Virginia voters chose electors to represent them in the Electoral College via a popular vote pitting the Republican nominee, businessman Donald Trump, and running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence against Democratic nominee, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and her running mate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.

Conversely, Trump became the first Republican since Calvin Coolidge in 1924 to win the presidency without carrying Virginia.

This was due largely to migration into counties in Northern Virginia, close to Washington, D.C., which has further tilted these densely populated areas towards the Democratic Party.

[4] The 49 delegates from Virginia to the Republican National Convention were allocated proportionally based on the popular vote.

An average of the last three polls showed Clinton ahead of Trump 48% to 43%, which was accurate compared to the results.

The first was due in part to her landslide win in the Democratic primary against Senator Bernie Sanders.

The second was Virginia has a significant number of African American voters, many of whom backed Clinton in the primary and both of President Barack Obama's wins in the state.

The third was the state's growing share of well-educated suburban voters, especially in the suburbs surrounding Washington, D.C., who were moving away from the Republican Party in response to Trump being nominated for president.

The fourth was Clinton's pick of the state's own US Senator, Tim Kaine, as her vice presidential running mate.

[14] While polls throughout the campaign showed Clinton leading Republican Donald Trump by varying margins in Virginia, it was announced on October 13 that the Trump campaign was pulling its resources out of the state, likely ceding to Clinton what was perceived to be a critical battleground state.