In the wake of Terry McAuliffe’s win in Virginia, both parties must now reassess their positions before the 2014 and 2016 elections

This week saw a narrow win for Democrat Terry McAuliffe over his Republican rival Ken Cuccinelli in the Virginia gubernatorial election. Toni-Michelle C. Travis takes a close look at the election results, writing that McAuliffe had considerable success in more liberal and densely populated Northern Virginia. She argues that facing a Republican General Assembly, and a split Senate, McAuliffe now needs to build relationships across both parties, and that the GOP must work towards greater unity between the Tea Party and traditional Republicans.