Close races for governor unfolding in Virginia, New Jersey

RICHMOND, Va. – Tight races for politician unfolded successful Virginia and New Jersey precocious Tuesday with the Democratic candidates narrowly trailing their Republican rivals successful states that President Joe Biden easy captured a twelvemonth ago.

Near midnight, the elections were inactive excessively aboriginal to call. As the ballot number progressed, some races looked to beryllium tight.

In Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe addressed supporters successful the Washington suburbs, vowing to “count each these votes." Kristin Davison, an adjutant to Republican Glenn Youngkin, appeared onstage astatine a abstracted lawsuit and said his run would proceed to way the incoming votes but was pleased with the mode things appeared to beryllium headed.

Meanwhile, successful New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy was trying to triumph reelection against Republican erstwhile State Assembly subordinate Jack Ciattarelli successful a contention that was besides excessively aboriginal to call. If successful, Murphy would beryllium the archetypal Democrat reelected arsenic the state’s politician successful 44 years.

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The evening's results, though, whitethorn yet beryllium interpreted arsenic an aboriginal judgement of Biden, who captured Virginia past twelvemonth by a comfy 10-point borderline and easy won New Jersey. The closeness of governor's races indicated conscionable however overmuch his party's governmental fortunes person changed successful a abbreviated period.

The White House has been shaken successful caller months by the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, a sometimes sluggish economical betterment amid the pandemic and a legislative docket astatine hazard of stalling connected Capitol Hill.

A nonaccomplishment successful Virginia, which has trended toward Democrats for much than a decennary would peculiarly deepen the consciousness of alarm wrong the party heading into adjacent year’s midterm elections, erstwhile power of Congress is astatine stake. But Biden expressed optimism going into the evening portion acknowledging that “the off-year is ever unpredictable."

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“I deliberation we’re going to triumph successful Virginia,” Biden said astatine a quality league successful Scotland, wherever helium was attending an planetary clime summit. “I don’t judge — and I’ve not seen immoderate grounds that — whether oregon not I americium doing good oregon poorly, whether oregon not I’ve got my docket passed oregon not, is gonna person immoderate existent interaction connected winning oregon losing."

Elsewhere, Democrat Eric Adams won the New York City mayoral election, and a ballot question promoted by apical nationalist progressives was defeated successful Minneapolis. It had sought to reshape policing successful the city, wherever the sidesplitting of George Floyd past twelvemonth touched disconnected sweeping demonstrations for radical justness crossed the nation.

But nary different contention received the level of attraction of the Virginia governor’s campaign. That’s successful portion due to the fact that specified contests successful galore states person sometimes shown elector vexation with a enactment recently successful power, foreshadowing important turnover successful Congress the pursuing year.

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In 2009, during President Barack Obama’s archetypal twelvemonth successful office, Republican Bob McDonnell’s triumph successful Virginia previewed a disastrous midterm rhythm for Democrats, who mislaid much than 60 House seats the pursuing year.

The apical of the Virginia Republican summons featured a achromatic antheral successful Youngkin, a Black woman, Winsome Sears, moving for lieutenant politician and vying to beryllium the archetypal pistillate of colour to clasp the post, and a Hispanic antheral moving to beryllium lawyer general, Jason Miyares.

AP VoteCast, a survey of statewide voters, showed astir fractional of Virginians had favorable opinions of Youngkin, compared to 55% saying they had unfavorable opinions of Trump, suggesting that the Republican gubernatorial campaigner had successfully distanced himself from the erstwhile president. Youngkin was endorsed by Trump but didn’t personally look with him, though the enactment is inactive dominated by the erstwhile president.

McAuliffe, by contrast, campaigned with his party's apical nationalist stars, including Biden, whose past sojourn to Virginia came a week earlier Election Day. VoteCast recovered Biden underwater, with 48% of Virginia’s voters approving of his occupation show compared to 52% disapproving — particularly stark successful a authorities helium had won truthful handily.

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VoteCast besides recovered that Youngkin was making tiny gains successful the suburbs, staying competitory with McAuliffe aft astir 6 successful 10 voters successful the aforesaid areas backed Biden implicit Trump past year.

In Norfolk, on the state's Atlantic coast, 29-year-old Cassandra Ogren said she voted for McAuliffe successful portion due to the fact that of his enactment for termination rights and her interest astir restrictions precocious enacted successful Texas, wherever a caller instrumentality mostly bans the procedure. But she was besides motivated by Youngkin’s ties to Trump.

“Anyone endorsed by President Trump is not idiosyncratic I privation representing me,” Ogren said.

VoteCast recovered that Virginia voters saw the system arsenic the race's apical issue, followed by the coronavirus pandemic and schools. The value galore voters placed connected schools seemed similar bully quality for Youngkin. His pledge to guarantee parents person greater accidental successful what their kids are taught was a centerpiece of his run — perchance foreshadowing akin arguments GOP candidates volition usage crossed the state adjacent year.

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Youngkin has decried “critical contention theory,” an world model that centers connected the thought that racism is systemic successful the nation’s institutions and that they relation to support the dominance of achromatic people. In caller months, it has go a catch-all governmental buzzword for immoderate teaching successful schools astir contention and American history.

The contented took connected greater value aft McAuliffe said during a statement that "I don’t deliberation parents should beryllium telling schools what they should teach.”

Bennett White, 24, a Youngkin elector successful Norfolk, said helium didn't privation “our adjacent procreation of leaders to beryllium looking astatine their peers successful the lens of race."

“I conscionable privation to marque definite that my ma is harmless successful the classroom," said White whose parent is simply a teacher, "and that her ideals and everyone’s ideals are protected, and we’re not turning into brainwashing academies.”

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Associated Press writers Ben Finley successful Norfolk, Virginia, Hank Kurz successful Richmond, Virginia, Alexandra Jaffe successful McLean, Virginia, and Jill Colvin successful New York contributed to this report.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.