“There are certainly a number of Democrats who wish Ralph Northam were more liberal, but there’s little evidence that they’re willing to see Gillespie become governor in order to send a message from the Democratic left,” says Stephen Farnsworth, a political scientist at the University of Mary Washington. “When politics are as partisan as they are, you’re looking at a situation where the other side is so unappealing that whatever differences that existed in the primary are papered over to make sure your tribe prevails.”

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