into expensive litigation over bad-faith claims of patent infringement. [55]

”
—Mark Herring’s campaign website (2021)[56]


Republican Party Jason Miayres

Campaign website

Miyares' campaign website stated the following:

“
  • Punish Criminals and Protect Victims

The victims of violent crimes are too often ignored or forgotten in Richmond. An out-of-control parole board has let out felons, rapists, murderers, cop killers, and child abusers out of prison and back in our neighborhoods and communities. This failure to protect the safety of Virginia families is a fireable offense, and as a former criminal prosecutor, Jason has seen first-hand the toll violent crime has on victims, families and communities. As Virginia’s next Attorney General he will make your safety his mission to protect all Virginians.

  • Recreate a Pro-Business Virginia

Socialists Democrats in Richmond continue to put the rights of dangerous criminals ahead of the safety of Virginia families. Jason will always put Virginia first and stand up for victims of violent crime.

  • Stand with Police

It is time we stand with those that stand everyday to keep our communities safe and secure. We should be funding the police instead of defunding them, and give them the tools they need to succeed. Law enforcement officers risk their lives keeping our communities safe and they deserve to know we have their back. As a former prosecutor, Jason has worked with law enforcement and is honored to have the support of members of law enforcement, prosecutors and sheriffs throughout the commonwealth who are tired of a criminal first, victim last mindset in Richmond.

  • Restore Law & Order

Time and time again we have seen how our current Attorney General remained silent and failed to step in when local prosecutors allowed dozens of rioters to avoid prosecution for their crimes, effectively setting them free. Jason has a record of putting violent criminals behind bars, consistently defending Virginians and if local prosecutors are unable or unwilling to prosecute violent criminals he will step in.

  • Common Sense Election Reform

Democrats continue to oppose cleaning voter rolls and commonsense election integrity measures like showing an ID to vote. Jason supports reform measures that give the confidence for all Virginians that elections are run with integrity and openness.

  • Fight Human Trafficking

Human trafficking remains one of the most heinous of all crimes. During his time in the General Assembly Jason was recognized by the Safe House Project for his efforts combating this issue, and he is a passionate advocate for increased penalties and mandatory minimums for those that would prey on the most vulnerable. Jason Miyares proposes innovative legislation that would seize property from landlords who knowingly rent to human traffickers and turn the proceeds to organizations who treat those that are the victims of this heinous crime.

  • Opposing Illegal Immigration

As potentially the first Attorney General since 1786 that would be the child of an immigrant, Jason is a passionate believer in the American Miracle and that our nation is a nation of second chances. If your family came to America seeking freedom and opportunity chances are your family is a lot like the Miyares Family. Miyares supports legal immigration, but he will not allow illegal immigrants to take advantage of American laws and is in favor of efforts to strengthen border security.

  • Fight for the next generation

The closure of schools for over a year has had an unconscionable impact on our children and most vulnerable. During a time when America was having a great debate about inequality in our great nation we shut down one of the great equalizing tools in our society; our schools. Over the past year we have seen the Virginia public education system fail our children, their parents, and in particular the most vulnerable students that struggle with learning disabilities or have an IEP. The Virginia State Constitution gives our kids the right to an education and Jason pledges to sue any school district on behalf of parents that is not fully open by the time he is sworn in.

  • Look out for the Vulnerable

Jason Miyares wants to create the Senior Strike Force which would be aimed at protecting senior citizens from fraud. The strike force will be made up of dedicated investigators and prosecutors whose sole purpose is to put those who defraud Virginia’s most vulnerable population behind bars. [55]

”
—Jason Miyares' campaign website (2021)[57]


Past elections

Virginia state government organizational chart

The Attorney General of Virginia is elected every four years at the same time the governor is elected. These elections take place one year after the presidential elections. In Virginia, 2021, 2025, 2029, and 2033 are all election years for the attorney general.


About the office

Attorney general

See also: Attorney General of Virginia

The Attorney General of Virginia is a publicly elected executive official in the Virginia state government. The attorney general provides legal advice and representation for all state agencies. Additionally, the attorney general provides written legal advice in the form of official opinions to members of the Virginia General Assembly and government officials. The current officeholder is Democrat Mark Herring. He was first elected in 2013 and was sworn in January 11, 2014.

See also: Virginia General Assembly, Virginia House of Delegates, Virginia State Senate

State profile

Demographic data for Virginia
 VirginiaU.S.
Total population:8,367,587316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):39,4903,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:69%73.6%
Black/African American:19.2%12.6%
Asian:6%5.1%
Native American:0.3%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.1%0.2%
Two or more:3.2%3%
Hispanic/Latino:8.6%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:88.3%86.7%
College graduation rate:36.3%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$65,015$53,889
Persons below poverty level:13%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Virginia.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Virginia

Virginia voted for the Democratic candidate in four out of the six presidential elections between 2000 and 2020.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Virginia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.[59]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Virginia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia

Pivot Counties

See also: Pivot Counties by state

Five of 133 Virginia counties—3.8 percent—are Pivot Counties. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.

Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008
County Trump margin of victory in 2016 Obama margin of victory in 2012 Obama margin of victory in 2008
Buckingham County, Virginia 11.28% 2.43% 0.87%
Caroline County, Virginia 5.02% 8.24% 11.97%
Essex County, Virginia 2.14% 7.30% 10.35%
Nelson County, Virginia 5.59% 2.72% 9.15%
Westmoreland County, Virginia 7.14% 6.95% 10.24%

Note: Although it is highlighted in the map above, the city of Chesapeake is not considered a county and not included in our calculations as such.

In the 2016 presidential election, Virginia was a battleground state. Hillary Clinton (D) won Virginia with 49.7 percent of the vote. Donald Trump (R) received 44.4 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic 56.67 percent of the time and Republican 43.33 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Virginia voted Democratic three times (2008, 2012, and 2016) and Republican two times (2000 and 2004).

See also

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External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Jason Miyares' campaign website, "About Conservative Leader & Delegate Jason Miyares," accessed April 1, 2021
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Facebook, "WTKR News 3 on June 15, 2021," accessed June 22, 2021
  3. ↑ NPR, "Why It's Been Years Since A Va. Republican Won Statewide Office," June 13, 2018
  4. ↑ LoudounNow, "Randall Backs Herring Re-election Bid," March 17, 2021
  5. ↑ In battleground primaries, Ballotpedia based its selection of noteworthy candidates on polling, fundraising, and noteworthy endorsements. In battleground general elections, all major party candidates and any other candidates with the potential to impact the outcome of the race were included.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Christopher Newport University, "October 27, 2021," Oct. 27, 2021
  7. ↑ Undecided/Don't know: 5%
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Suffolk University, "SUPRC Polling in Other States," accessed Oct. 26, 2021
  9. ↑ Undecided: 5%
    Refused: 2%
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Christopher Newport University, "2021 Virginia Statewide Elections Update," Oct. 8, 2021
  11. ↑ Undecided/don't know: 7%
  12. ↑ Emerson College, "Virginia 2021: Dead Heat in Governor and Attorney General Race," Oct. 6, 2021
  13. ↑ Someone else: 1%
    Undecided: 10%
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Virginia Commonwealth University, "McAuliffe leads in race for governor," Sept. 20, 2021
  15. ↑ Neither of these: 14%
    Don't know/Refused: 14%
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Emerson College, "Virginia 2021: Competitive Governor's Race and Division Over Critical Race Theory," accessed Sept. 16, 2021
  17. ↑ Someone else: 2%
    Undecided: 11%
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Monmouth University, "Virginia: McAuliffe Holds Issue Edge in Guv Race," Aug. 31, 2021
  19. ↑ Other candidate: 1%
    No one: <1%
    Undecided: 11%
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Trafalgar Group, "Virginia Attorney General General Election Survey," Aug. 30, 2021
  21. ↑ Undecided: 13%
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Christopher Newport University, "Wason-AARP Virginia General Election," Aug. 26, 2021
  23. ↑ Someone else: 0%
    Undecided/don't know: 6%
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Roanoke College, "Roanoke College Poll: McAuliffe leads Youngkin in race for Virginia Governor," Aug. 20, 2021
  25. ↑ Some other candidate: 1%
    Undecided: 17%
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 Virginia Commonwealth University, "McAuliffe and Youngkin in a virtual tie in race for governor," accessed Aug. 23, 2021
  27. ↑ Virginia Commonwealth University, "Wilder School Commonwealth Poll," accessed Aug. 23, 2021
  28. ↑ Neither of these: 20%
    Don't Know/Refused: 10%
  29. ↑ JMC Analytics and Polling reported that the party affiliations of candidates were mentioned during polling.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 JMC Analytics and Polling, "Virginia Statewide Poll Results," accessed June 23, 2021
  31. ↑ cnalysis, "Poll: Democrats Hold Slight Leads in 2021 Virginia Elections" June 13, 2021
  32. ↑ Undecided/Blank: 17%
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 Mark Herring's campaign website, "ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK HERRING ENDORSED BY THE WASHINGTON POST FOR RE-ELECTION," September 16, 2021 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "wapo" defined multiple times with different content
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 Facebook, "Mark Herring on February 17, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 35.3 35.4 35.5 35.6 Jason Miyares' campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed April 16, 2021
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Facebook, "Mark Herring on January 29, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  37. ↑ 37.0 37.1 Jerrauld Jones on July 14, 2020," accessed April 9, 2021
  38. ↑ Facebook, "Jerrauld Jones on March 4, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  39. ↑ 13 News Now, "Rep. Bobby Scott endorses Del. Jay Jones for Virginia Attorney General," May 12, 2021
  40. ↑ Twitter, "Jerrauld Jones on March 2, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 Mark Herring's campaign website, "LABOR UNIONS AFSCME, SMART, UFCW LOCAL 400, AND SEIU 32BJ ENDORSE ATTORNEY GENERAL MARK HERRING FOR RE-ELECTION," April 20, 2021
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Augusta Free Press, "Emgage PAC, American Muslim Women PAC endorse Mark Herring in AG race," April 16, 2021
  43. ↑ Augusta Free Press, "‘Elections matter’: Why Brady PAC is backing Mark Herring in the AG primary," April 20, 2021
  44. ↑ Facebook, "Mark Herring on April 5, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  45. ↑ Facebook, "Jerrauld Jones on February 5, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  46. ↑ Facebook, "Jerrauld Jones on February 9, 2021," accessed April 9, 2021
  47. ↑ Giffords, "Giffords Endorses Mark Herring for Reelection in Virginia," April 19, 2021
  48. ↑ Twitter, "Blue Virginia on May 20, 2021," accessed May 20, 2021
  49. ↑ Twitter, "Jason Miyares on April 27, 2021," accessed April 28, 2021
  50. ↑ Twitter, "Jason Miyares on April 28, 2021," accessed April 29, 2021
  51. ↑ Twitter, "Jason Miyares on April 30, 2021," accessed April 30, 2021
  52. ↑ 52.0 52.1 Leslie Haley's campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed April 16, 2021
  53. ↑ Facebook, "Chuck Smith on March 26, 2021," accessed April 12, 2021
  54. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named emupoll2
  55. ↑ 55.0 55.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  56. ↑ Mark Herring’s campaign website, “Priorities,” accessed June 14, 2021
  57. ↑ Jason Miyares' campaign website, “Issues,” accessed June 14, 2021
  58. ↑ Virginia Department of Elections, "List of Statewide Candidates," October 17, 2017
  59. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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