Is Virginia a red state?
No, not anymore. Virginia leaned Republican for decades but has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 2008, backing Kamala Harris by about 6 points in 2024. Large parts of the state stay deeply conservative, though, and that is where our clients focus. Here is what the numbers actually show.
Talk to a Virginia agent Explore Virginia →Virginia turned from red to blue-leaning
Virginia voted Republican for president from 1968 through 2004, but the explosive growth of the Washington, D.C. suburbs reshaped its politics. Since 2008 it has gone Democratic in every presidential cycle and now has a Democratic governor and legislature. Outside the northern suburbs and big cities, though, much of Virginia is still very red.
Two decades of blue drift
Virginia last backed a Republican for president in 2004. As Northern Virginia's population boomed with federal workers, contractors, and new arrivals, the state shifted steadily left. In 2024 Kamala Harris carried it by about 6 points.
The shift now runs down the ballot. Democrats hold the governor's office under Abigail Spanberger, both U.S. Senate seats, and majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly. Republican strength is concentrated in the rural south and west of the state.
The divide is geographic. Northern Virginia, Richmond, and the Hampton Roads cities anchor the Democratic vote, while most of Virginia's 95 counties, especially in the southwest and the Shenandoah Valley, remain solidly Republican.
Four cycles, one direction
2004
George W. Bush carried Virginia by about 8 points, the last Republican to win the state.
2012
Obama won Virginia by about 4 points as the D.C. suburbs kept trending Democratic.
2020
Biden won by about 10 points, Virginia's most Democratic result in a generation.
2024
Harris won by about 6 points, holding the state despite a national shift toward Trump.
Unified Republican control
Democrats hold the governor's office under Abigail Spanberger, both U.S. Senate seats, and majorities in both chambers of the General Assembly, giving them unified control of Richmond. If you are weighing Virginia on the basis of policy direction rather than any single election, that Democratic control matters as much as any one result.
Practically, this means Republican policy priorities move through the legislature with little friction. If you are evaluating Virginia on the basis of policy direction rather than any single election, that unified control matters more than any one result.
What a statewide label does not tell you
Virginia is far from uniformly liberal
Northern Virginia, Richmond, the Hampton Roads cities, and the college town of Charlottesville drive the state's Democratic majorities. If you are moving to be near like-minded neighbors, the county and the community matter far more than the statewide label.
2026 is an active election year
Virginia holds a U.S. Senate race and U.S. House elections this November. The state runs its governor and legislative races in odd years, and 2025 delivered a Democratic sweep. Even so, dozens of counties stay reliably Republican, so where you settle matters far more than the statewide result.
None of this changes the underlying picture. Virginia leans Democratic statewide, but it still contains large, deeply conservative regions. Plan around the specific place you are moving to, not the statewide label.
Virginia's most conservative regions
Southwest Virginia
Bristol, Abingdon, Wytheville, and the Appalachian counties. The most reliably Republican corner of the state, with a low cost of living.
The Shenandoah Valley
Staunton, Winchester, and the I-81 corridor. Scenic, conservative, and popular with families and retirees.
Southside Virginia
Danville, Martinsville, and the rural south-central counties. Deep-red, affordable, with a strong small-town character.
The Lynchburg Area
Lynchburg, Bedford, and the central Piedmont. Conservative, faith-centered, and home to a growing regional economy.
Rural Virginia & the Eastern Shore
From the Blue Ridge to the Chesapeake's Eastern Shore. Small towns, farmland, and dependable Republican margins.
Virginia's political makeup, answered
Was Virginia always a red state?
For a long time, yes. Virginia voted Republican for president in every election from 1968 through 2004, but the growth of the Washington, D.C. suburbs pushed it Democratic starting in 2008.
Is Virginia more conservative than North Carolina?
By recent presidential margin, no. Trump lost Virginia by about 6 points in 2024 but narrowly won North Carolina. Virginia leans Democratic statewide, though its rural regions are as conservative as any in the South.
Does Virginia have a state income tax?
Yes. Virginia's top individual income tax rate is 5.75 percent. The cost of living is high in Northern Virginia but much lower in the rural and southwestern parts of the state.
Which Virginia counties are the most conservative?
By recent voting margin, the counties of far southwest Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley are among the most Republican in the state, along with Southside. Many of them back Republicans by 40 points or more.
How many Virginia counties lean Democratic?
Democratic strength is concentrated in Northern Virginia, Richmond, the Hampton Roads cities, and a few college towns. The large majority of Virginia's 95 counties still lean Republican.
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