As a national figure who became a state figure, McAuliffe - a former national Democratic chairman and Bill-and-Hillary Clinton confidant - symbolized the accelerating change remaking Virginia.

But the research also shows that Virginia’s 218 remaining Confederate symbols are the most in the nation, a reminder that the state was home to the capital of the Confederacy and was the site of ...

There are way more important things going on in our legislation than protesting about having symbols removed ... “We need a unified Virginia and we need to be an example,” said Hagerman.