In Va. governor's race, Democrats pledge unity, say they will send message to Trump

RICHMOND — Days after Ralph Northam defeated Tom Perriello for the Democratic Party’s nomination in the race for Virginia governor, the victor and the vanquished came together Saturday in their first joint appearance and declared a united party heading into the November election.

The men embraced at the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner, the state Democratic Party’s biggest fundraiser of the year, and Perriello pledged to work hard to see Northam defeat the Republican nominee, former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie.

Former U.S. attorney general Eric H. Holder Jr., who delivered the keynote address, said Virginia finds itself at the “epicenter of the political universe in 2017.”

“In November, the commonwealth will have the first opportunity to send a message to the present occupant of the White House and the extreme right-wingers who surround him,” Holder said.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/in-va-governors-race-democrats-pledge-unity-and-say-they-will-send-message-to-trump/2017/06/18/097d9a98-53cd-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html