5 takeaways from Election Day 2021

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, November 03, 2021

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin speaks with Virginia Republican candidate for lieutenant governor Winsome Sears during an election night event at the Westfields Marriott Washington Dulles on November 02, 2021, in Chantilly, Virginia. Virginians went to the polls Tuesday to vote in the gubernatorial race that pits Youngkin against Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

In Virginia, independents and evangelicals swing hard to Youngkin

Exit polling of the Virginia gubernatorial race, which was won by Republican Glenn Youngkin, shows that strong support from evangelicals and independents fueled his victory over former Gov. Terry McAuliffe.

While Biden won the state by 10 points against former President Donald Trump in last year's presidential election, unofficial results show Youngkin leading Democrat Terry McAuliffe by less than 2 percentage points. Exit polling conducted by CNN showed Youngkin winning 89% of voters who identified as white evangelical Christians. These voters accounted for 27% of the total electorate.

By contrast, in the 2020 presidential election, CNN exit polling revealed that Trump captured 80% of the white evangelical Christian vote, which made up a smaller share of the overall electorate (24%) than in 2021. Youngkin also improved upon Trump's performance with independents, capturing 54% of independent voters compared to the 38% Trump received in 2020. The share of independent voters in the total electorate did not change much from 2020 to 2021.