On November 2nd, the Virginia Governors Race will take place, along with New Jersey’s governor race. However, Virginia’s race is awfully tight for a comfortably democratic state. The latest poll by Monmouth University shows that the Democrat, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, is neck to neck with Republican Glen Younkin. Part of this reason is because Virginias Gubernatorial Race lies on an off year, which means less voter turnout. Furthermore, with Joe Biden in the white house, Democrats see less of a need to vote, which means the GOP has more energy. But perhaps the biggest reason is because Glenn Younkin has walked a fine line between being a moderate and being a Trumper. For example, he supports “election integrity” but has not gone so far as to support Trump’s lie. Another case of his political maneuvering is that Younkin refused to say that Joe Biden won until after his primary victory. In addition to this, Younkin rarely mentions Trump, and usually focuses on his biography and outsider credentials. This election shows that the Democrats have a problem. Trump isn’t that much of an issue for voters anymore. McAuliffe has tried to tie Younkin to Trump, but it hasn’t shown any signs of working. Younkin has managed to hold the race to a tie in a Democratic State. And this could imply that on a larger scale, Democrats might not be able to get their base to turn out by echoing fears about Trump. The Democrats need another tool in their arsenal to energize their base.
