By scheduling it’s governor race in an odd-numbered year when most of the nation isn’t voting, Virginia gains the race outsize importance nationally. It is a nice way to achieve clout without undue effort.
The Trafalgar Group poll of the Virginia governor’s race, where early voting is underway, shows that the Republican challenger Youngkin has pulled into a slight lead over Democrat incumbent McAuliffe. The trend line has been moving in Youngkin’s direction for several weeks.
The numbers are 48.4% for Youngkin and 47.5% for McAuliffe, effectively a dead heat. McAuliffe started out several percentage points ahead, and has declined slowly but steadily. He has made some gaffes that didn’t help.
For an interesting view of the race, check out Salena Zito’s article in the Washington Examiner. She specializes in reporting about the grassroots.
