Tight Virginia race becomes referendum on Biden presidency

By SARAH RANKIN and WILL WEISSERT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A intimately contested contention for politician successful Virginia entered its last hours Monday with Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin some hoping for last-minute momentum successful a run that’s emerging arsenic a referendum connected Joe Biden’s presidency.

McAuliffe, who served arsenic politician from 2014 to 2018, is scrambling to stave disconnected catastrophe successful a authorities that has go reliable Democratic territory successful caller years. Biden carried Virginia by a comfy 10 percent points past year, but Youngkin’s run is optimistic astir his prospects of becoming the archetypal Republican to triumph a statewide contention since 2009.

“This is simply a infinitesimal for Virginians to propulsion backmost connected this left, liberal, progressive agenda,” Youngkin, a erstwhile backstage equity executive, told a rally astatine an airdrome hangar extracurricular Richmond.

Voters were besides poised to determine a New Jersey governor’s contention Tuesday, arsenic good arsenic mayoral elections successful galore of the nation’s apical cities. Also, a ballot question that could remake policing successful Minneapolis, aft George Floyd’s decease determination past summer, could person nationalist implications.

But the governmental repercussions were farthest reaching successful Virginia, wherever McAuliffe again offered the connection he’s repeated passim the run — that his hostile volition bring erstwhile President Donald Trump’s divisive benignant of authorities to an progressively bluish state.

“I’m closing my run with you successful Richmond,” McAuliffe said during his ain plaything done the authorities capital. “He is closing his run with Donald Trump. Really?”

That was a notation to the erstwhile president holding a Virginia tele-rally Monday nighttime — though Youngkin himself doesn’t program to participate.

Except for promises to safeguard “election integrity,” a motion to Trump’s lies astir past year’s statesmanlike contention being stolen, Youngkin has done his champion to eschew assistance not lone from the erstwhile president but besides astir apical nationalist GOP leaders. Doing truthful has allowed him to tribunal mean Republicans and plaything voters.

Another sanction not appearing connected Tuesday’s ballot is Biden’s, but his support ratings person fallen successful caller weeks and his medication volition apt get a batch of the blasted nationally if its enactment doesn’t prevail successful Virginia. The Democratic-controlled Congress has yet to o.k. a large nationalist works measure oregon a sweeping spending bundle that would dramatically summation authorities enactment for the societal information nett — providing inactive much imaginable governmental headwinds against McAuliffe.

Still, immoderate Youngkin supporters credited their preferred campaigner with keeping the contention focused connected Virginia, not Washington.

“He’s a consecutive shooter,” said Dan Maloy, a 53-year-old tiny concern owner. “He cares astir the issues that we attraction about. You know, it’s nutrient connected the table. What’s the outgo of groceries? What’s the outgo of gas? What bash we request to bash to determination Virginia forward?”

Early voting successful Virginia, which has been dramatically expanded during the past 2 years of unified Democratic power of authorities government, ended this past weekend. Legislation passed successful 2020 eliminated the request to supply 1 of a definite fig of constricted excuses to ballot absentee — allowing immoderate qualified elector to formed a ballot starting 45 days earlier the election.

More than 1.1 cardinal retired of the state’s astir 5.9 cardinal registered voters formed aboriginal ballots. That’s down sharply from the 2.8 cardinal aboriginal votes successful past year’s statesmanlike predetermination but marks a melodramatic summation erstwhile compared with astir 195,000 aboriginal votes during the past gubernatorial cycle, earlier the voting reforms were instituted.

McAuliffe’s run has pointed to what it considered “strong” aboriginal voting numbers successful blue-leaning localities, but besides says it expects galore Democrats to revert to their pre-coronavirus pandemic voting habits this year, preferring to formed in-person, Election Day ballots.

Republicans, contempt mostly opposing the Democrats’ predetermination reforms, person besides encouraged their supporters to ballot aboriginal this year, and Youngkin’s squad said it has seen encouraging signs. Virginia voters don’t registry by party, truthful the partisan divided of the aboriginal ballot wasn’t clear.

“It’s scary to spot things truthful close,” said Brooke Hall-Ewell, a 50-year-old caregiver who lives successful Richmond and attended McAuliffe’s Monday event.

She said termination was a cardinal contented for her and McAuliffe has promised to support reproductive rights. “We’ve got to support Virginia blue,” Hall-Ewell added.

Youngkin was appearing Monday nighttime successful Loudoun County, which encompasses Washington suburbs that person go the epicenter of genitor activistic groups who entity to schoolhouse curriculums that see acquisition astir organization racism arsenic “un-American.” He has made pledges to guarantee parents person greater accidental successful what their kids are taught a centerpiece of his run — perchance foreshadowing akin arguments GOP candidates volition usage crossed the state successful races adjacent year.

McAuliffe, who preceded Democrat Ralph Northam arsenic politician successful the lone authorities that doesn’t let its enforcement to service consecutive terms, countered by accusing his hostile of utilizing children “as pawns.” Polls began to tighten, however, aft a precocious September statement erstwhile the Democrat said helium didn’t deliberation “parents should beryllium telling schools what they should teach.”

Despite Youngkin trying to support his distance, meanwhile, Trump is zeroing successful connected the contention astatine crunch time. The erstwhile president prepared for his tele-rally by alluding to his mendacious claims astir fraud marring the statesmanlike election, declaring successful a statement, “We indispensable triumph bigger than the borderline of fraud by flooding the polls.”

John Fredericks, a blimpish vigor big who served arsenic Trump’s run seat successful Virginia successful 2016 and 2020, said successful a connection that the “key to a Republican triumph successful Virginia rests intelligibly connected the shoulders of Trump voters turning retired connected crippled time successful monolithic numbers.”

Not everyone agrees. Bennie Pressley, who attended Youngkin’s Richmond rally connected Monday, described herself arsenic a “Trump fan” but said she disquieted that the last-minute Trump quality could “turn radical against Glenn.”

“The state is nuts erstwhile it comes to Trump,” she said, adding that she blames galore Americans’ dislike for him connected the quality media.

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin successful New York contributed to this report.