The Virginia gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 2013 following a Democratic primary election on June 11, 2013 and a Republican statewide convention on May 17-18, 2013.

Incumbent Bob McDonnell (R) was term limited from running for re-election in 2013.

Democratic businessman Terry McAuliffe defeated Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to take the seat.^[1]

Results

Virginia Gubernatorial General Election, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Terry McAuliffe	47.8%	1,069,789
	Republican	Ken Cuccinelli	45.2%	1,013,354
	Libertarian	Robert Sarvis	6.5%	146,084
	N/A	Write-in	0.5%	11,087
Total Votes				2,240,314
Election Results via Virginia State Board of Elections.

Race background

Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) was ineligible to run for re-election in 2013 because of term limits. Term limits for governors in Virginia are more strict than any other state in the country. Under the commonwealth's constitution, no governor may serve back-to-back terms. This means that McDonnell, unlike other governors in their first term, was ineligible to run for re-election.

There are no such term limits on the attorney general, and many were surprised at former AG Ken Cuccinelli's (R) decision to run for governor, rather than seek another term. If not for Cuccinelli, outgoing Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling would have been the frontrunner for the Republican nomination to succeed McDonnell.^[2] Due to the state Republican Party's decision to change their candidate nomination method from open primary election to closed nominating convention starting in 2013, and Cuccinelli's presence in the race, Bolling withdrew his bid for the GOP nod in November 2012.^[3]^[4] About the alternative of seeking re-election to his current post, Bolling stated that “Under normal circumstances, I would be open to the possibility of running for another term as lieutenant governor, but I would not be interested in running on a statewide ticket with Mr. Cuccinelli.”^[5] He later said he regretted dropping out of the race as early as he did.^[6]

McDonnell had previously pledged his support for Bolling's candidacy, in part because Bolling refrained from challenging McDonnell for governor in 2009. After Bolling bowed out, McDonnell chose to endorse fellow Republican Cuccinelli for his successor, despite Cuccinelli's outspoken opposition to McDonnell's Transportation Initiative, which was considered to be the centerpiece of his gubernatorial legacy. Ironically, Cuccinelli's future general election opponent, former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, had been equally outspoken on the issue, but as an advocate and defender of the outgoing governor's approach to amending the state's transportation funding policy.^[7]^[8]

In response to the major party picks, the Libertarian Party held a special convention and nominated Robert Sarvis as the party's official gubernatorial candidate.^[9]

Like Cuccinelli and Sarvis, McAuliffe faced no primary opponent. Days from the election, McAuliffe held a comfortable polling and fundraising lead over Cuccinelli and Sarvis. Aggregated polling data had the Democratic nominee with an average edge of seven percentage points over Cuccinelli--an advantage that could have been attributed in large part to female voters' 58-34 preference of McAuliffe, since he and Cuccinelli were almost neck-and-neck among men.^[10]^[11] During the last campaign finance reporting period, ending October 28, McAuliffe reported raising $8.1 million to Cuccinelli's $2.9 million, and holding $1.6 million in cash on hand, which was twice the size of Cuccinelli's warchest. Sarvis was trailing both with a reported $81,595 raised and $58,584 on hand.^[12]^[13]^[14] Hillary Clinton's decision to come out in support of McAuliffe on October 19 - marking her first campaign event appearance since stepping down as U.S. Secretary of State - further enhanced the Democrat's frontrunner status.^[15] Former President Bill Clinton threw in his support soon thereafter, followed by President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who joined the McAuliffe campaign effort in the final week of the election season.^[16]

The three contenders squared off in the general election on November 5, 2013, which McAuliffe won by a 2.6 percent margin.^[17]

Impact of US government shutdown on governor's race

The 2013 federal government shutdown coincided with the home stretch of the 2013 Virginia gubernatorial race, which created a fresh backdrop for the battle between major party nominees Terry McAuliffe (D) and Ken Cuccinelli (R).^[18] Each campaign released an ad during the aftermath of the shutdown.^[19]

Hoping to use the shutdown to further advance his 5.3 percent polling lead by associating Cuccinelli with Republican members of Congress, McAuliffe's ad emphasized Cuccinelli's ties to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).^[20] The ad cited Cuccinelli's past effort to defund Planned Parenthood, asserting that it had slowed the passage of other legislation, and also claimed Cuccinelli had been sufficiently opposed to Mark Warner's 2004 budget to call for a shutdown of the state government.^[21]

Cuccinelli's ad aimed to discredit McAuliffe by referencing articles from The Washington Post and the Richmond-Times Dispatch criticizing McAuliffe's prospective budget plan and alleging that McAuliffe had threatened to shut down the government in the event that the plan did not pass. The radio spot also accused McAuliffe of being "against compromise, against working together to find solutions,” pointing to McAuliffe's support for Democratic members of Congress who had supported the government shutdown.^[22]^[23]

The shutdown was also referenced by Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis, who argued that it had soured voters on the major parties. "People are looking for other options they don't like what they have to see from those two parties and we're trying to fill that void with principled advocacy for more freedom in our economic sphere and personal lives," stated Sarvis.^[24]^[25]

Key dates

	2014 → ← 2012
	2013; State Executive Official Elections
	New Jersey • Virginia • Wisconsin
	Candidates • News • Calendar

Deadline	Event
March 28	Last day to file candidacy for primary election
May 17-18	Republican primary convention
May 20	Voter registration deadline for primary election
June 11	Primary election, last day for non-party candidates to file candidacy
June 17	Last day for Independent candidates to file for general election
Oct. 15	Voter registration deadline for general election
Nov. 5	General election

Candidates

General election

Primary election candidates - Click "show"

Democratic primary election

Terry McAuliffe - Former Democratic National Committee Chairman and businessman.^[26]^[27]

Republican primary convention

Ken Cuccinelli - The current Attorney General of Virginia, Cuccinelli cemented his party's nomination for governor on January 13, 2013, being the only Republican to file the necessary paperwork by the convention's deadline. Afterward, he stated publicly that he intended to serve the entirety of his current term as attorney general. In Virginia, the last six consecutive elected attorneys general sought the governorship and stepped down early for campaign purposes, and Cuccinelli's decision to break with tradition elicited criticism from Democrats and outgoing incumbent Bob McDonnell, who resigned the attorney general's post in Feb. 2009 before winning election as governor that November.^[28] Those criticizing Cuccinelli argue that absent this custom, the "full-time" demands of the attorney general's office cannot be met- and that taxpayers deserve more than a part-time leader.^[29] Another reason attorneys general typically do not hold on to their jobs while seeking the top office is that there is a fundraising disadvantage associated with double duty. Virginia election law does not allow state officials running for state office to raise money for their campaigns during the General Assembly session, which ran 46 days starting in January.

Libertarian candidates

Robert Sarvis - entrepreneur and Fellow of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University^[30]

On April 21, 2013, the Libertarian Party of Virginia held a special convention, and nominated Robert Sarvis as the party's official gubernatorial candidate.^[31]^[32]

Independent candidates

Declined

~~Bill Bolling~~- The current Lieutenant Governor of Virginia and one time GOP front-runner announced on March 12, 2013 that had decided against running as an independent candidate, an alternative he seriously considered following his withdrawal from the Republican gubernatorial race on November 28, 2012. His decision to opt out of a Republican bid was a consequence of the Republican Party of Virginia's reintroduction of a closed nominating convention in 2013, a setting which Bolling believed lent conservative attorney general Ken Cuccinelli, his "intraparty rival," a categorical advantage.^[37]^[38]^[37]^[39]
~~Chap Peterson~~ - a current state Senator^[40]
~~Mark Warner~~^[41]
~~Tom Perriello~~

Nominating conventions

The candidate selection process in Virginia differs between the political parties. According to the Code of Virginia:^[42]

“The duly constituted authorities of the state political party shall have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination for a member of the United States Senate or for any statewide office shall be made. The duly constituted authorities of the political party for the district, county, city, or town in which any other office is to be filled shall have the right to determine the method by which a party nomination for that office shall be made.”

Democratic Party

The Democratic Party in Virginia used conventions to select nominees for statewide offices between 1981 and 2001 before shifting to primaries. The Virginia Democratic Party switched to the convention format for the 1981 election cycle to moderate the party after independent candidate Henry Howell won the 1977 primary. The nominating convention proved successful for Democrats in the 1980s with the election of Chuck Robb in 1981, Gerald Baliles in 1985 and Douglas Wilder in 1989. The change back to primaries in 2001 took place because of significant losses in state elections by the Democrats in 1993 and 1997. The Democratic Party did not hold a gubernatorial primary in the 2001 and 2005 election cycles as Mark Warner and Tim Kaine ran unopposed.^[43]

Republican Party

The Republican Party in Virginia has used conventions to select nominees for statewide offices for much of its history. Republicans have only used primaries to nominate candidates in 1949, 1989, 1997 and 2005.^[43] The convention process used in most elections draws from delegates selected by Republicans during municipal and county conventions. The number of delegates per county depends on the strength of the Republican Party in past elections.^[44]

Delegates cast their votes on separate ballots for each statewide office. Any candidates who are uncontested automatically receive the party’s nomination. Contested races start with a ballot to determine if a candidate can surpass the 50% threshold. A candidate who wins more than 50% of first-round ballots receives the nomination for that office. If the first round of ballots does not clear this threshold, the two candidates with the fewest votes are eliminated. The balloting process cuts candidates in each round until three candidates remain. A ballot is taken to eliminate a third-place finisher and a final ballot is taken between the two remaining candidates.^[45]

Polls

February-May 2013

All candidates

Governor of Virginia: All candidates
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Robert Sarvis (L)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Emerson College Poll (October 25-20, 2013)	42%	40%	13%	5%	+/-3.24	874
Christopher Newport University Poll of Likely Voters (October 25-30, 2013)	45%	38%	10%	7%	+/-3.0	1,038
AVERAGES	43.5%	39%	11.5%	6%	+/-3.12	956
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Governor of Virginia: All candidates
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Robert Sarvis (L)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Quinnipiac University Poll (October 30, 2013)	45%	41%	9%	4%	+/-2.9	1,182
Washington Post/Abt-SRBI Poll (October 24-27, 2013)	51%	39%	8%	1%	+/-4.5	762
Public Policy Poll (Early voters) (October 19-20, 26-27, 2013)	55%	40%	3%	2%	+/--	1,433
Old Dominion University Poll	44%	37%	7%	9%	+/-5.0	670
Wenzel Strategies (October 21-22, 2013)	41%	40%	10%	9%	+/-3.85	640
Quinnipiac University Poll (October 15-21, 2013)	46%	39%	10%	4%	+/-3.0	1,085
Rasmussen Reports Poll (October 20, 2013)	50%	33%	8%	5%	+/-3.0	1,000
NBC4/NBC News/Marist Poll (October 13-15, 2013)	46%	38%	9%	7%	+/-4.0	596
Quinnipiac University Poll (October 2-8, 2013)	47%	39%	8%	6%	+/-2.9	1,180
Public Policy Poll/Harper (October 5-6, 2013)	44%	35%	12%	9%	+/-2.9	1,150
AVERAGES	46.9%	38.1%	8.4%	5.6%	+/-2.31	969.8
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Governor of Virginia: All candidates
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Robert Sarvis (L)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Christopher Newport Poll (October 1-6, 2013)	47%	38%	9%	11%	+/-3.1	886
Rasmussen Reports Poll (September 23, 2013)	44%	38%	6%	11%	+/-3.0	1,050
NBC News/Marist Poll (September 17-19, 2013)	43%	38%	8%	11%	+/-4.2	546
Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll (September 19-22, 2013)	47%	39%	10%	3%	+/-4.5	562
Harper Polling/Conservative Intel (September 15-16, 2013)	42%	37%	10%	11%	+/-3.51	779
Quinnipiac University Poll (September 9-15, 2013)	44%	41%	7%	6%	+/-3.1	1,005
League of Women Voters/Public Policy Polling (August 27-28, 2013)	44%	37%	9%	9%	+/--	500
Emerson College Poll (August 23-28, 2013)	45%	35%	10%	11%	+/-3.8	653
Public Policy Polling (July 11-14, 2013)	41%	37%	7%	5%	+/-4.0	601
Roanoke University Poll (July 8-14, 2013)	31%	37%	5%	27%	+/-4.3	525
AVERAGES	42.8%	37.7%	8.1%	10.5%	+/-2.73	710.7
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

McAuliffe vs. Cuccinelli only

Governor of Virginia: Cuccinelli v. McAuliffe (June 2013 - present)
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Undecided/Other	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Poll/Harper (October 5-6, 2013)	52%	42%	6%	+/-2.9
Washington Post-Abt SRBI poll (September 19-22, 2013)	49%	44%	7%	+/-4.5	562
Purple Strategies Poll (September 6-10, 2013)	43%	38%	19%	+/-3.5	800
Rasmussen Reports (September 3-4, 2013)	45%	38%	10%	+/-3.0	998
Internal Poll (August 13-18, 2013)	48%	44%	8%	+/-4.0	600
Quinnipiac University Poll (August 14-19, 2013)	48%	42%	9%	+/-2.9	1,129
Quinnipiac University Poll (July 11-15, 2013)	43%	39%	16%	+/-3.1	1,030
Rasmussen Reports Poll (June 5-6, 2013)	44%	41%	12%	+/-3.0	1,000
AVERAGES	46.5%	41%	10.88%	+/-3.36	764.88
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Governor of Virginia: Cuccinelli v. McAuliffe (February 2013 - May 2013)
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Public Policy Polling (May 24-26, 2013)	42%	37%	21%	+/-3.8	672
Quinnipiac University (May 8-13, 2013)	43%	38%	17%	+/-2.7	1,286
NBC News/Marist Poll (April 28-May 2, 2013)	43%	41%	16%	+/-3.0	1,095
Washington Post (Likely Voters) (April 29-May 2, 2013)	41%	51%	8%	+/-5.0	663
Washington Post (Registered Voters) (April 29-May 2, 2013)	41%	46%	13%	+/-4.0	887
Roanoke College Poll (April 8-14, 2013)	29%	34%	38%	+/-3.9	629
Quinnipiac University (Feb. 14-18, 2013)	38%	38%	21%	+/-2.0	1,112
AVERAGES	39.57%	40.71%	19.14%	+/-3.49	906.29
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Three way hypothetical match-up poll

Governor of Virginia: Three-way race (with Bolling)
Poll	Terry McAuliffe (D)	Ken Cuccinelli (R)	Bill Bolling (I)	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size

Quinnipiac University (Feb. 14-18, 2013)	34%	31%	13%	21%	+/-2.9	1,112
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

June 2012

Governor of Virginia (Republican): Bolling v. Cuccinelli
Poll	Bill Bolling	Ken Cuccinelli	Someone else	Wouldn't vote	Don't know	Margin of error	Sample size

Quinnipiac University May 30 - June 4, 2012	15%	51%	2%	1%	31%	+/-2.7	1,282
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to [email protected].

Campaign sites & media

Terry McAuliffe

Terry McAuliffe - Official campaign site

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

McAuliffe Campaign Ads

"Too Important" - released May 22, 2013

"Ken" - released July 30, 2013

"Paul" - released August 22, 2013

"Interfering" - released September 4, 2013

"As Governor" - released September 6, 2013

"Twisting Facts" - released September 7, 2013

"Questioned" - released by The NextGen Climate Action Committee - released September 13, 2013

"Not For Us" - released September 19, 2013

"Honored" - released September 22, 2013

"The Pill" disputes Cuccinelli's claim that he has not tried to ban the birth control pill, citing his past sponsorship of a bill aiming to do just that. Released October 1, 2013

Republican former VA Del. Vince Callahan discusses his decision to endorse McAuliffe in the 2013 governor race in "Callahan" - Released October 21, 2013

Former President Bill Clinton encourages voters to support McAuliffe for VA governor in "President Clinton: Vote on November 5" - Released October 30, 2013

Ken Cuccinelli

Ken Cuccinelli - Official campaign website

Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

Cuccinelli Campaign Ads

Cuccinelli releases first TV spot entitled "All About" introducing himself as gubernatorial candidate - April 26, 2013

Cuccinelli prescribes tax cuts for small businesses and middle-class families and closing tax loopholes in second ad, "Your Side" - May 13, 2013

"Garbarino," the family of VA police officer killed in line of duty in 2006 reflects on the support then-state Sen. Cuccinelli provided - May 17, 2013

"Opportunity" - released August 13, 2013

"DealMaker" - released September 2013

"Serious" - released September 19, 2013

"Obamacare" Cuccinelli ad touting his opposition to the federal health-care reform bill - released September 26, 2013

"Prosecutor" - released September 27, 2013

In "Tichi," Democratic school board member Tichi Pinkney Eppes praises Cuccinelli's plan to create jobs, calls claims he has an anti-women agenda "ridiculous." Released October 1, 2013

"Big Differences" - Released October 29, 2013

Robert Sarvis

Robert Sarvis - Official campaign website

Facebook

Twitter

Mercatus Center at George Mason University

Endorsements

Terry McAuliffe:
McAuliffe's 2013 gubernatorial campaign was endorsed by the following individuals and organizations:^[46]^[47]

President Barack Obama^[48]
First Lady Michelle Obama^[49]
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton^[50]
Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton^[51]
Republican mayor of Virginia Beach Will Sessoms^[52]
Republican former Virginia Del. Vince Callahan
Republican mayor of Virginia Beach Will Sessoms^[53]
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine
Former Independent Delegate Katherine Waddell
U.S. Senator Mark Warner
Former Independent Delegate Watkins Abbitt^[54]
Former Virginia House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong
Former Republican Governor of Virginia Linwood Holton*

Holton decided to endorse McAuliffe over his party's nominee, Ken Cuccinelli, because he said he believes McAuliffe, "will put partisan politics aside and work every day to move Virginia forward."^[55]^[56]

Human Rights Campaign
League of Conversation Voters
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia
Virginia Professional Firefighters
NARAL
Virginia Education Association
Equality VA

Ken Cuccinelli:
Cuccinelli's 2013 gubernatorial campaign was endorsed by outgoing incumbent Gov. Bob McDonnell. Other supporters include, but are not limited to, the following individuals and organizations:^[57]^[58]

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee^[59]
Dave “Mudcat” Saunders, Roanoke-based Democratic* strategist

Saunders decided to endorse Cuccinelli over his party's nominee, Terry McAuliffe, because, "he and Cuccinelli agree 'on matters of economic fairness' and share concerns about the middle class."^[60]

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal^[61]
Steve Smith, CEO of Food City, Bluefield
Delegate Chris Head, 17th District
David Nygaard, Founder and CEO of David Nygaard Fine Jewelers, Virginia Beach
Delegate John Cox, 55th District, Chairman, Cox Transportations Services, Inc., Ashland
Delegate Michael Webert, 18th District
Henry Lucas, President, ECS Ltd, Chantilly

Robert Sarvis:

Sarvis was endorsed by Former Governor of New Mexico Gary Johnson, who was also the 2012 Libertarian Party presidential nominee.^[62]