Bernie/Hillary Rift Further Divides Virginia Dem Gubernatorial Primary

A new poll by Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center shows Democrats remain sharply divided in the gubernatorial primary between Ralph Northam and Tom Perriello. As both candidates have raced to the left in an attempt to attract far-left primary voters, they remain tied at 26 percent apiece. The poll also revealed that while Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton support Northam 34-25, Bernie Sanders’ supporters favor Perriello by a 32-21 margin, further developing the outlying rift between Hillary and Bernie supporters in the Commonwealth.

Earlier this month, POLITICO noted how the unresolved rift between Clinton and Sanders voters is causing heartburn for Democrats in gubernatorial races:

“But already, party leaders are running into a complication — unresolved issues left over from the Hillary Clinton-Bernie Sanders presidential primary. Far from defeated, Sanders-aligned progressives are nationalizing their fight, showing less patience than ever for Democrats who don’t agree with them. And that’s generating fear and nervousness in the South…”

With neither Northam nor Perriello showing any signs of breaking out as the two candidates and their surrogates have amped up their rhetoric against one another, Virginia Democrats appear to be in for a drawn-out fight for the party’s gubernatorial nomination. As the divisions between Northam and Perriello’s campaigns continue to grow, their campaigns continue to move further away from the mainstream.