# 2017 Virginia Attorney General election

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vte :
The 2017 Virginia Attorney General election was held on November 7, 2017. The incumbent attorney general, Democrat Mark Herring, was expected to run for governor, but announced he would run for re-election instead. As only Herring and Republican John Adams qualified for their respective party primaries, the two automatically became their parties' nominees. In the general election, Herring defeated Adams to win a second term as Attorney General of Virginia.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* Mark Herring, incumbent Attorney General

## Republican primary
### Candidates
#### Nominee

* John Adams, Navy veteran, McGuire Woods partner, former law clerk for Clarence Thomas, former Assistant United States Attorney and White House aide

#### Failed to qualify

* Chuck Smith, former chair of the Republican Party of Virginia Beach, candidate for VA-03 and candidate for Virginia Beach City Council

#### Withdrawn

* Rob Bell, state delegate and candidate in 2013

#### Declined

* Bill Stanley, state senator

### Polling

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | John Adams | Rob Bell | Chuck Smith | Undecided |
| Public Opinion Strategies | September 18–21, 2016 | 800 | ± 3.46% | 11% | 16% | 3% | 69% |

## General election
### Candidates

* John Adams, Republican nominee
* Mark Herring, incumbent attorney general, Democratic nominee

### Endorsements

Federal officials
* Tom Cotton, U.S. senator from Arkansas
* Mike Lee, U.S. senator from Utah
* Tim Scott, U.S. senator from South Carolina
* Sean Spicer, former White House Press Secretary
* John Warner, former U.S. senator from Virginia
Individuals
* Morton Blackwell, RNC national committeeman
* Kathy Hayden, former RNC national committeewoman
State officials
* Terry Austin, state delegate
* Dickey Bell, state delegate
* Dick Black, state senator
* Ken Blackwell, former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio, 43rd Ohio State Treasurer, 51st Ohio Secretary of State
* Amanda Chase, state senator
* Ben Cline, state delegate, 24th district
* Vince Donoghue, Commonwealth's Attorney for Essex County
* Siobhan Dunnavant, state senator
* Nick Freitas, state delegate, 30th district
* Chris Head, state delegate
* William Howell, Speaker of the House of Delegates
* Terry Kilgore, state delegate
* Dave Larock, state delegate, 33rd district
* Scott Lingamfelter, state delegate
* Manoli Loupassi, state delegate
* Tim Martin, Commonwealth's Attorney for Augusta County
* Jason Miyares, state delegate
* Tommy Norment, State Senate Majority Leader
* Mark Obenshain, state senator, and candidate for attorney general in 2013
* Chris Peace, state delegate
* Nicole Price, former Commonwealth's Attorney for Washington County
* Roxann Robinson, state delegate, 27th district
* Javaid Siddiqi, former Virginia Secretary of Education
* Chris Stolle, state delegate
* Glen Sturtevant, state senator
* Lee Ware, state delegate
Local officials
* Rick Boyer, former member of the Board of Supervisors for Campbell County, Virginia
* Bill Campbell, Madison County Supervisor
* John Erbach, Chesterfield County School Board member
* Cindy Hall, Appomattox County School Board member
* Wayne Hazzard, Hanover County Supervisor
* Bob Martin, Carroll County Supervisor
Sheriffs
* Sheriff Mark R. Armentrout, Radford City
* Sheriff L. Mark Barrick, Mathews County
* Sheriff Michael J. Brown, Bedford County
* Sheriff David P. Bushey, Middlesex County
* Sheriff Timothy C. Carter, Shenandoah County
* Sheriff Michael L. Chapman, Loudoun County
* Sheriff Brian J. Craig, Floyd County
* Sheriff David P. "DP" Decatur, Jr., Stafford County
* Sheriff Robert J. Deeds, James City County/Williamsburg City
* Sheriff Steve F. Dempsey, King George County (I)
* Sheriff J.D. "Danny" Diggs, York County/Poquoson City
* Sheriff W. Keith Dunagan, Wythe County
* Sheriff C. Ray Foster, Buchanan County
* Sheriff John B. "J.B." Gardner, Carroll County
* Sheriff Bobby G. Hammons, Dickenson County
* Sheriff J.E. "Chip" Harding, Albemarle County
* Sheriff Joe Harris, Jr., Waynesboro City
* Sheriff R.W. "Bobby" Hawkins, Jr., Mecklenburg County
* Sheriff Glendell Hill, Prince William County
* Sheriff David R. Hines, Hanover County
* Sheriff Steve A. Hutcherson, Campbell County
* Sheriff Bryan F. Hutcheson, Rockingham County
* Sheriff Scott H. Jenkins, Culpeper County
* Sheriff W.G. "Billy" Kidd, Jr., Buckingham County
* Sheriff Karl S. Leonard, Chesterfield County
* Sheriff James R. "Doc" Lyons, Northumberland County
* Sheriff Patrick McCranie, Lancaster County
* Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron, Warren County
* Sheriff Robert P. "Bob" Mosier, Fauquier County
* Sheriff Brad W. Nunnally, Powhatan County
* Sheriff Ronnie Oakes, Wise County
* Sheriff J. Eric Orange, Roanoke County
* Sheriff Jim O'Sullivan, Chesapeake City
* Sheriff Gary B. Parsons, Lee County
* Sheriff C.H. "Hank" Partin, Montgomery County
* Sheriff Brian K. Roberts, Brunswick County
* Sheriff Matt Robertson, Staunton City
* Sheriff Donald T. Sloan, Lynchburg City
* Sheriff Steven S. Smith, Greene County
* Sheriff Ronald N. Sprinkle, Botetourt County
* Sheriff Kenneth W. Stolle, Virginia Beach City
* Sheriff J.B. "Jack" Stutts, Southampton County
* Sheriff Les R. Taylor, Winchester City
* Sheriff Michael W. "Mike" Taylor, Pittsylvania County
* Sheriff Richard A. Vaughan, Grayson County
* Sheriff Michael L. Wade, Henrico County
* Sheriff J.S. "Jeff" Walton, King William County
* Sheriff Darrell W. Warren, Jr., Gloucester County
Individuals
* Don Blake, chairman and president of Virginia Christian Alliance
* Rick Buchanan, chair of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation
* Carly Fiorina, businesswoman
Organizations
* Constitution Party of Virginia
* National Federation of Independent Business
* NRA Political Victory Fund
* Republican Attorneys General Association
* Susan B. Anthony List
* Tea Party Nation
* Virginia Farm Bureau
* Virginia Fraternal Order of Police
* Virginia Police Benevolent Association
* Virginia Society for Human Life
Newspapers
* Chatham Star-Tribune
* The Free Lance–Star
* Harrisonburg Daily News Record
* Richmond Times-Dispatch
* The Winchester Star
Federal officials
* Don Beyer, U.S. representative from Virginia
* Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State and 2016 presidential nominee
* Kamala Harris, U.S. senator from California and former California Attorney General
* Tim Kaine, U.S. senator from Virginia
* Tom Perriello, former U.S. representative from Virginia
* Mark Warner, U.S. senator from Virginia
State officials
* Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C.
* Howard Dean, former governor of Vermont
* Justin Fairfax, 2017 nominee for lieutenant governor of Virginia
* Alison Lundergan Grimes, Secretary of State of Kentucky
* Jaime Harrison, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party
* Terry McAuliffe, governor of Virginia
* Ralph Northam, lieutenant governor of Virginia and 2017 nominee for Governor of Virginia
Sheriffs
* Sheriff Timothy A. Allen, Roanoke City
* Sheriff H. E. "Bucky" Allin, III, Prince George County
* Sheriff Mark A. Amos, Orange County
* Sheriff Beth Arthur, Arlington County
* Sheriff C. O. Balderson, Westmoreland County
* Sheriff Joe Baron, Norfolk
* Sheriff S. Stephen Bittle, Falls Church
* Sheriff Christopher Blalock, Rockbridge County
* Sheriff Sam C. Brown, Emporia
* Sheriff James E. Brown, III, Charlottesville
* Sheriff John R. Charboneau, King and Queen County
* Sheriff Vanessa R. Crawford, Petersburg
* Sheriff Steve M. Draper, Martinsville
* Sheriff Steven L. Dye, Russell County
* Sheriff Kevin Hall, Alleghany County
* Sheriff W. Randolph Hamilton, Jr., Buena Vista
* Sheriff Roger L. Harris, Spotsylvania County
* Sheriff Paul Higgs, Fredericksburg
* Sheriff Darrell L. Hodges, Cumberland County
* Sheriff William T. "Tim" Jarratt, Jr., Greensville County
* Sheriff Thomas D. Jones, Charlotte County
* Sheriff Alan M. Jones, Sr, Charles City County
* Sheriff Stacey A. Kincaid, Fairfax County
* Sheriff Dana A. Lawhorne, Alexandria
* Sheriff A. A. "Tony" Lippa, Caroline County
* Sheriff Mark A. Marshall, Isle of Wight County
* Sheriff L. W. "Lenny" Millholland, Frederick County
* Sheriff Michael Mondul, Danville
* Sheriff Gabe A. Morgan, Newport News
* Sheriff David Neil, Highland County
* Sheriff Fred P. Newman, Washington County
* Sheriff W. Q. "Bill" Overton, Jr., Franklin County
* Sheriff W. John Puckett, Scott County
* Sheriff Wesley W. Reed, Prince Edward County
* Sheriff B. J. Roberts, Hampton
* Sheriff Anthony W. "Tony" Roper, Clarke County
* Sheriff B. C. "Chip" Shuler, Smyth County
* Sheriff Stephan B. Smith, Richmond County
* Sheriff Arthur Townsend Jr., Lunenburg County
* Sheriff Carlos Turner, Surry County
* Sheriff Ernest "E. W." Viar, Jr, Amherst County
* Sheriff Jack Weisenburger, Bristol
* Sheriff C. T. Woody, Jr., Richmond City
Organizations
* Americans for Responsible Solutions
* CASA in Action
* Equality Virginia
* Equality Virginia PAC
* Human Rights Campaign
* LGBT Democrats of Virginia
* NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia
* Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce
* Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia
* Sierra Club
* Virginia AFL-CIO
* Virginia Education Association
* Virginia League of Conservation Voters
* Virginia National Organization for Women
* Virginia Professional Fire Fighters
* Virginia Sierra Club
Newspapers
* Daily Press
* The Virginian-Pilot

### Polling
#### Polls

| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Mark Herring (D) | John Adams (R) | Other | Undecided |
| Change Research | November 2–5, 2017 | 3,648 | ± 1.6% | 51% | 45% | — | 4% |
| The Polling Company (R) | November 2–5, 2017 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 44% | 45% | — | 9% |
| Christopher Newport University | October 29 – November 4, 2017 | 839 | ± 3.5% | 49% | 45% | — | 6% |
| Gravis Marketing | October 30 – November 3, 2017 | 1,143 | ± 2.9% | 48% | 42% | — | 10% |
| The Polling Company (R) | October 30 – November 2, 2017 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 42% | 43% | — | 12% |
| Roanoke College | October 29 – November 2, 2017 | 781 | ± 3.5% | 46% | 46% | — | 8% |
| Suffolk University | October 30 – November 1, 2017 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 44% | 42% | — | 13% |
| Washington Post/Schar School | October 26–29, 2017 | 921 | ± 4.0% | 51% | 43% | — | 5% |
| The Polling Company (R) | October 23–26, 2017 | 800 | ± 3.5% | 43% | 43% | — | 11% |
| Christopher Newport University | October 20–25, 2017 | 812 | ± 3.8% | 49% | 44% | — | 7% |
| Roanoke College | October 8–13, 2017 | 607 | ± 4.0% | 47% | 42% | — | 10% |
| Christopher Newport University | October 2–6, 2017 | 928 | ± 4.3% | 51% | 40% | — | 9% |
| Washington Post/Schar School Poll | September 28 – October 2, 2017 | 720 LV | ± 4.5% | 52% | 41% | — | 5% |
| Washington Post/Schar School Poll | September 28 – October 2, 2017 | 1,000 RV | ± 3.5% | 50% | 39% | — | 6% |
| Public Policy Polling | September 21–23, 2017 | 849 | ± 3.8% | 46% | 38% | — | 16% |
| Christopher Newport University | September 12–22, 2017 | 776 | ± 3.7% | 47% | 42% | — | 11% |
| Suffolk University | September 13–17, 2017 | 500 | ± 4.4% | 39% | 37% | — | 23% |
| Mason-Dixon | September 10–15, 2017 | 625 | ± 4.0% | 45% | 36% | — | 19% |
| University of Mary Washington | September 5–12, 2017 | 562 LV | ± 5.2% | 47% | 40% | — | 10% |
| University of Mary Washington | September 5–12, 2017 | 867 RV | ± 4.1% | 47% | 38% | — | 12% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | July 17–25, 2017 | 538 LV | ± 5.1% | 45% | 39% | — | 15% |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | July 17–25, 2017 | 707 RV | ± 4.5% | 43% | 36% | — | 17% |

### Results

Virginia Attorney General election, 2017 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Mark Herring (incumbent) | 1,385,389 | 53.34% | +3.43% |
| | Republican | John Adams | 1,209,339 | 46.56% | −3.31% |
| | Write-in | Write-in | 2,486 | 0.10% | -0.12% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,597,214 | 100.00% | N/A |
| | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold | Democratic hold |

#### By congressional district

Herring won five of 11 congressional districts, including one that was represented by a Republican.
| District | Herring | Adams | Representative |
| 1st | 44% | 56% | Rob Wittman |
| 2nd | 49.8% | 50.1% | Scott Taylor |
| 3rd | 67% | 33% | Bobby Scott |
| 4th | 61% | 39% | Donald McEachin |
| 5th | 45% | 55% | Tom Garrett |
| 6th | 38% | 62% | Bob Goodlatte |
| 7th | 47% | 53% | Dave Brat |
| 8th | 75% | 25% | Don Beyer |
| 9th | 31% | 69% | Morgan Griffith |
| 10th | 55% | 45% | Barbara Comstock |
| 11th | 69% | 30% | Gerry Connolly |