Clinton Wins Virginia Contest; Uncommitted Slate Gets 36%

Democratic presidential front-runner Bill Clinton won the Virginia caucuses Monday night, with an uncommitted slate picking up more than a third of the vote and former California Gov. Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. trailing.

With nearly all of the local caucuses reported, the Arkansas governor had picked up 52% of the delegates, uncommitted had 36% and Brown won 12%.

Balloting in mostly rural counties completed the two-day caucuses, held Saturday and Monday in Virginia, which has 78 national convention delegates up for grabs.

Paul Goldman, state Democratic chairman, said the turnout for Saturday’s caucuses apparently was the lowest in 20 years. In Richmond, one of the most Democratic areas in the state, just 339 people showed up, far fewer than usual.

The low turnout “should be a wake-up call” to Democrats, Goldman said.

Clinton did well in most suburban areas but fared poorly in the urban centers. He climbed over the 50% mark with overwhelming support in Fairfax County, the state’s most populous area, which includes suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Brown won in Richmond and also beat Clinton in one Norfolk district. Uncommitted delegates walloped Clinton and Brown in the other Norfolk district and made up the entire slate in Portsmouth, where the caucus lasted five minutes.

The city and county caucuses are the first step toward naming Virginia’s national convention delegates.