(New Arab) Anyone who thought America could relax for a while after the latest presidential election should take a look at Virginia. The streets and airwaves filled with adverts leave no doubt that a close and important vote is around the corner.
On 2 November, Virginians will decide who becomes their next governor — Terry McAuliffe, an establishment Democrat, or Glenn Youngkin, a pro-business Republican. On the surface, the choice might not look stark, with both candidates appearing to campaign as centrists. But scratch the surface and the differences between the two become obvious.
McAuliffe, who was elected as governor in 2013, is a long-time Virginia Democratic insider whose re-election would likely mean the continuation of the state’s Democratic policies. Youngkin, a businessman who is new to politics, has the potential — if elected — to shake up the state’s decade-long steady shift from a Republican stronghold to one that’s solidly Democratic.
