Former White House Chief Technology Officer Aneesh Chopra lost in his primary election bid Tuesday to become the Democratic Party's nominee for lieutenant governor in Virginia.
Characteristically, Chopra posted his concession and congratulations to his Democratic opponent, pediatric neurologist and two-term State Sen. Dr. Ralph Northam, on Twitter: “Congratulations to Senator @RalphNortham on his victory tonight. I'm looking forward to working together to win in November. #Unity.”
Northam won with a comfortable margin, getting 54% of the tally over Chopra's 46% with nearly all of the precincts counted.
Chopra's might-have-been opponent, Republican nominee E.W. Jackson, who did not have a primary opponent, tried to link the former White House technology chief with the breaking scandal over revelations the National Security Agency has been storing records of Americans' phone calls and Internet activities in a program called PRISM.
“As more information becomes public concerning the government's efforts to monitor its own citizens in violation of the Fourth Amendment, Virginians have a right to know: What did Aneesh Chopra know about the PRISM program and other federal government efforts to archive our telephone conversations, e-mail and internet activity?” Jackson's campaign manager said in a news release the day before the election.
After leaving the White House, Chopra returned to the Advisory Board Co. as a senior adviser for technology strategy.
Follow Joseph Conn on Twitter: @MHJConn
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