Despite being an odd-numbered year, Tuesday’s elections will be contested locally. Virginia voters are voting on a governor’s race which could upset President Joe Biden and the Democrats in Washington. Minneapolis is undergoing a vote to decide whether it will disband its police force and create a new agency for public safety. The new battlefield for partisan debates about race is the school board races.
Watch out for Tuesday’s returns:
WILL DEMOCRATS REMAIN POSITIVE?
Virginia was an early center of Democratic resistance to Donald Trump. It was a center of Democratic resistance to President Donald Trump’s policies. Recent polls show that Republicans in Virginia have an enormous enthusiasm advantage over Democrats. This could jeopardize Democrats’ chances of retaining the governor’s seat in a state Biden won last year by 10 percentage points.
Former governor Former Gov. Youngkin has stayed away from being seen with Trump and any other national GOP leaders and has remained focused on state issues, education, spending, and other topics.
McAuliffe’s campaign notes that he is running in a difficult environment for Democrats. Biden’s approval numbers have declined amid the impasse over his economic agenda in Congress. His pullout from Afghanistan, rising prices and the persistent coronavirus all contributed to his low approval rating.
The best hope for Democrats is that the unplannedly tight race , along with the threats and abortion rights and continuing messaging on Trump, jolt their base and push them to the polls. A narrow win for Democrats last year in Texas will not be enough to secure their tight congressional majority in the next year’s midterms. A five-seat swing or one single vote in the Senate could flip a chamber.
Youngkin is the first candidate for public office and shows Republicans that there are ways forward in the post Trump era. Youngkin presented himself as a suburban dad wearing a fleece vest and was non-threatening, but refused to condemn the former president, who is still popular among Republicans.
