Terry McAuliffe certified as Democratic nominee for Va. governor It's official: Terry McAuliffe is the Democratic nominee for Virginia governor. The businessman and former Democratic National Committee chairman has long had the party nod sewn up, as other potential contenders like Sen. Mark Warner and ex-Rep. Tom Perriello decided against running for the commonwealth's top job. But the nomination didn't really belong to McAuliffe until Tuesday, when the state Democratic Party certified that he had submitted the necessary signatures to lock up the slot on November's ballot. "I am grateful for the support of Virginians from all parties and from every corner of Virginia," McAuliffe, who came in second in the 2009 Democratic primary for governor, said in a statement. This is thanks to the roughly five hundred volunteers who carried petitions to all corners of the Commonwealth to help me get on the ballot. McAuliffe faces Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II, who was unopposed for the Republican nomination after Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling decided against joining the race. Virginia Democrats also certified that Aneesh Chopra, the former U.S. chief technology officer, and Sen. Ralph Northam (Norfolk) had qualified to run for the lieutenant governor nomination, while former assistant U.S. attorney Justin Fairfax and Sen. Mark Herring (Loudoun) made the ballot for attorney general. Those contests will be decided in a June 11 primary. Republicans will pick their nominees for lieutenant governor and attorney general at a May convention.