2009.11.03
Analysis: McDonnell now leads in Fairfax County
McDonnell has now moved ahead of Deeds in Fairfax County, with 94 percent of the vote reporting there.
Why does that matter, since McDonnell has beaten Deeds like a yard sale drum all over the state anyway?
Well, it's just another indication of the completeness of McDonnell's victory -- and the scale of the Democratic defeat.
Democrats simply can't afford to lose Fairfax. To win, they have to not just win there, they have to win big.
This year, they did neither.
The last Republican candidate statewide to win Fairfax? Jim Gilmore in 1997.
By the way, the latest statewide totals put McDonnell at 59 percent to 41 percent, so the previous analysis still holds: This would be the biggest Republican victory ever in a governor's race, and the biggest margin for any winning candidate for governor since 1961.
-- Dwayne Yancey, senior editor
OTHER ELECTION ANALYSIS:
* Analysis: The most expensive governor's race ever
* Analysis: Where we'll be looking tonight
* Analysis: How many House seats will change hands tonight?
* Analysis: The biggest winning margin since . . .
* Analysis: The polls close; here's what's coming . . .
* Analysis: The saddest sight I've seen in politics
* Analysis: The first precinct reports in
* Analysis: An early return from Henrico County
* Analysis: A closer look at McDonnell's lead
* Analysis: McDonnell winning places that Democrats did four years ago
* Analysis: Henry County flips to McDonnell
* Analysis: Deeds running weaker in Northern Virginia
* Analysis: How Deeds did it -- a counter-factual look at McDonnell's victory
* Analysis: Three reasons why Obama hurt Deeds
* Analysis: Three reasons why Obama didn't matter
* Analysis: Are sweeps common or rare in Virginia?
* Analysis: Republicans take back the suburbs
* Analysis: Are primary winners destined to be November losers?
* Analysis: McDonnell may win biggest Republican victory ever
* Analysis: Should the Democrats blame their defeat on . . . Terry McAuliffe?
* Analysis: Did the Republicans win this race four years ago?
* Analysis: Should the Democrats blame . . . Phil Puckett?
* Analysis: Why didn't the thesis sink McDonnell?
* Analysis: Is winning re-election a bad career move?
* Analysis: Let the 2013 governor's race begin!
* Analysis: Kiss rural candidates goodbye
* Analysis: Sizing up Bill Cleaveland's win for the House of Delegates
* Analysis: Is Boucher in trouble next year?
We have complete results here.
