Independent voters favor Youngkin as he clinches victory in Virginia, CNN exit poll shows

Republican and Democratic voters overwhelmingly supported their parties' candidates in the gubernatorial race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin, according to the results of CNN's Virginia exit poll, with independents breaking in favor of Youngkin, who CNN projected would clinch the win.

A similar partisan pattern held down ballot in key Virginia races, with CNN projecting Republican Winsome Sears as the next lieutenant governor of the state.

Youngkin also carried male voters in this year's election by a roughly 12-point margin, White women without college degrees by almost 50 points and White evangelicals by about 78 points -- all broader margins than then-President Donald Trump posted over Joe Biden among those demographics in the 2020 election and than Republican Ed Gillespie posted over his gubernatorial rival in 2017. The exit polling also suggests a slim advantage for Youngkin in the suburbs, an area that shifted toward Democrats during Trump's presidency.