The race for governor of Virginia is in full swing as the Nov. 2, 2021, Election Day is in sight. Virginia is considered a crucial state for gauging the political atmosphere in the rest of the country. Virginia has been voting for mostly Democrats in recent elections. However, the Governor race has surprised observers with how close it has become. According to FiveThirtyEight, Terry McAuliffe is ahead in the polls: 48.1 percent to 45.5 percent over Glenn Youngkin.
The candidates:
Photo: Greg Nash
The Democratic Party candidate – Terry McAuliffe
Terry McAuliffe, 64, is the candidate for the Democratic Party and is the former governor of Virginia. McAuliffe has worked in politics nearly all his professional life. He worked on the presidential campaigns for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton. McAuliffe is originally from Syracuse, N.Y., and attended Georgetown for college.
The Republican Party candidate – Glenn Youngkin
Glenn Youngkin, 54, is the candidate for the Republican Party and is a first-time election runner. Youngkin doesn’t have a background in politics like his opponent, rather; he is an entrepreneur who has spent his life building businesses. Youngkin prides himself on being a life-long Virginian and attended Harvard for college.
Campaign stances:
Terry McAuliffe – seeing that McAuliffe is a Democrat, his views align with the typical stances that the Democratic Party holds. Taxing the rich heavily, socialized healthcare, and strict gun control are all views held by McAuliffe. His main campaign stance is about abortion rights. He is pro-abortion rights and urges people to vote for him so that he can fight for women’s healthcare.
Glenn Youngkin – Youngkin is a Republican who holds the beliefs of strict immigration laws, less regulations on corporations and the market, and is anti-abortion. However, Youngkin is running on the grounds of schools and tax dollar allocation for schools. Youngkin is pushing for more public-school funding and raising teachers’ salaries.
The road to office:
The campaign trail has heated up recently and both candidates are throwing everything they have at each other. On both sides, smear campaign ads are run to try and tarnish the other’s reputation. Terry McAuliffe’s team has accused Glenn Youngkin of being a devout follower of Donald Trump. Youngkin, on the other hand, has criticized McAuliffe for not caring about schools and students’ parents.
The rhetoric for this election’s outcome: turnout. Both candidates believe that it is going to come down to turnout from specific voting groups – specifically, young voters. With most close races such as this one, every vote can make a difference.
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