Northam said that when he takes office in January, he will focus on economic improvement in rural areas, promoting diversity, fighting the opioid crisis and expanding access to health care.

With Democrats on pace to flip more than a dozen seats in the House, the prospect of passing some form of Medicaid expansion suddenly seems within reach for Northam’s term after McAuliffe was unable to get it through the GOP-dominated House.

“I don’t mind calling it something different if we need to,” Northam said. “I don’t mind working with people from both sides of the aisle. But when we have 400,000 working Virginians that don’t have access to coverage, I find that unacceptable.”

Northam also announced that longtime aide Clark Mercer will serve as his chief of staff, putting to rest any speculation about who will coordinate the inner workings of his administration. Mercer has served in the same capacity during Northam’s current term as lieutenant governor.

“Everybody knows Clark. We’re trying to promote Clark. He lives in the shadow of the secretary of the commonwealth,” Northam said, referring to Mercer’s wife, Kelly Thomasson, a current member of Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s Cabinet.