Virginia is typically considered a Southern state, but as Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia terms it, it has become more like a Mid Atlantic state.
The reasons for this include:
1. Northern Virginia has become a substantial part of the population of the state, tends to be more liberal than the rest of the state, and many of the people living in Northern Virginia work for the federal government, are more educated, and tend to vote Democratic.
2. The minority population of the Virginia, of all ethnic groups, has gone up from 20 percent to 30 percent of the state, so if a large percentage of them vote, it is bound to benefit Barack Obama.
3. Virginia voted for Obama in 2008 by about six percent margin, and if the economy continues to improve, it is unlikely that the state will vote against Obama, when one considers the above two factors.
So the likelihood at this point is that the “swing state” of Virginia will stay in the Democratic column this fall, even though the state government is controlled by the Republicans. Presidential elections and state elections do not always synchronize in many states across the nation.