| The current governor of Virginia is Tim | | | | non-political chief administrator under the |
| Kaine. The State Capitol building in Richmond | | | | council-manager form of government. There are |
| was designed by Thomas Jefferson, and the | | | | exceptions, notably Richmond, which has a |
| cornerstone was laid by Governor Patrick | | | | popularly-elected mayor who serves as chief |
| Henry in 1785. | | | | executive separate from the city council. |
| | | | |
| In colonial Virginia, the lower house of the | | | | Virginia is an alcoholic beverage control |
| legislature was called the House of | | | | state. Distilled spirits, plus wine greater |
| Burgesses. Together with the Governor's | | | | than 14% alcohol by volume, are available for |
| Council, the House of Burgesses made up the | | | | off-premises sale solely in state-owned and |
| General Assembly. The Governor's Council was | | | | -operated retail outlets. |
| composed of 12 men appointed by the British | | | | |
| Monarch to advise the Governor. The Council | | | | Politics |
| also served as the General Court of the | | | | |
| colony, a colonial equivalent of a Supreme | | | | After William Mahone and the Readjuster Party |
| Court. Members of the House of Burgesses were | | | | lost control of Virginia politics around |
| chosen by all those who could vote in the | | | | 1883, the Democratic Party held a nearly |
| colony. Each county chose two people or | | | | unchallenged majority position of state and |
| burgesses to represent it, while the College | | | | most federal offices through the middle of |
| of William and Mary and the cities of | | | | the 20th century. The Byrd Organization |
| Norfolk, Williamsburg, and Jamestown each | | | | headed by Harry F. Byrd Sr. largely |
| chose one burgess. The Burgesses met to make | | | | controlled statewide politics. In 1970, |
| laws for the colony and set the direction for | | | | Republican A. Linwood Holton Jr. became the |
| its future growth; the Council would then | | | | first Republican governor in the 20th century |
| review the laws and either approve or | | | | effectively ending the influence of the Byrd |
| disapprove them. The approval of the | | | | Organization. Holton was succeeded by two |
| Burgesses, the Council, and the governor was | | | | other Republican governors in the 1970s. |
| needed to pass a law. The idea of electing | | | | Virginia has voted for Republicans in every |
| burgesses was important and new. It gave | | | | presidential election since 1952 except for |
| Virginians a chance to control their own | | | | the Democratic landslide in 1964. Virginia's |
| government for the first time. At first, the | | | | current streak of voting for Republicans in |
| burgesses were elected by all free men in the | | | | ten consecutive presidential elections since |
| colony. Women, indentured servants, and | | | | 1968, when Richard Nixon began the Southern |
| Native Americans could not vote. Later the | | | | Strategy, is the longest among the former |
| rules for voting changed, making it necessary | | | | Confederate States. Virginia was the only |
| for men to own at least fifty acres (200,000 | | | | such state to vote for Gerald Ford over Jimmy |
| m²) of land in order to vote. Founded in | | | | Carter in 1976. |
| 1619, the Virginia General Assembly is still | | | | |
| in existence as the oldest legislature in the | | | | Despite Virginia's support of Republican |
| New World. Today, the General Assembly is | | | | presidential candidates and reputation as a |
| made up of the Senate and the House of | | | | conservative state, Democrats won all three |
| Delegates. | | | | gubernatorial elections in the 1980s and |
| | | | maintained large majorities in both houses of |
| Like many other states, by the 1850s Virginia | | | | the Virginia General Assembly, however many |
| featured a state legislature, several | | | | Democrats from rural and suburban districts |
| executive officers, and an independent | | | | had conservative stances on various issues. |
| judiciary. By the time of the Constitution of | | | | Virginia experienced a political realignment |
| 1901, which lasted longer than any other | | | | in the 1990s as conservative Republicans |
| state constitution, the General Assembly | | | | George Allen and Jim Gilmore held the |
| continued as the legislature, the Supreme | | | | Governorship from 1994 until 2002. |
| Court of Appeals acted as the judiciary, and | | | | Republicans captured both houses of the |
| the eight elected executive officers were the | | | | General Assembly and built large majorities. |
| Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney | | | | Conservative and moderate Democrats from |
| General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, State | | | | rural and suburban areas were largely |
| Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, | | | | replaced by Republicans. Within the |
| Superintendent of Public Instruction and | | | | Republican party, the remnants of the less |
| Commissioner of Agriculture and Immigration. | | | | conservative "mountain-valley" faction of |
| The Constitution of 1901 was amended many | | | | Holton, so named because many members were |
| times, notably in the 1930s and 1950s, before | | | | from the Shenandoah Valley and Southwest |
| it was abandoned in favor of more modern | | | | Virginia, were supplanted by more |
| government, with fewer elected officials, | | | | conservative office holders. Virginia was |
| reformed local governments and a more | | | | considered a red state by political analysts |
| streamlined judiciary. | | | | and most of its residents. |
| | | | |
| Virginia currently functions under the 1971 | | | | Recently, Democrats have been gaining votes |
| Constitution of Virginia. It is the | | | | in Virginia. The Republican majorities in the |
| Commonwealth's ninth constitution. Under the | | | | General Assembly have narrowed, particularly |
| Constitution, the government is composed of | | | | in the Senate where Democrats now occupy 17 |
| three branches: legislative, executive, and | | | | out of the 40 seats. In 2004, John Kerry won |
| judicial. | | | | 45.48% of the vote in Virginia, the highest |
| | | | percentage of any Democrat since Jimmy |
| Virginia is one of only five states that | | | | Carter. Kerry won Fairfax County, long a |
| elects its state officials in odd numbered | | | | Republican stronghold, and fared much better |
| years (The others are Kentucky, Louisiana, | | | | in the rest of Northern Virginia than Al Gore |
| Mississippi, and New Jersey). Virginia holds | | | | did in 2000. Though Northern Virginia |
| elections for these offices every 4 years in | | | | continues to trend Democratic, most of rural |
| the years following Presidential election | | | | Virginia, once a Democratic stronghold, has |
| years. Thus, the last year when Virginia | | | | been trending Republican, balancing out the |
| elected a Governor was 2005; the next | | | | state's politics and reflecting the national |
| gubernatorial election will occur in 2009, | | | | urban-rural split. Portions of Southwest |
| with future gubernatorial elections to take | | | | Virginia influenced by unionized coal mines, |
| place in 2013, 2017, 2021, etc. | | | | the college town of Charlottesville, and |
| | | | southeastern counties in the Black Belt |
| The legislative branch or state legislature | | | | Region have remained more likely to vote |
| is the Virginia General Assembly, a bicameral | | | | Democratic. However, as the population has |
| body whose 140 members make all laws of the | | | | increased in Northern Virginia, so has the |
| Commonwealth. Members of the Virginia House | | | | number of Democratic voters. In 2005 and |
| of Delegates serve two-year terms, while | | | | 2006, Tim Kaine and Jim Webb won nearly all |
| members of the Virginia Senate serve | | | | jurisdictions within the region, which was |
| four-year terms. The General Assembly also | | | | not accomplished by Alexandria resident Mark |
| selects the Commonwealth's Auditor of Public | | | | Warner in 2001. Warner performed |
| Accounts. The statutory law enacted by the | | | | comparatively strongly in rural areas, |
| General Assembly is codified in the Code of | | | | particularly Southwest Virginia, as his |
| Virginia. | | | | campaign stressed respect for rural cultural |
| | | | values and strategies for economic |
| The executive branch comprises the Governor | | | | development. Some political analysts have |
| of Virginia, the Lieutenant Governor of | | | | predicted that Virginia could become a more |
| Virginia, and the Attorney General of | | | | competitive state in future presidential |
| Virginia. All three officers are separately | | | | elections as the number of Democrats in the |
| elected to four-year terms in years following | | | | north begin to counterbalance the number of |
| Presidential elections (1997, 2001, 2005, | | | | Republicans elsewhere. The election of Jim |
| etc) and take office in January of the | | | | Webb as one of Virginia's two U.S. Senators |
| following year. | | | | in the Congressional midterm elections of |
| | | | 2006 reinforced this prediction. In that |
| The governor serves as chief executive | | | | midterm election, the Virginia Senate race |
| officer of the Commonwealth and as | | | | was the last decided and secured the |
| commander-in-chief of its militia. Virginia | | | | Democratic Party a majority in the United |
| law forbids any governor from serving | | | | States Senate. |
| consecutive terms (although a governor may | | | | |
| serve multiple non-consecutive terms). The | | | | Republican John Warner still holds the other |
| lieutenant governor, who is not elected on | | | | seat in the U.S. Senate. Republicans also |
| the same ticket as the governor, serves as | | | | hold 8 out of 11 seats in the U.S. House of |
| president of the Senate of Virginia and is | | | | Representatives, which some attribute to |
| first in the line of succession to the | | | | gerrymandering during redistricting after the |
| governor. The attorney general is chief legal | | | | 2000 Census. In Northern Virginia, the most |
| advisor to the governor and the General | | | | staunchly Democratic areas were placed in the |
| Assembly, chief lawyer of the Commonwealth | | | | 8th Congressional District represented by Jim |
| and the head of the Department of Law. The | | | | Moran leaving behind traditionally Republican |
| attorney general is second in the line of | | | | leaning areas in the 11th Congressional |
| succession to the governor. Whenever there is | | | | District represented by Thomas M. Davis and |
| a vacancy in all three executive offices of | | | | the 10th Congressional District represented |
| governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney | | | | by Frank Wolf. The majority African American |
| general, then the Speaker of the House of the | | | | 3rd Congressional District represented by |
| Virginia House of Delegates becomes governor. | | | | Robert C. Scott stretches from the Richmond |
| | | | metropolitan area to Hampton Roads and is |
| The Office of the Governor's Secretaries | | | | surrounded by Republican controlled |
| helps manage the Governor's Cabinet, | | | | districts. Virginia's Lieutenant Governor is |
| comprised of the following individuals, all | | | | a Republican. Republican Robert McDonnell |
| appointed by the governor | | | | became Attorney General of Virginia by 360 |
| | | | votes following a legally mandated recount of |
| The judicial branch consists of the Supreme | | | | ballots for that race in 2005. Most elected |
| Court of Virginia, the Virginia Court of | | | | official in the state's largest city, |
| Appeals, the General District Courts and the | | | | Virginia Beach, which has a population in |
| Circuit Courts. The Virginia Supreme Court, | | | | excess of 450,000, are Republicans. Most |
| composed of the chief justice and six other | | | | elected officials, including a majority of |
| judges is the highest court in the | | | | the county board of supervisors, in the |
| Commonwealth (although, as with all the | | | | state's most populous locality, Fairfax |
| states, the U.S. Supreme Court has appellate | | | | County, with a population in excess of one |
| jurisdiction over decisions by the Virginia | | | | million, are Democrats. |
| Supreme Court involving substantial questions | | | | |
| of U.S. Constitution law or constitutional | | | | Incumbent Virginia governors cannot run for |
| rights). The Chief Justice and the Virginia | | | | re-election under the state constitution, and |
| Supreme Court also serve as the | | | | in the November 2005 election to succeed |
| administrative body for the entire Virginia | | | | Democratic Governor Mark Warner, Democrat Tim |
| court system. | | | | Kaine (Richmond) beat Republican Attorney |
| | | | General Jerry Kilgore (Scott County) and |
| The 95 counties and the 39 independent cities | | | | longtime Republican State Senator Russ Potts |
| all have their own governments, usually a | | | | (Winchester), who ran as an independent. |
| county board of supervisors or city council | | | | Kaine was inaugurated as governor on January |
| which choose a city manager or county | | | | 14, 2006. |
| administrator to serve as a professional, | | | | |