Ralph Northam beats Ed Gillespie to become 73rd governor of Virginia

FAIRFAX, Va. – Virginia's lieutenant governor will be moving up into the governor's mansion.

Democrat Ralph Northam has defeated Republican Ed Gillespie with about 54 percent of the vote.

There were hundreds of excited Northam supporters at Tuesday's event who celebrated victory for the full Democratic ticket as both Mark Herring won reelection as attorney general and Justin Fairfax will be the next lieutenant governor.

Although many expected this race to be a nail-biter, the race was called just over an hour after polls closed. 

All eyes were on this race to see if Democrats could rebound after Donald Trump's presidential victory last November.

Northam said his victory Tuesday is a sign of hope for the country. 

"It's gonna take a doctor to heal our differences and bring unity to our people and I'm here to let you know that the doctor is in and will be on call for the next four years," said Northam.

With this victory, Democratic leaders say they're now very hopeful about the 2018 midterm elections, when control of Congress will be up for grabs.