What will the primary show us?
In the attorney generals race, Mark Herring is attempting to do what no one has done since Abram Penn Staples of Martinsville in the 1940s  get elected to three terms. That has complicated the ambitions of Del. Jay Jones of Norfolk, a rising star in the party who had planned to run for attorney general back when Herring said he was going to run for governor and then changed his mind. Gov. Ralph Northam has endorsed Jones, but its unclear whether that will be enough; Herring seems to have used his office to do virtually all the things Democrats would want him to do. If he is denied renomination, it would probably be more surprising than McAuliffe losing.  that means the party is poised to nominate two white men, which automatically means Democrats will field a ticket less diverse than the Republican one, which includes a Black woman (Winsome Sears) for lieutenant governor and a Latino man (Jason Miyares) for attorney general. Given how much Democrats say they prize diversity, that would be awkward. And thats why the lieutenant governors race is so fascinating  and perhaps so wide open. There are six candidates  a record for any statewide primary field. Much of the Democratic establishment has rallied behind Del. Hala Ayala of Prince William. Shes a Black Latina, which would give Democrats both a woman and a person of color on a ticket with two white men. On the other hand, that would also give Democrats an all-Northern Virginia ticket, something thats never been tried. The surprise of the season has been Del. Sam Rasoul of Roanoke, who a) has energized a good portion of the progressive wing of the party, b) devoted far more time to organizing rural Virginia than Democrats typically do, securing the endorsements of former Attorney General Mary Sue Terry and former Rep. Rick Boucher in the process and c) leads the pack in fund-raising (Ayala is third). Rasoul has also dominated the news, although not always by his own choosing. A debate moderator singled him out to ask if, as a Muslim, he could represent all Virginians. That question seemed to backfire, and brought Rasoul several days worth of headlines. Rasoul also indirectly benefits from Ayalas last-minute flip-flop; she first pledged not to take utility money then accepted $100,000 from Dominion Energy, making it her second biggest donor. Thats prompted an anti-Ayala ad campaign from the Clean Virginia PAC.