WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American Aneesh Chopra’s bid to become the lieutenant governor of Virginia ended Tuesday, when he lost to State Sen. Ralph Northam in the Democratic Party primary.

Chopra, a former White House technology czar, got more than 65,000 votes, while Northam polled more than 77,000 votes.

Chopra’s margin of defeat was more than eight and a half percent, a surprise considering the more than two-to-one fundraising advantage he had over his opponent. He had also won a series of straw polls.

Chopra, who lives in Arlington, was hoping to win by a big margin in the more populous Northern Virginia region, where there is a significant Indian American population. But unofficial results posted on the Virginia Board of Elections website shows that Chopra could not get not get the margin he expected from Northern Virginia. Official results will be announced Wednesday afternoon.