Republican Miyares defeats Herring in Virginia attorney general race - Reuters

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Nov 3 - Democratic Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring conceded defeat on Wednesday to Republican challenger Jason Miyares, a former prosecutor who said the progressive two-term incumbent had not taken a tough enough stance against violent crime.

Miyares' election extended Republican control of attorney general offices to 27 in total. His win during Tuesday's election came as Virginia voters ousted Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe in favor of Republican Glenn Youngkin.

By late Wednesday, Miyares held 50.63% of votes and Herring had 49.29% with 95.5% of the state's precincts reporting, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.

Miyares, who will become the first Latino elected as the state's top lawyer, led by more than 43,600 votes.

"Virginia has spoken – we want safe streets, we want our police to be well trained and supported in the community - and we want the rule of law respected," Miyares said in a statement on Tuesday night declaring victory.

Herring in a statement on Wednesday afternoon said he had called Miyares to congratulate him and ensure a smooth transition.

"We showed Virginians a new vision for what this office could be, and what a difference an attorney general can make in their lives, and we have forever changed what Virginians will expect and demand from their attorney general," he said.

Miyares, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates whose mother fled Cuba, will become Virginia's first Republican attorney general since Ken Cuccinelli, who served in that position from 2010 to 2014.

Attorneys general have taken on an increasingly key role in national politics, often conducting multistate investigations of companies and suing to challenge policies adopted at the federal level under the opposing party's president.

Virginia was the only state on Tuesday with an attorney general race on the ballot, though the outcome of New Jersey's too-close-to-call governor's race will decide who gets to appoint someone to the position in that state.

Herring, 60, while in office embraced progressive policy priorities and was active in pursuing litigation challenging conservative causes and Trump administration policies on topic ranging from abortion to same-sex marriage to gun control.

He also supported criminal justice reform in the wake of George Floyd's death under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer last year.

Miyares campaigned on a tough-on-crime platform, contending the state should be funding the police, not defunding them, and that victims of violent crimes were too often ignored.

(Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include the latest election results and a statement from Herring.)

Nate Raymond

Nate Raymond reports on the federal judiciary and litigation. He can be reached at nate.raymond@thomsonreuters.com.

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