Battleground State Profile: Virginia

State Data:

2008 Primary Results:

Barack Obama: 64%

Hillary Clinton: 35%

John McCain: 50%

Mike Huckabee: 41%

Ron Paul: 4%

2004 Election Results:

George W. Bush: 53.68%

John Kerry: 45.48%

2000 Election Results:

George W. Bush: 52.47%

Al Gore: 44.44%

Racial Breakdown:

White: 70.2%

Black: 19.6%

Hispanic: 4.7%

Other: 5.6%

Income:

Under 25k: 24.6%

25-50k: 28.6%

50-100k: 31.7%

Over 100k: 15.1%

Education:

Less than H.S.: 18.5%

H.S. or Higher: 81.5%

BA or Higher: 29.5%

Grad/Prof Deg: 11.6%

Virginia

Despite the fact that George W. Bush defeated John Kerry by a comfortable 8 points in the 2004 election, Virginia is considered a battleground this year thanks to a gradual shift in statewide voting habits. In a Senate race two years ago, voters in this once-reliably conservative state elected moderate Democrat Jim Webb over incumbent Republican George Allen.

Virginia Democrats would be wise to refrain from becoming too enthusiastic, however: The last presidential election in which the state's voters chose a Democrat came way back in 1964.

The shift in Virginia's voting patterns can be explained in part by a population boom in relatively liberal Northern Virginia. The presence of the state's popular former Governor, Democrat Mark Warner, in the 2008 Senate race is more good news for Democrats: Warner does well with rural voters, and the addition of him or Webb to the Democratic ticket could help put the state's 13 electoral voters in the Democrats' corner. Virginia Democrats would be wise to refrain from becoming too enthusiastic, however: The last presidential election in which the state's voters chose a Democrat came way back in 1964.

• CBS Evening News: Virginia Finally Comes Into Play

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