Former President Barack Obama, right, gestures during a rally with Virginia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, in Richmond, Va. on Oct. 19. | Steve Helber/AP Photo Group spends $1M turning out Democratic-leaning groups in Virginia

A group looking to turn out key Democratic-leaning demographics plans to spend just over $1 million in Virginia, ahead of the state's closely watched gubernatorial and state legislative elections.

The Voter Participation Center, which aims to register and turn out members of underrepresented populations in elections, is on pace to send out 2.2 million pieces of mail from September to Election Day. From Oct. 25 to Nov. 1, the group will send out four waves of get-out-the-vote mailers to unmarried women, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans and young people — a potential boost to Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s campaign for governor. Each group is part of the so-called rising American electorate — young people, non-white people, and unmarried women — which has leaned toward Democrats in recent years.


Some Democrats have worried about the low-key, genial Northam’s ability to excite the progressive base ahead of the critical Virginia gubernatorial election, which also serves as a de facto referendum on a president’s first year in office. Polls have shown the Democrat with a small but steady lead over Republican Ed Gillespie, a former lobbyist and RNC chair.

"The elections in Virginia couldn't be more important for the future of our communities, which is why the Voter Participation Center is investing heavily to make sure underrepresented Virginians register to vote and turn out on election day,” said Page Gardner, the founder and president of the Voter Participation Center.

Gardner noted unmarried women played a key role in Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s two-and-a-half-point victory over Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli four years ago. Unmarried women supported McAuliffe by a 42-point margin, according to a Voter Participation Center post-election poll, while married women support Cuccinelli by a nine-point margin.

Morning Score newsletter Your guide to the permanent campaign — weekday mornings, in your inbox. Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The group plans to pay for a similar poll this year.

African-American participation in Virginia also grew from 2009 to 2013, with black voters making up 16 percent of the electorate in 2009 and 20 percent in 2013. Democrats are hoping for similarly high turnout this year — Northam performed well in heavily African-American cities during the Democratic primary, and former President Barack Obama campaigned for him in Richmond last week.

