RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia voters headed to the polls Tuesday for primary elections, with Democratic races drawing significantly more attention and participation than Republican contests.
With the Republican statewide ticket already set and only a third of the Democratic one determined, Tuesday's focus centered on which Democrats would advance to November's general election, including races that could decide control of the House of Delegates.
At the top of the ballot for Democratic voters is the lieutenant governor race featuring six candidates: attorney and union leader Alex Bastani, Prince William County School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef, former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado, State Senators Ghazala Hashmi and Aaron Rouse, and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
For attorney general, Democrats chose between former Delegate Jay Jones and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor.
Voices of Virginia voters
CBS 6 spoke with several Virginia voters and asked what brought them to polls this Primary Election Day.
"I want to have a united strong message to take into November. I'm voting for the people who I think are motivated to unite Virginians," voter Jean Wescott said.
"I'm always thinking about criminal justice reform. I think we need to be doing more to invest in the community in terms of prevention of crime and prevention of the things that cause folks to lean towards crime," voter Daniel Bowler said.
"Housing, things that make living right now more affordable. It's a really hard time to live affordably, so things that make my community more able to live their lives," voter Jess Rouvan said.
The winners will join former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger on the Democratic ticket. They will face Republicans in November, who didn't require a primary.
The Republican ticket features Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, former radio host John Reid for lieutenant governor, and Attorney General Jason Miyares running for re-election.
Five Democratic primaries in Central Virginia for the House of Delegates are also on the ballot, with all 100 seats up for election in November.
In four races, candidates are competing to challenge Republican incumbents, with three seats specifically targeted by Democrats hoping to flip them in November.
In the 57th district, May Nivar and Andrew Schear are competing to face Delegate Dave Owen.
In the 73rd district, Leslie Mehta and Justin Woodford are vying to challenge Delegate Mark Earley.
The 75th district features a three-way race between Lindsey Dougherty, Stephen Miller-Pitts, Jr., and Dustin Wade, with the winner facing incumbent Delegate Carrie Coyner.
In the 81st District, incumbent Delegate Dolores McQuinn faces a challenge from Henrico School Board member Alicia Atkins.
CBS 6 is committed to sharing community voices on this important topic. Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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