Democratic Gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, and former Congressman Tom Perriello, right, shake hands after a debate at a Union hall in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, May 9, 2017. The two candidates face off in the June 13th primary. (Steve Helber/AP)

RICHMOND — Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello delivered some of their harshest rhetoric yet about President Trump during a Democratic gubernatorial debate Tuesday night in the Richmond suburb of Highland Springs.

The two candidates, vying for their party’s nomination for governor in a June 13 primary, competed to see who could condemn Trump more harshly.

Asked by a moderator about fighting hate crimes, Northam went first.

Hate crimes are up in America, Northam said, “because of who our president is right now. He ran a campaign in 2016 that was based on hatred, bigotry, discrimination, fear and a lot of misinformation.”

He went on to urge the crowd of about 300 at an International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union hall to use their energy to help Democrats win back the House of Delegates this fall. Republicans currently have a 66-34 majority, and all 100 seats are up for election.

Democratic Gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, left, gestures as former Congressman Tom Perriello, right, listens during a debate at a Union hall in Richmond, Va., Tuesday, May 9, 2017. (Steve Helber/AP)

Perriello then agreed that “we are at a very scary moment,” and that responsibility starts with Trump. But he extended it to the frontrunner for the GOP nomination for governor, former Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie.

. “We have not seen Ed Gillespie show one iota of moral courage to distance himself from any of the acts of hate, or bigotry or divisiveness that have come from President Trump,” Perriello said.

He, too, encouraged voters to show that “the response to hate and bigotry is an unprecedented volume of progressive turnout in this primary. I hope it’s for me, but no matter what, the size of that turnout will be one of the strongest signals we can send today.”

The consensus marked a generally civil debate - perhaps surprisingly so, given how harshly staffers from the rival Democratic campaigns have been sniping at one another all week following a more acrimonious debate last week in Roanoke.

[The rumble in Roanoke]

There were only two clear moments of attack: Perriello, as he has before, jabbed Northam for having admitted that he voted twice for George W. Bush for president, before Northam became involved in politics.

Those votes, Perriello said, explain why Northam has proposed a less-generous plan for helping people afford community college. Perrielllo would make two years tuition-free; Northam would require a year of community service to compensate for two years of tuition.

“The trickle-down economics that he supported in the past does not create growth,” Perriello said, as the otherwise well-behaved crowd let out a low “woooooooo.”

Northam had a response ready. “I don’t think people are concerned who I voted for 17 years ago. And what’s more, when I was asked the question, I told the truth. That’s important,” he said. “You know in 2009 Mr. Perriello made a statement that he was really a libertarian at heart and the only reason that he switched to being a Democrat was that he could run for Congress.”

“That’s not at all true,” Perriello interrupted.

“I’ve got it, I’ll show it to you afterward,” Northam said, to laughter, then continued. “He also bragged while he was on Fox News...of all things, that he was proud to have voted with Republicans over 60 percent of the time. So people that live in glass houses shouldn’t be throwing stones.”

Perriello was visibly angered by the accusations. “Dr. Northam, that’s just a pretty sad attack,” he said, adding that as early as ninth grade he was working to elect Douglas Wilder as the first black governor of Virginia. “I spent three years building organizations to push back against the George Bush agenda that you were supporting at the time...I was devoting my life to that, 20 hours a day, so I think you’re going to need a little better defense than that.”

During the debate, Northam’s campaign emailed reporters with links to a Youtube video of a 2010 Fox News interview in which Perriello discussed how he voted with Republicans in Congress as well as a 2009 interview in the The Washington Times where he was characterized as being a “libertarian at heart.” Perriello’s campaign responded with links to old Northam quotes about considering himself a moderate instead of a liberal and calling himself fiscally conservative.

[Watch the YouTube video here]

So, the sniping started anew.

But otherwise, Northam and Perriello had seemed like they could be friends, if only they didn’t have to occasionally attack one another. Northam seemed jaunty, at one point joking that he thought a compliment from Perriello was actually an attack, then jumping back and slapping his hands like an uncle who just made a corny joke.

[Shades of blue: Perriello and Northam differ more on style than substance]

Perriello, who has been getting tremendous national attention after unveiling an ad last week that showed an ambulance being crushed as he slammed Republicans for voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, for the first time stood on a small riser that made him the same height as Northam. He nodded sometimes when he agreed with Northam’s points and praised the administration of Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) - Northam’s mentor and supporter.

One of the few areas of even slight disagreement was on the subject of charter schools. Perriello was flatly against them; Northam said he thought traditional public schools should get more funding and teachers should get raises before the legislature should consider charter schools.

The two debate again May 16 in Hampton Roads. Three Republicans are vying to oppose the Democratic nominee in the November general election: Gillespie, State Sen. Frank Wagner (Virginia Beach) and Prince William County supervisor Corey Stewart. The Republicans already held their debates; their nominee will also be chosen June 13.