Both political candidates that are attempting to become Virginia’s next Governor on November 2nd are campaigning hard and holding several events in an effort to try and win. Terry McAuliffe teamed up with former President Barack Obama at a campaign event over the weekend in an effort to boost the motivation for Democrats in this important election.
On the other side of the political spectrum, Glenn Youngkin continues to campaign hard to take advantage of Republican momentum ahead of the 2021 Virginia Gubernatorial Election. Youngkin has closed the gap in the polling over the last several weeks and is now polling within the margin of error in nearly every poll.
Political betting websites like PredictIt also give him more than a 30% chance of winning. This is significant because Virginia is not really considered a swing-state anymore due to the fact that demographics have made it possible for the Democratic Party to win statewide elections by as much as 10 percentage points.
Turnout is expected to be much lower than the 2020 Presidential Election, which could play into the favor of Glenn Youngkin and the Republican Party. Lower turnout elections generally benefit Republican candidates, although it really comes down to political enthusiasm and the national political environment.
There’s no doubt that the Democratic Party is in a weaker position than they were in 2020. Joe Biden has struggled with his own approval ratings in recent weeks and independents have shifted wildly away from Biden and his political party. If independents vote for Youngkin instead of McAuliffe in the same way that they are polling in Biden’s job approval ratings, then Virginia is going to see one of its tightest statewide elections in a very long time.
There are several battleground counties that both candidates are going to be fighting for on election night. These counties include Virginia Beach, Chesterfield, and Chesapeake. Every vote could make a difference if the polls are correct in estimating that this race is competitive and within the margin of error.
We will see how the polls react to the resilient campaigning efforts from Youngkin and McAuliffe in the final week of this important race. All signs are pointing to an exciting and nerve racking election night and there’s no way to predict a winner at this point in time.
