Tuesday, Nov. 2 is election day in two states where voters will decide on their next governor.
The race in Virginia is a dead heat, according to the most recent polling. Democrat Terry McAuliffe, who served as governor from 2014-2018, is running for office again. The main concern for Democrats is holding onto the power they've been able to build in the state over the past several years. McAuliffe's rival is Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, who has risen in the polls the last couple of months as President Biden's approval ratings have slipped.
In New Jersey, Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy, a progressive, has a comfortable lead over Republican challenger Jack Ciattarelli in the polls. It's Murphy's track record on the ballot, though, after four years of governing, two of which have been during the coronavirus pandemic. Ciattarelli, a former state Assemblyman who attended a "Stop the Steal" rally in New Jersey earlier this year, has distanced himself from former President Trump in the final stretch of the campaign.