The point is, however, consistently, statewide Republican candidates have polled in a fashion within the last 3 years to be competitive in Virginia, across all political stripes. Gillespie finished with 48%, Cucinelli 45% (to McAuliffe's 48%), and Romney (47.26%).
Re: the Arlington remark, there is some evidence in fact, that Republicans can make significant inroads into Loudon, Prince William, and Fairfax Counties (less so than the other counties, but still), while dominating Southwest Virginia, that could compose a electoral coalition enough to win the state's 13 electoral votes.
Losing the Presidential race by 4, governorship by 3, and a U.S. Senate seat by less than 1 suggests, when added up, that Republicans still are electorally viable. It does not mean that they will win, but that they do have, in fact, a route to victory.
Re: the latest post. I don't know about the government jobs situation and while that's a possibility, I dispute that demographic drift is going to accelerate enough from 2012 to 2016 to render Virginia unwinnable. In fact, exit polls in 2014 and 2012 show the same amount of demographics at play (70% white, 30% others).
The problem for the GOP in Virginia is in order to win they need to count on turnoff drops offs with African Americans and the suburban DC vote. That happened this year, and while they got real close and closer than anyone thought it still wasn't enough. The turnout dropoff is not going to happen in a Presidential race.
