Virginia gubernatorial candidates make final push before Election Day

Candidates for the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial race wrapped up campaigns across the state on Monday, ahead of Election Day Tuesday. Both Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin had stops in Roanoke, and both had stops planned in northern Virginia for Monday night. The video above shows clips from both candidates’ Monday stops.

McAuliffe has brought in a series of high-profile supporters in the final stretch of the campaign. This includes President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harries, former President Barack Obama and celebrity musicians Pharrell Williams and Dave Matthews.

“We have got to do everything in our power to reach out to everyone we see and know and remind them not only that this election matters, but that they matter, that we matter, that Virginia matters,” Vice President Harris said Friday.

Meanwhile, an energetic crowd of what Youngkin’s campaign said was around 800 people filled a hangar at the Chesterfield County Airport for a speech Monday. Supporters complimented Youngkin for keeping the race focused on the Virginia gubernatorial race and not Washington.

“He’s a straight shooter,” supporter Dan Maloy said of Youngkin. “He cares about the issues that we care about. You know, it’s food on the table. What’s the cost of groceries? What’s the cost of gas? What do we need to do to move Virginia forward?”

Youngkin was expected to travel to Loudon County Monday night. The county has become the epicenter of parent activist groups who object to school curriculums that include instruction about institutional racism.

Early voting in the Virginia gubernatorial election ended over the weekend. More than 1.1 million out of the state’s approximately 5.9 million registered voters cast early ballots. That’s down sharply from the 2.8 million early votes in last year’s presidential election. However, it’s a dramatic increase compared to the roughly 195,000 early votes during the last gubernatorial cycle.

The Virginia gubernatorial race is seen by many as a key indicator of how the 2022 midterms may go. A McAuliffe win could reassure Democrats heading into next year’s battle to maintain control of both houses. An upset by Youngkin could allow Republicans to say they’ve seized political momentum.