Whoever wins Virginia’s tight gubernatorial race Tuesday, the commonwealth will offer a fascinating read on where the country’s stormy politics stand a year after Joe Biden beat Donald Trump, and may point to what happens next. In the closing days of the race, both nominees in Virginia — as well as the current and former Presidents — have pointed to how the race has national significance and could set the tone for next year’s midterm elections and beyond. …
It can be dangerous to extrapolate too much about the nation’s political destiny from a single race. And what happens on Tuesday will not define critical congressional elections in 2022 or the 2024 presidential duel. But Virginia and New Jersey are often seen as referendums on a new White House since they vote a year after the presidential election. They offer the first real health check on Biden’s first year in office, after he’s endured a brutal summer and has struggled to enact his massive social spending and infrastructure plans. CONTINUED
Stephen Collinson, CNN
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