A New Poll Shows McAuliffe and Youngkin in Tight Race for Virginia Governor

A poll published Friday shows former Governor of Virginia Terry McAuliffe and his opponent, Republican Glenn Youngkin in a tight race for the upcoming gubernatorial election.

According to a Washington Post/Shar School poll, McAuliffe has a 49 percent to 43 percent edge over Youngkin. Among likely voters, McAuliffe has a 50 percent to 47 edge over Youngkin.

The election, which will be held Nov. 2, can serve as a foreshadowing to the 2022 midterm elections. The two candidates had their first debate on Thursday evening. Abortion rights, economic issues, and issues surrounding the Wuhan coronavirus – such as mask mandates and vaccine mandates, took center stage during the debate. 

“The smaller margin among people likely to vote, combined with a low percentage of voters who say they plan to vote early, suggests that Democrats could face an enthusiasm gap and a challenge boosting turnout to the high levels of the past four years,” the poll write-up reads.