Has Virginia voted for Democrats or Republicans in presidential elections since 2008?

1. Why the claim is straightforward — Virginia’s five consecutive Democratic choices since 2008

Election result compilations and state records uniformly show Virginia’s presidential electoral votes going to Democratic nominees in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024; these datasets record winners and statewide vote percentages and therefore provide a clear affirmative answer to the original question ^[1]. The 2024 result — the Democratic nominee winning Virginia with 51.83% to 46.05% — is cited in multiple post-election accounts and is consistent with the state’s five-election Democratic streak ^{[3] [1]}. This documented sequence is the objective basis for saying Virginia has voted Democratic in each presidential election since 2008, and it is confirmed by both national compendia of results and Virginia-specific election sources ^{[4] [5]}.

2. The statewide pattern masks shifting margins and geographic nuance

Although the statewide winner has been Democratic in every cycle since 2008, several accounts of the 2024 contest emphasize substantial Republican gains in certain regions, including parts of Northern Virginia, Loudoun and Fairfax counties, and Southside areas where Trump made local pickups ^[3]. Analysts highlight that while Democrats retained the state, margins tightened in 2024 relative to prior cycles, and Republicans carried or improved in counties they had been losing — a sign that the state’s political geography is not uniformly blue and remains contestable ^{[3] [2]}. These localized shifts matter for interpreting whether the five-election Democratic run indicates permanence or a competitive battleground in flux.

3. Demographics, suburbs, and the long-term realignment story cited by sources

Multiple narratives explain Virginia’s move from a reliably Republican state in the late 20th century to a Democratic-leaning one after 2008, with emphasis on population growth and demographic change in the Washington, D.C. suburbs that shifted the electorate ^{[2] [1]}. Sources note that the D.C.-area suburban counties became more Democratic over time, driving statewide results, while rural and exurban areas remained or grew more Republican ^{[2] [3]}. The 2024 election’s reported suburban Republican gains complicate the demographic story: the same suburban areas that produced Democratic advantages earlier have shown more variability, underlining that demographic trends interact with candidate dynamics and turnout to shape outcomes ^[3].

4. What the 2024 anomaly means for interpreting the streak

Post-2024 analyses underline a historical oddity: the 2024 Democratic win in Virginia occurred even as the national popular vote and electoral map shifted, making this the first time in a century that Virginia voted Democratic while its party lost the nationwide popular vote, per some accounts ^[3]. That fact underscores the independence of state-level dynamics from national trends and cautions against reading the five-election Democratic run as an immutable realignment. Observers also point to administrative and legal developments that affected the 2024 cycle, including litigation over voter rolls and purges, which influenced turnout and were a meaningful context for the vote totals ^{[3] [5]}.

5. Bottom line for readers and what to watch next

The verified record is clear: Virginia voted for the Democratic presidential nominee in every election from 2008 through 2024, but the durability of that pattern is uncertain because 2024 showed narrower margins and targeted Republican gains in key suburban and rural counties ^{[1] [3] [2]}. Future elections will test whether demographic and suburban trends continue to favor Democrats or whether party strategies, turnout changes, and legal-administrative developments will return Virginia to a more competitive posture; monitoring county-level shifts and turnout patterns will be essential to assessing whether the five-election Democratic streak endures ^{[4] [3]}.