In July, Virginia Notebook published a list of 10 Virginia locations that were likely to be up for grabs in the presidential race between Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).
At the time, many pundits thought it would be an uphill climb for Obama to become the first Democratic nominee in 44 years to carry Virginia. For Obama to win, he needed to carry many of the 10 locations that we wrote about in the summer.
Now that the election is over, it’s time to review the results in those counties and cities. Obama carried seven of them, helping him rack up a statewide lead of nearly seven percentage points.
Below are the earlier explanations of the 10 swing locations as well as the results, based on unofficial returns as of Tuesday.
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CAROLINE COUNTY: Caroline, with about 27,000 people, is just south of Fredericksburg. It often sways between the two parties. Former vice president Al Gore (D) carried it by 441 votes during his presidential bid in 2000, but Bush won it by 121 votes in 2004. A year later, Kaine carried it with 54.percent of the vote; in 2006, Webb won it by 191 votes. Turnout among African Americans, who make up 29.percent of the county’s population, is key to Democratic prospects.
Result: Obama won Caroline County by 1,546 votes. Obama received 55.percent vs. McCain’s 43.percent.