A fascinating race in Virginia

Over five million adults in Virginia are about to vote for a new Governor. The race shouldn’t be close.

Joe Biden won Virginia by a massive 10%. It is basically a blue state, not a purple state.

No republican has won a state wide office since 2020. The Democrats are the majority in the State House and Senate.

And the Democratic candidate is a high profile former Governor while the Republican candidate is a businessman who has never stood for office before.

But amazingly Glenn Youngkin is ahead of Terry McAuliffe by 1% to 2% in the most recent polls. I won’t be surprised if McAuliffe still wins, but the fact it is so close is quite incredible in a state Biden won by 10%.

Education is now cited as the biggest issue in the election, and this is what Youngkin has been campaigning on – both opposition to critical race theory being taught in schools, and the arrest of a father who protested at a school board meeting over the sexual assault of his daughter in a bathroom (the assault was denied by the school administrators for a long time, until it was revealed the Police had in fact laid charges).

If Youngkin does win, or even lose narrowly, I think we will see education issues dominate in other races next year.

It will also show how vulnerable the Democrats may be in the mid terms where the lose of the House is probable and the Senate possible.