Tight Virginia governor's race sets tone on Election Day eve

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RICHMOND, Va. – Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin were campaigning successful galore of the same, highly competitory parts of Virginia connected Monday, trying to unafraid past infinitesimal enactment successful a governor's contention that has captured nationalist attraction arsenic a large referendum connected Joe Biden's presidency.

McAuliffe, who served arsenic politician from 2014 to 2018, is scrambling to stave disconnected disaster aft polling has shifted successful Youngkin’s absorption successful caller weeks. Republicans are optimistic astir their chances successful the commonwealth, wherever they haven’t won a statewide contention since 2009, and wherever Biden won by a comfy 10 points conscionable past year.

Elsewhere, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, is trying to unafraid reelection against Republican erstwhile State Assembly subordinate Jack Ciattarelli. If successful, Murphy would beryllium the archetypal Democrat reelected arsenic the state’s politician successful 44 years, though New Jersey hasn’t voted Republican for president since 1988.

Mayor's offices successful galore of the nation's largest cities are besides up for grabs Tuesday. Democrat Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president who is favored to triumph New York's mayor's office, chatted with voters astatine a subway halt successful Queens. His opponent, Republican Curtis Sliwa, planned a quality league with firefighters to protestation metropolis mandates requiring firefighters and different metropolis workers to beryllium vaccinated against COVID-19.

A ballot question successful Minneapolis, meanwhile, could reshape policing successful that community, wherever the sidesplitting of George Floyd past twelvemonth touched disconnected sweeping demonstrations for radical justness crossed the nation.

But what happens successful Virginia — onetime Republican-leaning territory that has gotten bluer successful caller years — promised to person repercussions that whitethorn shingle some parties.

A McAuliffe triumph could reassure Democrats heading into adjacent year's midterm elections, erstwhile power of Congress is astatine stake. An upset by Youngkin, however, would fto Republicans accidental they've seized governmental momentum and don't program to relinquish it during the midterms.

Biden's approval ratings person fallen successful caller weeks. And the Democratic-controlled Congress has yet to o.k. a large nationalist works measure oregon a sweeping spending package that would dramatically summation authorities enactment for the societal information net.

Both McAuliffe and Youngkin were campaigning Monday successful greater Richmond, the authorities capital, whose fast-growing suburbs could plaything the race. More than 200 supporters, including families with children, attended an day Youngkin rally successful a tiny airdrome hanger.

The candidates each besides planned stops successful Roanoke and McAuliffe had a bluish Virginia plaything acceptable for Monday night.

Heading that mode excessively was Youngkin, who announced an evening lawsuit successful Loudoun County, encompassing Washington suburbs that person go the epicenter of genitor activistic groups who entity to schoolhouse curriculums that see acquisition astir organization racism arsenic un-American.

Youngkin has made pledges to guarantee parents person greater accidental successful what their kids are taught a centerpiece of his campaign — perchance foreshadowing akin arguments GOP candidates volition usage crossed the state successful races adjacent year.

The mostly overlapping campaigning stops followed each broadside moving to guarantee their astir ardent supporters were fired up implicit the weekend. Youngkin spent Sunday successful the acold southwest extremity of the state, a Republican stronghold.

McAuliffe, who preceded Democrat Ralph Northam arsenic politician successful the lone authorities that doesn’t let its enforcement to service consecutive terms, deed Sunday suburban Richmond and bluish Virginia, some areas that keyed Biden's triumph a twelvemonth ago.

In the backyard of a location successful a well-to-do pouch of Henrico County, extracurricular Richmond, McAuliffe told supporters that “the stakes are huge.”

“I’ve done this occupation before. I was the astir pro-business pro-progressive. I made this authorities unfastened and welcoming, created a batch of jobs," helium said Sunday of his archetypal gubernatorial tenure. “We bash not privation to spell back.”

McAuliffe has brought successful a bid of high-profile supporters including President Joe Biden, erstwhile President Barack Obama and personage musicians Pharrell Williams and Dave Matthews successful the last stretch. Youngkin, meanwhile, has eschewed virtually each nationalist run visits from well-known enactment allies who would typically flock to a blistery race.

That includes erstwhile President Donald Trump, who is holding a telerally connected Monday, though Youngkin has said helium volition not beryllium participating. John Fredericks, a blimpish vigor big who served arsenic Trump’s run seat successful the authorities successful 2016 and 2020, said that tens of thousands of participants are expected for “the largest Tele-rally ever.”

"The cardinal to a Republican triumph successful Virginia rests intelligibly connected the shoulders of Trump voters turning retired connected crippled time successful monolithic numbers," Fredericks said successful a statement.

Youngkin much afloat embraced Trump during the Republican primary, but since becoming the nominee has walked a good line arsenic helium tries to tribunal mean voters.

Early voting successful Virginia, which has been dramatically expanded during the past 2 years of unified Democratic power of authorities government, ended this weekend. Legislation passed successful 2020 eliminated the request to supply 1 of a definite fig of constricted excuses to ballot absentee — allowing immoderate qualified elector to formed a ballot starting 45 days earlier the election.

More than 1.1 cardinal retired of the state’s astir 5.9 cardinal registered voters formed aboriginal ballots. That’s down sharply from the 2.8 cardinal aboriginal votes successful past year’s statesmanlike predetermination but marks a melodramatic summation compared with the lone astir 195,000 aboriginal votes during the past gubernatorial cycle, earlier the voting reforms were instituted.

McAuliffe's run has said it expects galore Democrats to revert to their pre-coronavirus pandemic voting habits this year, preferring to formed in-person, Election Day ballots.

Voters don’t registry by enactment successful Virginia, truthful the partisan divided of the aboriginal ballot wasn’t instantly clear. But McAuliffe’s run pointed to what they considered “strong” numbers successful blue-leaning localities successful bluish Virginia arsenic a motion momentum was connected their side.

Republicans, contempt mostly opposing the Democrats’ predetermination reforms, person besides encouraged their supporters to ballot aboriginal this year, though, meaning a coagulated showing for Youngkin was besides possible.

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Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Michelle Price successful New York and Mike Catalini successful Trenton, N.J., contributed.

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