State Democrats release breakdown of votes in 4th District primary

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan steamrolled to victory in last week’s Democratic primary for the 4th Congressional District in a race where the closest margins of victory were at two rural polling places and only because less voters turned out there, according to a breakdown of the votes released by the Democratic Party of Virginia.

McClellan, a Petersburg native, swept all eight locations where ballots were cast, accumulating almost 85% of the total 27,900 votes from the primary. In seven of those eight, she ran away and hid from her closest competitor, fellow state Sen. Joe Morrissey of Chesterfield County. It was only in Petersburg, where Morrissey has a great deal of political traction, that the race resembled a contest.

According to DPV numbers, McClellan’s margin of victory over Morrissey was 946 votes — the smallest margin among the five precincts where thousands of ballots were cast. McClellan took 2,277 votes to Morrissey’s 1,331.

Former Petersburg city attorney Joe Preston was a very distant third with 110, followed by Hopewell business owner Tavorise Marks with 40.

Petersburg also had the highest number of “questionable” ballots, meaning it was hard to determine the voter’s choice, with 24. Sixty-six provisional ballots — votes that were cast but only counted after the voter’s eligibility was determined — were cast in Petersburg.

More:McClellan romps to victory in 4th Democratic nomination, will face Republican Leon Benjamin in February

In the two precincts in the city of Richmond and one each in Henrico and Chesterfield counties where voters totaled in the thousands, McClellan’s victory margins ranged from 2,777 at Meadowdale Library in Chesterfield to 7,164 at the Diversity Thrift Store in Richmond, which was McClellan’s home precinct.