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Article snippet: Ralph S. Northam, Virginia’s lieutenant governor, defeated his Republican opponent, Ed Gillespie, according to The Associated Press, on Tuesday to keep the state’s governorship in Democratic hands. Here’s what to know about Mr. Northam. Mr. Northam, 58, is a moderate member of his party in a state rapidly leaving behind its Southern roots, but which is still troubled by its long racial shadows. The governor’s race was shaken by a pair of seismic events: a march on Charlottesville by torch-carrying white supremacists in August, and Mr. Gillespie’s surprise embrace in the final weeks of Trumpian anti-immigration themes. Mr. Northam stumbled a bit in his response to both. After saying he would work to remove monuments to the Confederacy, he backtracked and said the decision should be left to local officials. And, under a barrage of TV attack ads accusing him of supporting “sanctuary cities,” he indicated that he would sign a bill banning them, which earned him scorn from some left-wing groups. In contrast to Gov. Terry McAuliffe, the voluble, wired and nationally prominent figure he will succeed, Mr. Northam is low-key and little known outside Virginia. A pediatric neurologist, his measured voice and calm bedside manner on the campaign trail often seemed to be that of a physician comforting nervous patients. From his early days in politics, Mr. Northam, a former state senator, was hailed as a great Democratic hope in Virginia. He is an Army veteran in a state with d... Link to the full article to read more