A member of one of Virginia's 11 Native American tribes performs a blessing dance in honor of Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe during inaugural ceremonies at the Capitol in Richmond, Va., Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014. McAuliffe took the oath of office to become the 72nd governor of Virginia. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
January 11, 2014 - 10:08 AM
RICHMOND, Va. - Terry McAuliffe has been sworn in as Virginia's 72nd governor.
The former Democratic National Committee chairman and fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton was inaugurated on a mild and rainy Saturday at the state capitol designed by Virginia's second governor, Thomas Jefferson. The Clintons were among the thousands in attendance.
The day's festivities started with a prayer breakfast and were to continue to a parade in downtown Richmond and an inaugural ball.
McAuliffe unsuccessfully sought his party's nomination for governor in 2009, then gave it another try and won his first elective office by narrowly defeating Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli. His ticket mates for lieutenant governor and attorney general also won, giving Democrats their first sweep of Virginia's top three statewide offices in 24 years.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014